Plenty of scientists have given misleading and even false press releases about their discoveries, including in life sciences. It may not be the usual thing to do, but it certainly happens. And I’m not talking about cases where some journalist wrote some random thing that was different from what the scientist said, or even where the University press service gets it wrong. But yeah, usually you won’t see someone claiming to have cured something when they haven’t.
Heck, here’s another gamechanger if its true: http://www.dvice.com/2013-2-22/lockheeds-skunk-works-promises-fusion-power-four-years
Article says that Lockheed can get fusion reactors going by 2017.
It would be nice, but I wouldn’t wait for it underwater.
The more I think about it the more I think this might be a break through for power semiconductor applications. Seems to me that for logic semiconductors charge density isn’t an issue, but holding a charge without refresh is a whole separate matter. High charge density materials for say a taser/stun gun or anything else that you need a rapid discharge would seem a perfect fit.
But we mock those guys, and point at them and giggle when we see them at conferences.
I shared this with a friend on a private forum and he had this as a response:
Oh, I wish I could believe the defense contractor who I used to work at, who has regularly failed at its own ethics exams, who is facing a magnificently huge catastrophic loss if the sequestration goes through, and is posting arguably the most important power news this century, is not doing this because of what will probably happen on March 1.