Cold Fusion: A Case for Replication (800L)_03

Two researchers at the University of Utah thought they had cracked the secrets of cold fusion. They believed that had discovered the holy grail of Physics. The two researchers decided not to publish their findings in scientific journals. They instead went to the media in order to tell the world of their discovery. Because the main fuel for cold fusion would be plain water, there was a flurry of excitement. Unfortunately, it did not last long.

After they announced the news, other scientists rushed to replicate, or repeat, the initial work. Unfortunately, no one was able to replicate their results. As it turned out, there was a flaw. The measuring devices were affected by the environment. They were not detecting the energy from the experiment. There really was no cold fusion occurring. Cold fusion illustrates the critical need for replication by others. In order for Science to be considered valid, the results must be replicable.