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For the following topic, write a short essay (as described in the syllabus) in response
to the news article linked below.   Scientists tend to have lots of credibilty with the public when it comes to their research.  This comes about because much of what scientists learn about Nature can be shown to be correct, and has important consequences that everyone can see (for example, semiconductor research leads to computer chips for PCs and cell phones, atomic research leads to nuclear powerplants and atomic bombs, genetic research leads to new treatments for diseases).  However, scientists are human, and therefore fallible.  The article linked to below describes a major case of scientific fraud and intellectual dishonesty in the world of physics from a few years ago.  Read the article and write an essay on the topic of scientific fraud  in general, and the impact such cases have on the credibility of scientists.

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Chris Taylor: ctaylor (at) csus.edu