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A much-publicized attempt to show that the scientific literature is flawed is not itself above reproach. What science needs is less, not more, solemn attitudes to professional publications.
Diplomats should be glad to know that the bar-room game of letting dominoes knock each other over has a theoretical foundation at last. But there is much to be done before the theory will be satisfactory.
A case of admitted scientific fraud has shed new light on the system that ensures the integrity of the scientific literature. Certain lapses from generally accepted standards of research may be more frequent than is commonly believed.
