The cold fusion horizon
I understand the argument about the sociological reputation trap, but a little more reading about Rossi's research turns up some very fishy evidence:<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Catalyzer" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Catalyzer</a><p>In particular, the copper supposedly generated by the fusion of hydrogen and nickel has an isotopic composition very similar to that of natural copper, rather than what one would expect from byproducts of nuclear reactions. As a result, it's much more likely that copper comes from a conventional source rather than actual nuclear fusion.<p>It also doesn't help that Rossi has been convicted of fraud for purportedly inventing dubious devices in the past. In particular, he "created" a system for turning toxic waste into oil, but this turned out to be just dumping the waste into the environment. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Rossi_(entrepreneur)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Rossi_(entrepreneur)</a><p>I'm all for avoiding groupthink in scientific research, but this might not be the right story on which to base that argument.