GRAB a beaker of heavy water and a pair of palladium electrodes: it鈥檚 time to start experimenting with cold fusion again, without any need for embarrassment. A review of cold fusion research for the US Department of Energy has recommended that the DOE remain open to the idea.
The review is the DOE鈥檚 first since it concluded 15 years ago that cold fusion was a dud. Last year, researchers led by Peter Hagelstein of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology asked the DOE to commission a review of the experimental evidence for 鈥渁nomalous low-energy nuclear reactions鈥�, such as the fusion of deuterium atoms in an electrolyte.
鈥淔unding agencies should entertain well-designed cold-fusion experiments鈥�
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The DOE agreed, and in a report released on 1 December it says the reviewers 鈥渨ere split approximately evenly鈥� on the question of whether the evidence for nuclear reactions occurring in condensed matter at low energies was compelling. And while none of the reviewers recommended starting a dedicated federal programme to study cold fusion, there was 鈥渘early unanimous opinion鈥� that 鈥渇unding agencies should entertain individual, well-designed proposals鈥� for cold-fusion experiments, the DOE says.
After 15 years of seeing cold fusion derided, Hagelstein is glad of any praise. 鈥淭hat a significant number of very sceptical reviewers have recommended that high-quality proposals in the area be supported is encouraging,鈥� he told 麻豆传媒.