DAILY TECH - Navy scientists claim that slices of CR-39 plastic. . .
have recorded the passage of atomic particles emitted during successful
cold fusion nuclear reactions. New proof that cold fusion works could
fuel additional interest in generating power from low energy nuclear
reactions
Cold fusion, the ability to generate nuclear power at room temperatures,
has proven to be a highly elusive feat. In fact, it is considered by
many experts to be a mere pipe dream - a potentially unlimited source of
clean energy that remains tantalizing, but so far unattainable.
However, a recently published academic paper from the Navy's Space and
Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego throws cold water on skeptics
of cold fusion. Appearing in the respected journal Naturwissenschaften,
which counts Albert Einstein among its distinguished authors, the
article claims that Spawar scientists Stanislaw Szpak and Pamela
Mosier-Boss have achieved a low energy nuclear reaction that can be
replicated and verified by the scientific community.
Cold fusion has gotten the cold shoulder from serious nuclear physicists
since 1989, when Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann were unable to
substantiate their sensational claims that deuterium nuclei could be
forced to fuse and release excess energy at room temperature. Spawar
researchers apparently kept the faith, however, and continued to refine
the procedure by experimenting with new fusionable materials. . .
The Spawar method shows promise, particularly in terms of being easily
reproduced and verified by other institutions. Such verification is
essential to widespread acceptance of the apparent breakthrough, an
important precursor to scientists receiving the necessary funding to
fuel additional research in the field.