Rethinking Cold Fusion

Steven B. Krivit (Photo Credit: Daniel Bosler, courtesy of New Energy Times.)

Recently Steven B. Krivit, editor of the New Enegry Times, was scheduled to give a paper at the American Chemical Society (ACS)  National Meeting. However, this was later cancelled “due to an extremely full and very tight scedule.” Subsequently Steven put his presentation onto YouTube and also published the paper via the Internet.

By way of introduction to these, he published the following on the New Energy Times web site:

On the Reality of LENR and the Mythology of Cold Fusion
by Steven B. Krivit
March 20, 2010

I wanted to believe in cold fusion.

I thought, Our brilliant scientists can figure out so many wonderful things. Why not an abundant source of clean nuclear energy?

I now concede that, to the best of my awareness, it’s not fusion. But hang on - the experiments still prove the discovery of a potentially abundant source of clean nuclear energy, not from fusion but probably from electroweak interactions.

Is the distinction important? Absolutely. Nothing has interfered with the progress and respectability of the field more than the impression that its proponents are either true believers or fools.

I don’t mind admitting that I was wrong when I told people that “cold fusion” was real. I didn’t know any better when I wrote my first book.

The people who told me they had evidence of “cold fusion” had Ph.D.s and extensive careers in science. When they claimed to see experimental results consistent with D-D “cold fusion,” I believed them. That’s generally what we do as science journalists.

Years - 10 so far - of my continued investigations and development of my understanding of science, particularly of nuclear physics, persuades me of the ever-diminishing evidence for “cold fusion.”

My paper “2010 American Chemical Society Review of Low-Energy Nuclear Reaction Research,” which explains the reality of LENR and the mythology of cold fusion, is available in three formats:

Full-Size Color PDF
http://newenergytimes.com/v2/library/2010/2010KrivitS-ACS.pdf

Printer-Friendly PDF
http://newenergytimes.com/v2/library/2010/2010KrivitS-ACS-PRINT.pdf

McKubre Recalibrates Data (Reported March 23, 2010)

Unanswered Questions About SRI Experiment M4 (March 23, 2010)

New Energy Times began in 2000 and documents the myths, realities, strengths and challenges associated with low-energy nuclear reaction research (”cold fusion”) from when it was first introduced in 1989 through the present. Steven B. Krivit is an investigative science journalist, photographer, editor, author and international speaker with specific expertise in the topic of LENR research.