Jones said that Gai has an extremely sensitive neutron detector which would help them better understand the way the neutrons are emitted from the reactions. The latest studies indicate that the neutrons are emitted in sharp bursts, a phenomenon for which there is yet no explanation.

"His detector will allow us to look at the bursts in much greater detail, so that we will be able to probe deeper [into] this phenomenon," Jones said. "We don't really understand how nature contrives to give us these neutrons, and that is the puzzle we have to unravel."

Meanwhile, Pons and Fleischmann, who declined invitations to the Los Alamos conference, remained in Utah to conduct additional tests. According to Brophy, they are attempting to clear up any mistakes they may have made in the first round of experiments and add additional data to the information they already have.

"They are aware of the appropriate criticisms of their experiments and are producing a report that will meet those criticisms," Brophy said. The report is expected to be out by mid-summer.

Brophy added that a second University of Utah team is conducting tests similar to the original Pons-Fleischmann experiment and so far has produced similar results.

The fusion confusion also continues outside of Utah. According to a Stanford University spokeperson, Stanford professor of Materials Science Robert A. Huggins insists that the heat energy released in his experiment could only be caused by fusion.

And in the past two weeks, separate teams in Sweden and Japan have announced they have reproduced the original Pons-Fleischmann experiment with the same results, leaving scientists as puzzled as they were when the controversy started.

As Silvera put it, "I don't think the story's over."