E. Paul Palmer (1926–2011) was a

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

physicist who specialized in geophysics. He coined the term "

cold fusion Cold fusion is a hypothesized type of nuclear reaction that would occur at, or near, room temperature. It would contrast starkly with the nuclear fusion, "hot" fusion that is known to take place naturally within Main sequence, stars and artific ...

". However he was an early critic of Fleischmann and

Pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other mammals, lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of ...

's claims to have developed a useful method of cold fusion. Palmer served in the US Navy during World War II. He later served as a missionary for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

in the East Central States Mission (primarily Tennessee and Kentucky). He received his bachelor's degree in physics from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

Sources

''New York Times'', April 28, 1989BYU faculty listing
*https://web.archive.org/web/20080506023241/http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/cf/131history.html *http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg12216633.500-science-rocks-reveal-the-signature-of-fusion-at-the-centreof-the-earth-.html
''Provo Herald'' obituary for Palmer
1926 births 2011 deaths University of Utah alumni Brigham Young University faculty American geophysicists Cold fusion Latter Day Saints from Utah American Mormon missionaries in the United States {{US-scientist-stub