[Originally posted 6/8/2007]
The most obvious antithesis to integrity in science is outright fraudulent work. Unfortunately, such misconduct is not unknown nor is it new. Undoubtedly it will continue to occur.
Money and fame provide fertile ground for fraudulent behavior. Fossils have long been a target and most people have heard of the Piltdown man hoax. It is not unusual for museums to receive submissions of purported fossils that are determined to be fakes of some sort.
The intense public scrutiny of stem cell work recently triggered well-publicized fraudulent work. Even the field of molecular transistors stimulated a case of fraud a few years ago.
Though there seems to be no foolproof way to prevent fraud, science is well-positioned to detect it, sooner or later. As Ian Hutchinson articulated in his article in the June 2007 issue of PSCF, science is characterized by reproducibility and clarity. Fraudulent work is generally not reproducible by an independent, objective scientist. The fraudulent transistors claimed by Herb Schoen were not reproducible in the world's best labs. His deception was detected by the observation that the noise signals published for purportedly different transistors were identical.
Fraud can also be perpetrated by those who believe so strongly in a particular theory or result that they truly believe the results to be correct. Instead of deliberately falsifying work, they subconsciously see only the data that supports their hypothesis.
Virtually all cases of fraud in science of which I am aware were detected by other scientists. Science is a self-correcting and self-critiquing enterprise. Accusations of fraud from outside the scientific community may or may not be correct but usually they emanate from self-interests.
What does this mean for us as Christians in science? Integrity is a major hallmark of the Christian lifestyle. Integrity is vital to the essence and success of science. There should be much in common. Yet, far too often Christians latch onto non-reproducible results merely because of a preference for those results. This violates integrity of all types. Our calling is to live our lives as Christians in science with utmost integrity. As the wheels of scientific endeavor turn, fraudulent work will be exposed for what it is.