Huffington Post Science Blog Calls for More LENR Research

On the Huffington Post Science Blog today, David H. Bailey of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (retired) and University of California, and Jonathan M. Borwein, Laureate Professor of Mathematics, University of Newcastle, Australia have written an article titled “Low Energy Nuclear Reactions: Papers and Patents” in which they take a serious, but very cautious look at some of the recent developments in the LENR field.

Bailey and Borwein discussed LENR in an article about fusion last month and said that while there was reason for skepticism, there was a chance that Andrea Rossi could have discovered something that could revolutionize energy production. In this new article, the authors continue with their caution, but point out that there are some interesting signs. They write:

In the past few years, activity in the LENR arena has picked up considerably, with over20 organizations involved, ranging from universities, national laboratories and NASAto corporations such as Mitsubishi and Toyota. Notables such as Bill Gates and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu have expressed interest.

 

Bailey and Borwein focus on papers and patents published by Brillouin and Rossi (and independent E-Cat testers) and admit that if what they report is accurate then we are looking something very important. However, they then go on to emphasize that everything about LENR goes against what physicists say is possible. The Coulomb barrier should not be able to be breached at low temperatures, and it is should not be possible to produce large energy gains without observing radiation.

The authors explain that some notable supposed breakthroughs in science that have been broadcasted around the world have turned out to be based on wrong data, and that LENR could turn out to be the same. However, despite their abundance of caution, Bailey and Borwein feel it’s important to cover the topic.

The present authors are as intrigued about these results as anyone. If upheld, their significance can hardly be overstated, particularly if they can be parlayed into practical, safe, green energy solutions for the world’s economy. What’s more, many other researchers worldwide can and should participate in learning more about these remarkable phenomena. Clearly there are numerous aspects of these experiments that deserve significantly more study, whether or not true nuclear processes are occurring.