Tommy Gold, 1920-2004

Our endlessly creative and provocative Cornell colleague Thomas Gold passed away on 22 June at age 84. Tommy pioneered thinking about abiogenic methane and the deep hot biosphere. He opened our eyes in the late 1970s to the possibility that the popular beliefs about the origins of “fossil fuels”, and their abundance and distribution, might be ripe for scientific revolution. The 14 September New York Times reports a new PNAS article providing strong evidence for Tommy’s view. A memorial service is planned for Tommy in Ithaca on 13 October.