Nature has a great tradition of publishing science fiction, although they are
not really happy about it. They were the main vehicle for the papers of Jan
Hendrik Schon, the greatest author of scientific fiction (some call it fraud)
ever. I just read Plastic Fantastic, the book about Schon, which is a book
about a third rate scientist who faked experiments for about 10 years, got a
job at Bell Labs, got NSF grants, coauthored papers with big names in physics
who believed him to the point where they got to recommend to Nobel prize winner
to change their theories because they do not agree with Schon's experiments.
In the late '70's or early '80's someone won a Pulitzer prize for journalism
for publishing interviews with a 12 years old drug addict. I am not sure about
the details because I read it in a communist newspaper who was known for
fabricating stories. Anyways, when she was exposed that the whole story was
fabricated Garcia Marquez defended her saying that, of course you should take
away her Pulitzer for journalism but give her the one for fiction instead.
Sadly, nobody did something like that for Schon. Take away all his research
awards but give him a Nebula or a Hugo instead.
Maybe an idea for one of the next meetings: fiction in science. Besides Schon's
case I know of another big one, also in physics. It is mentioned in Leonard
Mlodinow's book "Feynman's rainbow", someone from CalTech in early nineties.
Eugenie Samuel Reich, the author of the book about Schon, mentions some cases
from medical sciences.
Gabriel Prajitura
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