Popular mythology has often portrayed scientists as selfless seekers after ultimate truths about the universe. In fact, like ordinary mortals, some researchers are driven as much by ambition and ego gratification as by intellectual curiosity. As the stakes get higher -- especially when the chance of a Nobel Prize looms -- that drive sometimes manifests itself in unseemly behavior.
A newly published book may further tarnish the image of the loftily motivated scientist. Nobel Dreams: Power, Deceit and the Ultimate Experiment (Random House) provides a rare inside look at particle physics, a field increasingly dependent on huge and expensive machines --...
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