Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Aethernaut · 03-05-2002, 07:42 AM

<a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020304/sc_nm/science_fusion_dc_1&cid=585" target="_blank">Yahoo news yesterday</a>

This is exciting news! What will really get me excited is when and if they repeat the experiment.

There was another article I was reading not too long ago about a liquid metal (i think it was liquid lithium but I could be wrong) and magnetic containment unit for fusion reactions, designs so it could tolerate the heat.

What some of us domesticated primates come up with never ceases to amaze me.

-SK

Megatron · 03-05-2002, 07:58 AM

Awesome!

It's research like this that makes real changes in the world...

IvanK · 03-05-2002, 08:19 AM

Jury's still out, fellas.

Quote:

An immediate challenge has already come from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which helped conduct the experiment. The lab reviewed the work and said its scientists could find no evidence of the key neutron emissions.

Taleyarkhan, who could not be reached immediately for comment, said the reviewing scientists had improperly calibrated their detector and misinterpreted the findings, Science said in a statement.

Corwin · 03-05-2002, 08:31 AM

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

This is the same argument they made against cold fusion... (one of them) and it's stupid.

Ok.... bear with me here....

If it makes heat, and can produce enough energy to run a power plant....

WHO THE HELL CARES IF IT PRODUCES NEUTRONS OR NOT YOU FREAKIN MORONS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Not producing neutrons is a GOOD thing. As in no radiation to speak of. <snotty nosed ivory tower voice/> Well, it's not REAL fusion, don'tyouknow... </snotty> Bah. It makes Tritium. Tritium has been found in both reactions. So, it's either fusion or there's a new reaction that creates tritium. Take your pick... either one will rewrite several chapters of nuclear physics.

IvanK · 03-05-2002, 09:11 AM

But, but . . . the guy who supposedly did the original experiment isn't saying "my reaction doesn't make neutrons you MORONS," he's saying "they didn't have their neutron detectors pointed in the right direction and they misinterpreted the data anyway." And a healthy skepticism is the basis of the scientific method, isn't it? Anywho, I ain't buyin' fusion in a jar until something comes along that can withstand the scrutiny of top physicists, be they in or out of the ivory tower.

DB_Hunter · 03-05-2002, 09:19 AM

I'll buy it when I've got a jar hooked up to my laptop, powering it full-time.

DB

Aethernaut · 03-05-2002, 09:33 AM

That's why I included the "when and if they repeat the experiment" in my initial statement.

Sure would be sweet if it's verified.

-SK

Corwin · 03-05-2002, 09:38 AM

Yeah it would be.... but then cold fusion was verified too.... didn't matter. Still got brushed under the carpet. (It works, sorta. It works well enough that any reasonable person would say 'look at it some more,' unfortunately when popular opinion has been crafted to say you're a nut it's tough to get funding.)

Jobar · 03-05-2002, 06:45 PM

Why was this topic locked? I could see moving it to S&S, but locking seems improper. Please, any mod who locks or moves a thread, post a reason, to help avoid the sort of confusion I am suffering now!

And- Corwin, cold fusion is pseudoscience. The fact is, the only people saying that there is some useful science being covered up, are frauds attempting to sell 'cold fusion generators' to the gullible public.

tronvillain · 03-05-2002, 06:53 PM

There was already a thread on the subject in Science & Skepticism, so I didn't see any point in moving this one.

03-05-2002, 07:42 AM	#1
Aethernaut Regular Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 422	Random Neato Science News <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020304/sc_nm/science_fusion_dc_1&cid=585" target="_blank">Yahoo news yesterday</a> This is exciting news! What will really get me excited is when and if they repeat the experiment. There was another article I was reading not too long ago about a liquid metal (i think it was liquid lithium but I could be wrong) and magnetic containment unit for fusion reactions, designs so it could tolerate the heat. What some of us domesticated primates come up with never ceases to amaze me. -SK

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03-05-2002, 07:58 AM	#2
Megatron Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: New York Posts: 5,441	Awesome! It's research like this that makes real changes in the world...

03-05-2002, 08:31 AM	#4
Corwin Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 4,369	Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. This is the same argument they made against cold fusion... (one of them) and it's stupid. Ok.... bear with me here.... If it makes heat, and can produce enough energy to run a power plant.... WHO THE HELL CARES IF IT PRODUCES NEUTRONS OR NOT YOU FREAKIN MORONS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Not producing neutrons is a GOOD thing. As in no radiation to speak of. <snotty nosed ivory tower voice/> Well, it's not REAL fusion, don'tyouknow... </snotty> Bah. It makes Tritium. Tritium has been found in both reactions. So, it's either fusion or there's a new reaction that creates tritium. Take your pick... either one will rewrite several chapters of nuclear physics.

03-05-2002, 09:11 AM	#5
IvanK Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 2,016	But, but . . . the guy who supposedly did the original experiment isn't saying "my reaction doesn't make neutrons you MORONS," he's saying "they didn't have their neutron detectors pointed in the right direction and they misinterpreted the data anyway." And a healthy skepticism is the basis of the scientific method, isn't it? Anywho, I ain't buyin' fusion in a jar until something comes along that can withstand the scrutiny of top physicists, be they in or out of the ivory tower.

03-05-2002, 09:19 AM	#6
DB_Hunter Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 755	I'll buy it when I've got a jar hooked up to my laptop, powering it full-time. DB

03-05-2002, 09:33 AM	#7
Aethernaut Regular Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 422	That's why I included the "when and if they repeat the experiment" in my initial statement. Sure would be sweet if it's verified. -SK

03-05-2002, 09:38 AM	#8
Corwin Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 4,369	Yeah it would be.... but then cold fusion was verified too.... didn't matter. Still got brushed under the carpet. (It works, sorta. It works well enough that any reasonable person would say 'look at it some more,' unfortunately when popular opinion has been crafted to say you're a nut it's tough to get funding.)

03-05-2002, 06:45 PM	#9
Jobar Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: secularcafe.org Posts: 9,525	Why was this topic locked? I could see moving it to S&S, but locking seems improper. Please, any mod who locks or moves a thread, post a reason, to help avoid the sort of confusion I am suffering now! And- Corwin, cold fusion is pseudoscience. The fact is, the only people saying that there is some useful science being covered up, are frauds attempting to sell 'cold fusion generators' to the gullible public.

03-05-2002, 06:53 PM	#10
tronvillain Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 5,658	There was already a thread on the subject in Science & Skepticism, so I didn't see any point in moving this one.

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