Have you guys seen this?  I couldn't believe it when I put on the news this morning. People get away with murder, yet scientists are being jailed for failing to predict earthquakes?  Unbelieveable!

Italian scientists and one official jailed for six years for failing to predict 2009 earthquake that killed 300
Scientific community condemns trial as risk of litigation may deter scientists from working on averting future earthquakes
By EDDIE WRENN
PUBLISHED: 15:53 GMT, 22 October 2012 | UPDATED: 18:19 GMT, 22 October 2012

An Italian court has today convicted six scientists and a government official of manslaughter for failing to give adequate warning of the deadly earthquake in 2009.

The city of L'Aquila was decimated by the killer quake, which measured more than 6.3 on the Richter Scale and killed more than 300 people.

Now the group of seven, all members of an official body called the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks, have been found guilty of negligence and malpractice in their evaluation of the danger of an earthquake and their duty to keep the city informed of the risks.

A packed courtroom listened as the guilty verdicts were delivered in the trial of six Italian scientists and a government official charged with manslaughter for underestimating the risks of the 2009 earthquake

The case has drawn wide condemnation from international bodies including the American Geophysical Union, which said the risk of litigation may deter scientists from advising governments or even working to assess seismic risk.

A 6.3 strength earthquake struck L'Aquila, in Italy's Abruzzo region at 3.32 a.m. on April 6, 2009, wrecking tens of thousands of buildings, injuring more than 1,000 people and killing hundreds of others in their sleep.

At the heart of the case was whether the government-appointed experts gave an overly reassuring picture of the risks facing the town, which contained many ancient and fragile buildings and which had been partially destroyed three times by earthquakes over the centuries.

HOW SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY LIKENED INVESTIGATION TO A 'WITCH HUNT'

The case was watched closely by seismologists around the world who insist it's impossible to predict earthquakes and that no major temblor has ever been foretold.
Last year, about 5,200 international researchers signed a petition supporting their Italian colleagues and the Seismological Society of America wrote to Italy's president expressing concern about what it called an unprecedented legal attack on science.

But prosecutors focused on a memo issued after a March 31, 2009 meeting of the Great Risks commission which was called because of mounting concerns about the months of seismic activity in the region.
According to the commission's memo - issued one week before the big quake - the experts concluded that it was ‘improbable’ that there would be a major quake though it added that one couldn't be excluded.
In 2011, a spokesman for the U.S. Geological Society told FoxNews.com that the investigation 'has a medieval flavour to it - like witches are being put on trial.'

Despite the difficulty in predicting earthquakes, Boschi had warned - prior to the 2009 disaster - that a large earthquake would hit Italy but that he didn't know when, his lawyer said.

Speaking today, Dr David Rothery, senior lecturer in Earth Sciences, Open University, said:'I hope they will appeal. Earthquakes are inherently unpredictable.

'The best estimate at the time was that the low level seismicity was not likely to herald a bigger quake, but there are no certainties in this game.'
Prof Malcolm Sperrin, director of Medical Physics, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, said: 'Assuming that negligence and malpractice are not factors here then the prosecution, and now sentences, of the Italian seismologists comes as a considerable surprise.
'In seismology, as with many other branches of the pure and applied sciences, opinions are derived from observables and the application of experience and training.
'It is never the case that predictions are completely without uncertainty and any scientist will make this clear as well as an estimation of how accurate such predictions are.

'If the scientific community is to be penalised for making predictions that turn out to be incorrect, or for not accurately predicting an event that subsequently occurs, then scientific endeavour will be restricted to certainties only and the benefits that are associated with findings from medicine to physics will be stalled.
'It is worth pointing out that many of the valuable contributions made by scientists such as penicillin, radiobiology etc have stemmed from the enquiring mind rather than absolute certainty of success.'

The quake's focal point was 22 miles northwest of Bologna, at a relatively shallow depth of 6.3 miles.

The earthquake - along with around 250 aftershocks - caused an estimated 10billion euros of damage within 48 hours.
The case focused in particular on a series of low-level tremors which hit the region in the months preceding the earthquake and which prosecutors said should have warned experts not to underestimate the risk of a major shock.

The scientists are unlikely to be sent to jail pending a probable appeal trial.

This post was last modified: 10-22-2012 11:20 PM by Alison.

Even if they DID predict an earthquake, the scientists still cannot tell how strong it'd be until it hits. Like in Japan and Haiti. I'm sure they may have known it was possible that one was about to occur but not know the magnitude strength.

It is difficult to have much faith in the Italian legal system.

after I saw the title I had to read the thread.

wonder if the pope is involved

I agree.  

They won't have less scientists, on the contrary they'll have such a surplus, that scientists will feel it necessary to leave the country to find work!

I notice nobody in Italy is threatening to jail church authorities when their prayers don't work.  
Alison

Ha! Nice one.

Actually, I have lost all faith in the justice system altogether. After seeing so many stories like this where people go to jail for things they never did or have no fault over happen way too many times. I'm sad to say that the part of me that believed in justice is dead now. I have truly lost all faith in justice. Innocent people in jail and some about to die for things that they either never did or control are way too common these days. Yet the ones that frame these innocents get to live their lives freely knowing that they literally got away with murder. I have some faith in the government but none when it comes to justice. It's rather sad when someone reaches that point.

I agree dude.... I totally agree.

Also, ridiculous! I'd get the *** out of Italy as soon as possible if I was a scientist, before I get jailed for not predicting something that has something to do with my field!

In my country a woman was jailed for 10 years for stealing a pair of jeans! She did have bail though.

Another woman killed her two teenage daughters and was sentenced to 27 years, without bail.
A man murdered a footballer's brother and was sentenced to 40 years, no bail.

An image speaks 1000 words so



In the same country proper gay rights were not established until the early 80s and abortion is technically illegal. It's embarrassing

This post was last modified: 10-23-2012 05:27 PM by Some_Bloke.

I weep for mankind

Do not weep for the dead.  Weep for the living - Anonymous

It's the blame culture.

I remember my dad telling me many times, It's your own fault, you shoudn't have...' There was always a 'shouldn't have'.

These days if you walk into a lampost somebody else is to blame for not warning you. Look at all the silly warning signs we see everywhere today.
Extrapolate that and, 'somebody should have warned us about an earthquake.'

The trial was a farce to appease the people who wanted somebody to blame. I suspect the appeal will produce no jail time for the 'guilty'

This blame culture can only get worse.

LOL-- (Albus Dumbledore quoted this too)

My dad told me NOT to use the word SHOULD.

They will win on appeal (I can only hope).

It's in Italy! How can you take them seriously?

I mean that city has been destroyed by earthquakes already several times in several centuries!