Yes, We Have No Neutrons: An Eye-Opening Tour Through the Twists and Turns of Bad Science

From sorcerers and apprentices to physicists Fleishmann and Pons, Dewdney (200% of Nothing) takes the reader on a fast-paced romp through some of the most prominent cases of ""bad science"" to surface this century. These aren't cases of fraudulent attempts to garner fame but instances in which the main players often failed to follow the basic tenets of ""good science,"" namely, experimentation and publication of results for others to verify. In each case, Dewdney takes pains to point out flaws in reasoning or the failure to state a clear hypothesis or to check for reproducibility. An underlying eagerness to be the first to announce some startling discovery is seen time and again. He doesn't overlook the role of the mass media, either. Who can forget the stampede to report the debacle from Utah surrounding cold fusion, the veritable genie in a bottle? This notorious case, as well as seven others (including Freud's development of his theory of the mind and of psychoanalysis) illustrate nicely the need for reality checks every now and then. The all-too-human side of research is seen in the sad case of turn-of-the-century French scientist Rene Blondlot and his so-called N-rays, which, after much ballyhoo, where shown not to exist. Written with wit and a touch of pathos--and sure to please science lovers--the book is guaranteed to generate a degree of cynicism when the next major scientific breakthrough is announced in the press. A selection of additional reading suggestions is a welcome bonus, particularly for some of the more controversial cases. (Apr.)