Definition
Plain language
The two chemists whose 1989 announcement started the cold fusion episode.
As stated in the literature
Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann reported excess heat from palladium–deuterium electrolysis in 1989; the result failed independent replication.
Also called: Pons, Fleischmann
Why it matters: The episode is the standard case study in how quickly an extraordinary claim can spread and how thoroughly independent replication can settle it.
For example, their 1989 press announcement sent labs around the world scrambling to reproduce the experiment within days.
Heard on the show
“" That's Pons and Fleischmann vocabulary from nineteen eighty-nine.”Episode 240 — Frontier Models Designed Follow-Ups To Fraudulent Papers 93% Of The Time