[gsmollin (OP)]

Physics has lost one of its great. Thomas Gold, 84, died Tuesday of heart disease in Ithaca, NY. He was profesor emeritus of astronomy at Cornell University.

He was best known for the steady-state theory of the universe. That theory has fallen into obscurity, but his theory that pulsars were rotating neutron stars was proven correct. In the 1940s, Dr. Gold theorized that the inner ear hears tones using resonating hair cells. He was dismissed as a meddling outsider by the medical profession until the 1970s, when they were discovered.

He is survived by his wife, 4 daughters, and 6 grandchildren.