Remember the spate of physics papers that offered a theoretical framework that explained cold fusion (tiny-scale thermonuclear reactions at room temperature) shortly after the first reports of successful cold fusion experiments? The early experiments couldn't be replicated, casting a lot of doubt on whether cold fusion had actually occurred or whether what was observed in the laboratory had some other cause. Yet the theoretical possibilities raised by that research led to research, published just last year, in which physicists probably did achieve a tiny nuclear fusion reaction at room temperature.