Mike Adams, Newstarget's Health Ranger, argues that the progress of science is impeded by researchers who discredit theories that do not fit their preconceptions or financial interests.
Cold Fusion
He points out that the concept of cold fusion was so thoroughly descredited by "hot" fusion proponents when the first experiments were performed that it is now largely considered a joke by the general populace. However, it is no joke, but hard science; even the initial experiments had a 30 percent success rate, the Department of Energy is currently funding a low energy nuclear reaction lab at the University of Illinois, and more than 400 papers on the topic of cold fusion have been published.
Nonetheless, many scientists continue to spread the idea that cold fusion is a fraud.
Homeopathy
He compares this with the suppression and discrediting of "alternative" medical remedies such as homeopathy, arguing that this stems from the same source as the forces that work against cold fusion: the financial interests of corporations, and the ego interests of individuals and groups in the scientific community.
Since no one wants to re-evaluate their cherished beliefs or work against their own interests, scientific progress may move forward only as quickly as defenders of outdated scientific theories retire or die.
