INTERVIEW: Martin Fleischmann, Cold Fusion Pioneer

by Marc Abrahams

In 1989, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons startled the world. They announced the discovery of what appeared to be a new form of nuclear fusion, called “cold fusion.” Their work, carried out at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, touched off a swarm of controversy.

Cold fusion, if it turns out to be feasible, would offer humankind the possibility of generating inexpensive, abundant, clean energy.

Critics have accused Fleischmann and Pons of a multitude of sins — of making claims unsubstantiated by their data, of publishing flawed data, of publishing insufficient information to allow other scientists to try to reproduce their experiments, and of publicizing their work via press conference rather than by publishing it in peer reviewed journals. At the same time, scientists at several institutions have reported some success in reproducing certain aspects of the research.

Since 1989, sensational rumors have swirled about Fleischmann and Pons. Now, in an exclusive interview with the Annals of Improbable Research, Martin Fleischmann reveals the truth about the recent rumors.

QUESTION: Are the rumors true about you and Madonna?

ANSWER: No.

© Copyright 2003 Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)

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