Eugene Mallove
Encyclopedia
Eugene Franklin Mallove was a science writer, editor and publisher of the magazine Infinite Energy, founder of the non-profit New Energy Foundation, a strong proponent of cold fusion
, and a supporter of research into that and related exploratory alternative energy topics, some of which are sometimes disparaged, for one reason or another, as "fringe science
".
Mallove authored Fire from Ice, a book detailing the 1989 report of table-top cold fusion from Stanley Pons
and Martin Fleischmann
at the University of Utah
. Among other things, the book claims the team did produce "greater-than-unity" output energy in an experiment successfully replicated on several occasions, but that the results were suppressed through an organized campaign of ridicule from mainstream physicists, including those studying controlled thermonuclear fusion
, trying to protect their research and funding.
Mallove was murdered in 2004 while cleaning out his former childhood home, which had been rented out. As of May 2011, three people have been arrested and charged in connection with the killing, but no trials have been held.
(1969) and MS
degree (1970) in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from MIT
and a ScD
degree (1975) in environmental health sciences from Harvard University
. He had worked for technology engineering firms such as Hughes Research Laboratories
, the Analytic Science Corporation, and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory
, and he consulted in research and development
of new energies.
Mallove taught science journalism at MIT and Boston University
and was chief science writer at MIT's news office, a position he left as part of a dispute with the school over cold fusion.
He was a science writer and broadcaster with the Voice of America
radio service and author of three science books: The Quickening Universe: Cosmic Evolution and Human Destiny (1987, St. Martin’s Press), The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer’s Guide to Interstellar Travel (1989, John Wiley & Sons, with co-author Gregory Matloff), and Fire from Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor (1991, John Wiley & Sons). He also published articles for numerous magazines and newspapers.
Mallove was a member of the Aurora Biophysics Research Institute (ABRI), one of the founders of the International Society of the Friends of Aetherometry, a member of its Organizing Committee, a co-inventor of the HYBORAC technology and one of the main evaluators of ABRI technologies.
His alternative energy research included studying the reproduction of Wilhelm Reich
's Orgone
Motor by Dr. Paulo Correa and Alexandra Correa, as well as the evolution of heat in the Reich-Einstein experiment. He was among the scientists and engineers who claimed to have confirmed the output of excess electric energy from tuned pulsed plasmas in vacuum arc discharges.
Mallove's combative stance against what he saw as the hypocrisy of mainstream science gave him a high profile. Among other things, he was a frequent guest on the American radio program Coast to Coast AM
.
He is also credited as a "cold fusion technical consultant", for providing advice to the producers of the movie The Saint
from 1997, with a plot revolving around cold fusion
formulas.
In 1981 he and Gregory Matloff wrote a classic paper about using solar sail
s to reach Alpha Centauri
, the nearest star to our sun. They calculated that the trip would take several hundred years and that the ship would have to withstand gravity accelerations
of 60 g. They wrote several papers on that and other proposed methods of space travel, such as the laser propelled
Bussard ramjet
, and exotic fuels that could give very high power.
, Connecticut
, while cleaning a recently vacated rental property owned by his parents, the home he grew up in. The nature of Mallove's work led to some conspiracy theories
regarding the homicide, but police suspected robbery as the motive.
In 2005, two local men were arrested in connection with the killing. The case proceeded slowly and the charges against the two men were finally dismissed on November 6, 2008.
On February 11, 2009, the State of Connecticut announced a $50,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder. On April 2, 2010, the police made two arrests in connection with the murder and said that more arrests were expected.
On May 22, 2011, a state prosecutor said that they were charging a third person in connection with the killing. Court testimony indicates that Mallove may have been killed by an evicted tenant who was angry about belongings being disposed of during the clearout.
Cold fusion
Cold fusion, also called low-energy nuclear reaction , refers to the hypothesis that nuclear fusion might explain the results of a group of experiments conducted at ordinary temperatures . Both the experimental results and the hypothesis are disputed...
, and a supporter of research into that and related exploratory alternative energy topics, some of which are sometimes disparaged, for one reason or another, as "fringe science
Fringe science
Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study that departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, and is classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline....
".
Mallove authored Fire from Ice, a book detailing the 1989 report of table-top cold fusion from Stanley Pons
Stanley Pons
Bobby Stanley Pons is an American-French electrochemist known for his work with Martin Fleischmann on cold fusion in the 1980s and '90s.-Early life:...
and Martin Fleischmann
Martin Fleischmann
Martin Fleischmann is a British chemist noted for his work in electrochemistry. He came to wider public prominence following his controversial publication of work with colleague Stanley Pons on cold fusion using palladium in the 1980s and '90s.-Early life:Born in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia,...
at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. Among other things, the book claims the team did produce "greater-than-unity" output energy in an experiment successfully replicated on several occasions, but that the results were suppressed through an organized campaign of ridicule from mainstream physicists, including those studying controlled thermonuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
, trying to protect their research and funding.
Mallove was murdered in 2004 while cleaning out his former childhood home, which had been rented out. As of May 2011, three people have been arrested and charged in connection with the killing, but no trials have been held.
Biography
Eugene Mallove held a BSBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
(1969) and MS
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree (1970) in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and a ScD
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
degree (1975) in environmental health sciences from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He had worked for technology engineering firms such as Hughes Research Laboratories
Hughes Research Laboratories
HRL Laboratories , was the research arm of the Hughes Aircraft Company. Its dedicated research center was established in 1960 in Malibu...
, the Analytic Science Corporation, and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory
Lincoln Laboratory
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and development activities focus on long-term technology development as well as...
, and he consulted in research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
of new energies.
Mallove taught science journalism at MIT and Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and was chief science writer at MIT's news office, a position he left as part of a dispute with the school over cold fusion.
He was a science writer and broadcaster with the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
radio service and author of three science books: The Quickening Universe: Cosmic Evolution and Human Destiny (1987, St. Martin’s Press), The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer’s Guide to Interstellar Travel (1989, John Wiley & Sons, with co-author Gregory Matloff), and Fire from Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor (1991, John Wiley & Sons). He also published articles for numerous magazines and newspapers.
Mallove was a member of the Aurora Biophysics Research Institute (ABRI), one of the founders of the International Society of the Friends of Aetherometry, a member of its Organizing Committee, a co-inventor of the HYBORAC technology and one of the main evaluators of ABRI technologies.
His alternative energy research included studying the reproduction of Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry...
's Orgone
Orgone
Orgone energy is a theory originally proposed in the 1930s by Wilhelm Reich. Reich, originally part of Sigmund Freud's Vienna circle, extrapolated the Freudian concept of libido first as a biophysical and later as a universal life force...
Motor by Dr. Paulo Correa and Alexandra Correa, as well as the evolution of heat in the Reich-Einstein experiment. He was among the scientists and engineers who claimed to have confirmed the output of excess electric energy from tuned pulsed plasmas in vacuum arc discharges.
Mallove's combative stance against what he saw as the hypocrisy of mainstream science gave him a high profile. Among other things, he was a frequent guest on the American radio program Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
.
He is also credited as a "cold fusion technical consultant", for providing advice to the producers of the movie The Saint
The Saint (film)
The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
from 1997, with a plot revolving around cold fusion
Cold fusion
Cold fusion, also called low-energy nuclear reaction , refers to the hypothesis that nuclear fusion might explain the results of a group of experiments conducted at ordinary temperatures . Both the experimental results and the hypothesis are disputed...
formulas.
In 1981 he and Gregory Matloff wrote a classic paper about using solar sail
Solar sail
Solar sails are a form of spacecraft propulsion using the radiation pressure of light from a star or laser to push enormous ultra-thin mirrors to high speeds....
s to reach Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus...
, the nearest star to our sun. They calculated that the trip would take several hundred years and that the ship would have to withstand gravity accelerations
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
of 60 g. They wrote several papers on that and other proposed methods of space travel, such as the laser propelled
Laser propulsion
Laser propulsion is a form of beam-powered propulsion where the energy source is a remote laser system and separate from the reaction mass...
Bussard ramjet
Bussard ramjet
The Bussard ramjet is a theoretical method of spacecraft propulsion proposed in 1960 by the physicist Robert W. Bussard, popularized by Larry Niven in his Known Space series of books, and referred to by Carl Sagan in the television series and book Cosmos....
, and exotic fuels that could give very high power.
Death
Eugene Mallove was killed on May 14, 2004 in NorwichNorwich, Connecticut
Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, while cleaning a recently vacated rental property owned by his parents, the home he grew up in. The nature of Mallove's work led to some conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
regarding the homicide, but police suspected robbery as the motive.
In 2005, two local men were arrested in connection with the killing. The case proceeded slowly and the charges against the two men were finally dismissed on November 6, 2008.
On February 11, 2009, the State of Connecticut announced a $50,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder. On April 2, 2010, the police made two arrests in connection with the murder and said that more arrests were expected.
On May 22, 2011, a state prosecutor said that they were charging a third person in connection with the killing. Court testimony indicates that Mallove may have been killed by an evicted tenant who was angry about belongings being disposed of during the clearout.