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Scientific grey zones
Part 2: Cold fusion
Some theories are so speculative that mainstream researchers reject them. Learn to distinguish between humbug and serious research.
The experiment was performed using glass tubes, flasks and cables – nothing particularly high tech, more resembling something you could piece together in a school laboratory. But when the scientists applied a weak current, heat developed, generating surplus energy.
In 1989, when they did the experiment, two electrochemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons were convinced that they had imitated the fusion processes that take place in the Sun’s interior – but had done so at room temperature.
The experiment caused a huge stir. If it were true, and repeatable, you could generate energy pretty much for free. However, the stir quickly moved towards scepticism when other scientists found they could not repeat the cold fusion. Even today we do not know for sure what really
