Hesitant birth of cold fusion
- Texas A M Univ., College Station (United States)
John O'M. Bockris, a distinguished chemistry professor at Texas A M University, finds the reaction to the announcement of the discovery of cold fusion curious. Two years earlier, he notes, there had been a comparable announcement concerning the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity; it received favorable press coverage for months. The cold-fusion announcement, on the other hand, was met with dour skepticism. When other researchers failed in efforts to duplicate the findings of Martin Fleischmann and B. Stanley Pons, Bockris says, the two scientists were held up to ridicule. Bockris says he found a deep emotional opposition to cold fusion, even within his own department and university. This opposition is fueled in large part, he believes, by big science and the hot fusion lobby. A key indicator of cold fusion is the presence of tritium, Brockis claims. At Texas A M, large amounts of tritium have been found in some experiments; this also has occurred in experiments at more than 40 laboratories in nine countries, he says. Excess heat production is more difficult to attain, he acknowledges. The cold-fusion controversy has uncovered some unflattering characteristics of the scientific community, Bockris says. Among them are: scientists are no less driven by emotion that business people or politicians; research funding decisions serve to perpetuate the goals of politically powerful interest groups; and ideas have great inertia once planted in a scientist's mind.
- OSTI ID:
- 6940577
- Journal Information:
- Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy; (United States), Journal Name: Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy; (United States) Vol. 7:4; ISSN FARPEL; ISSN 0887-8218
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
700360* -- Fusion Reactions-- (1992-)
ATTITUDES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COLD FUSION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENERGY
HEAT
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLITICAL ASPECTS
RADIOISOTOPES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
TRITIUM
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES