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The consequences of the acquittal by a Los Angeles jury last week of O. J. Simpson, the US football star, would have been less perplexing if the jury had spent more time reaching its conclusion.
The recent spate of moral condemnation of fraud in science reflects the conservative nature of scientists; fraud, like error, is a normal part of science and cannot be legislated away.
From next week, Nature will maintain a site on the World Wide Web, but www.nature.com will not immediately contribute as radically to communication in research as will in due course be possible (but it may help people to find new jobs).