Two physicists recently announced they had figured out the secrets of cold fusion, which is a low energy nuclear reaction that, if it exists, could solve the worlds energy problems. But to call their story fishy is a massive understatement. Cold fusion is sort of like the alchemy of the modern world – yes, there might be a trickle of real science behind it, but the idea that it could provide free, limitless energy is almost certainly a pipe dream. Cold fusion became infamous in the late 1980s with the extremely controversial and largely rejected findings of Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann, and since then cold fusion has largely gone from legitimate line of inquiry to the domain of cranks, laughingstocks, and hoaxers. For more background on cold fusion, check out this post from last year.That more or less brings us to today, as physicists Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi of Italys University of Bologna have unveiled their supposed massive breakthrough. They dont just claim to have figured out how to make a cold fusion reactor, the actually say that they have built one and already tested it, with lots of new reactors ready to ship within the next few months.Before you get out your checkbook, lets examine whats going on here. The scientists claim that a reactor has been running a factory for the last two years, but nobody knows what theyre

via No, Italian scientists have not discovered cold fusion.