- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1 edition (19 May 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0230224679
- ISBN-13: 978-0230224674
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.5 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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- #10 in Books > Science & Nature > Research & Development > Standards
- #11 in Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Research & Development > Scientific Standards
- #21 in Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Electronics & Communications Engineering > Semi-conductors & Super-conductors
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Review
'There are probably still more secrets under lock-and-key at Murray Hill and elsewhere, but for now Reich's engrossing book will be the last word on the matter.' - Peter Rodgers, Chief Editor, Nature Nanotechnology
'…Reich's journalistic persistence and technical thoroughness yield a largely complete, often dramatic account of Schön's roguery and downfall.' - Booklist
'Eugenie Samuel Reich unpicks the tale with meticulous care.' - Philip Ball, Sunday Times
'…a wonderful piece of forensic writing.' - Clive Cookson, Financial Times
'It is gripping stuff: a surprising page-turner that is well worth reading.' - New Scientist
'The book's real strength is the way it uses a journalistic approach to document what was happening on a week-by-week basis at Bell Labs...In doing so Reich uncovers a wealth of detail...that has not been published before. There are probably still more secrets under lock-and-key at Murray Hill and elsewhere, but for now Reich's engrossing book will be the last word on the matter.' - Peter Rodgers, Nature Nanotechnology
'A brilliant case study of research fraud.' - Clive Cookson, Financial Times
Review
'Reich's account is meticulously researched, based on interviews with over 120 scientists, friends and editors. It is gripping stuff: a surprising page-turner that is well worth reading.' - New Scientist ' ...a wonderful piece of forensic writing.' - Financial Times 'Reich pursues this affair in depth ...does an excellent job of dealing with the facts of the Schon case.' - Martin Blume, Nature 'Reich's readable account of a fairly recent -science fraud, is valuable chiefly as a close look at the 'kitchen' where scientific results are assembled and validated - and whence occasionally comes forth -something that should not have seen the light of day.' - John Derbyshire, The Wall Street Journal 'Eugenie Samuel Reich offers an inside look into how the scientific establishment deals with human imperfection. Plastic Fantastic is a transfixing cautionary tale of how easily wrongdoers can hide and thrive in modern science.' - Jorg Blech, author of Inventing Disease and Pushing Pills 'In a warts 'n all expose of the scientific process, Eugenie Reich investigates the world's greatest scientific fraud. Fascinating, startling and highly readable. If you thought science was as pure as the driven snow, prepare to be shocked.' - Justin Mullins, consultant editor, New Scientist 'A riveting tale of scientific detective work, and a story about an important issue in science that is often overlooked. A well researched page-turner.' - Amir Aczel, author of Fermat's Last Theorem
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Few people outside the world of science may have heard of fraudster Jan Hendrik Schon, until Plastic Fantastic. Eugenie Samuel Reich has produced an intriguing factual "novel", based on a superior depth of research and pieced together intricately into a suspenseful story. You cannot help but be drawn into Schon's world, as you come to understand the process by which someone attains the coveted goal of "science fame" in the modern world. The story of Schon has been told before, as it was reported at the time just seven years ago when his fraud was unveiled, though it was never attributed a pivotal place in the history of science fraud, a fact Reich has possibly now reversed. But Plastic Fantastic is more than just a great piece of documentary writing. The author has recognised the almost mythical qualities of Schon himself, and given centre-stage to this enigmatic and fascinating character. Artfully weaving together background, fact and anecdote, Reich has produced a compelling page-turner, one which not only captivates the reader throughout, but leaves you pondering over it long after you put it down.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Jan Hendrik Schön was hailed as the star of physics at the turn of the century. A string of amazing discoveries heralded a revolution in technology to rival the invention of the transistor. Working at Bell Labs - where the transistor was also invented - he published an astonishing number of papers in high-profile journals, each pushing back the known boundaries of science. He was awarded a string of prizes and people spoke of him as a future Nobel prize winner.
In 2002, following an investigation by a group of eminent scientists, Schön was sacked for committing scientific fraud. The news was reported around the world as one of the greatest scientific frauds ever. Many of his papers were retracted by journals because the data was fake. He was stripped of his doctorate by his University. His co-workers escaped with criticism, but with their reputation mainly intact.
Eugenie Samuel Reich tells the whole story in this fascinating, well written book. It is a real page-turner, tracing the scientific career of Schön from the beginning up to his disgrace. It is clearly based on a large number of interviews and a huge amount of source material. It can safely be assumed to be the definitive account of this story. Occasional excursions into the history of scientific fraud do not detract from the story - they actually amplify its effect.
Reich sensibly focuses on the story rather than the science. When descriptions of the science are necessary, she provides a concise explanation that allows the reader to understand which concepts are involved. As befitting a former writer for New Scientist, the science is well presented and accurate, within the limits of the book.
I have only one complaint about the book. In the introduction and epilogue, Reich refers to the "myth of science as an inevitably self-correcting process". While I would never say that science is "inevitably" self-correcting, the story in this book directly refutes the author's assertion.
Economists frequently refer to the "invisible hand" that guides markets. This is a convenient fiction that ignores the reality that markets are made up of people. Reich seems to regard science in the same abstract way, rather than recognise that it is a human-based activity. Her criticism of peer-reviewed journals was beautifully accurate and she justifiably exposed the plea of "wait for more data" as a mirage (in this case at least). But science is more than this - it involves humans. Humans talk to each other at conferences. They contact friends and colleagues at other laboratories. This is fully documented in the book and this is the way the fraud was exposed.
Science is a self-correcting process and - despite the author's assertion - this book is a wonderful example of the process in action.
In 2002, following an investigation by a group of eminent scientists, Schön was sacked for committing scientific fraud. The news was reported around the world as one of the greatest scientific frauds ever. Many of his papers were retracted by journals because the data was fake. He was stripped of his doctorate by his University. His co-workers escaped with criticism, but with their reputation mainly intact.
Eugenie Samuel Reich tells the whole story in this fascinating, well written book. It is a real page-turner, tracing the scientific career of Schön from the beginning up to his disgrace. It is clearly based on a large number of interviews and a huge amount of source material. It can safely be assumed to be the definitive account of this story. Occasional excursions into the history of scientific fraud do not detract from the story - they actually amplify its effect.
Reich sensibly focuses on the story rather than the science. When descriptions of the science are necessary, she provides a concise explanation that allows the reader to understand which concepts are involved. As befitting a former writer for New Scientist, the science is well presented and accurate, within the limits of the book.
I have only one complaint about the book. In the introduction and epilogue, Reich refers to the "myth of science as an inevitably self-correcting process". While I would never say that science is "inevitably" self-correcting, the story in this book directly refutes the author's assertion.
Economists frequently refer to the "invisible hand" that guides markets. This is a convenient fiction that ignores the reality that markets are made up of people. Reich seems to regard science in the same abstract way, rather than recognise that it is a human-based activity. Her criticism of peer-reviewed journals was beautifully accurate and she justifiably exposed the plea of "wait for more data" as a mirage (in this case at least). But science is more than this - it involves humans. Humans talk to each other at conferences. They contact friends and colleagues at other laboratories. This is fully documented in the book and this is the way the fraud was exposed.
Science is a self-correcting process and - despite the author's assertion - this book is a wonderful example of the process in action.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is truly fascinating. Reich, being the editor for the New Scientist magazine knows very well how the scientific system works and the implications of the pressure for publications to the scientists. A pressure that indeed, many times forces scientists to do research on fields, simply because they are "hot" at a particular moment and that can guarantee that their papers can reach the stage of publication. Data fabrication is not uncommon in science, however the example of Schon is an extreme case.
Reich explains how Schon managed to fool systematically the experts of his field and convince them that the data he engineered was true. Nobody questioned his credibility and nobody worried about the experimental apparatus he was using to achieve his results. Schon managed to fit his results to the expectations of the scientists and when he combined that with his ability to flatter them by proving that their theories were true because his data revealed exactly that, he managed to remain unquestioned about the validity of his experiments. Schon was a very well informed scientist who read the literature a lot, therefore he knew the loopholes and what scientists tried to achieve. With that in mind he fabricated his data.
One is left wondering how it was possible that the best journals in the world didn't care at all about the experimental methods of Schon, who was in constant denial to reveal them. Of course this was not the first time in history that scientists published papers while their exact methods remain unkown. Hopefully, the fact that Schon was proved to be a fraud will make an example out of him and from now on things will change to better. There is a big effort today to bring scientific fraud to justice. This should intensify.
Reich explains how Schon managed to fool systematically the experts of his field and convince them that the data he engineered was true. Nobody questioned his credibility and nobody worried about the experimental apparatus he was using to achieve his results. Schon managed to fit his results to the expectations of the scientists and when he combined that with his ability to flatter them by proving that their theories were true because his data revealed exactly that, he managed to remain unquestioned about the validity of his experiments. Schon was a very well informed scientist who read the literature a lot, therefore he knew the loopholes and what scientists tried to achieve. With that in mind he fabricated his data.
One is left wondering how it was possible that the best journals in the world didn't care at all about the experimental methods of Schon, who was in constant denial to reveal them. Of course this was not the first time in history that scientists published papers while their exact methods remain unkown. Hopefully, the fact that Schon was proved to be a fraud will make an example out of him and from now on things will change to better. There is a big effort today to bring scientific fraud to justice. This should intensify.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
the scientific fraud that could have worked out
From 1998 to 2002, an innocent-looking post-doc from Germany is alleged to have committed what may well amount to the biggest fraud in physics in recent decades, publishing over 30... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Michael Gross
A good read but a bit repetitive
This book tells the story of fraud in scientific research. A post-doctoral researcher from Europe working under contract at Bell Laboratories in the USA claimed major scientific... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2010 by Lord Byron
A nanotechnological thriller
Had Jan Hendrik Schon been a marketeer he would have been among the top guns of his field: he knew exactly what his colleagues in the young science of nanotechnology were looking... Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2009 by Christian Jongeneel
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