Cold Fusion -- 20 Years Later

The world sat up and noticed when scientists thought they had found fusion power in a room temperature experiment. But where are we today?

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports:

"There’s mounting evidence that nuclear fusion can be created at room temperature, and if that energy can be harnessed, it has the power to change the world, scientists and researchers agreed yesterday at a University of Missouri seminar. It will take significantly more experiments, though, to fully understand how cold fusion works, said Vice Chancellor of Research Robert Duncan.... he doesn’t know whether cold fusion will lead to energy production but that’s precisely the reason it should continue to be pursued. 'It’s simply too convenient to dismiss it as junk science,' he said. 'As scientists, we should go after what we don’t understand.'

The fusion of atoms is a high-energy process that powers the sun and other stars. To replicate nuclear fusion in hydrogen bombs takes an enormous amount of heat. Experts believe the ability to create nuclear fusion without high levels of energy would allow for the generation of clean power, reduce nuclear waste and potentially eliminate the country’s dependence of foreign oil." See full article.