Managing Research, Development, and Innovation: Managing the Unmanageable, Third Edition

2.6. FADS IN SCIENCE

A French physicist by the name of René Prosper Blondlot believed that he had "discovered" N-rays. This occurred very soon after Roentgen had discovered X-rays. He became a member of the French Academy, and received several awards and a large salary raise (Gratzer, 2000). When the American physicist Wood could not replicate Blendot's experiment, the most prestigious French physics journal rejected his paper. The paper was eventually published, and the world of physics learned that N-rays were not "real," but Blendot went to his grave believing that he had discovered them. The rejection of the paper by the French journal is a case of self-deception. The editor of this journal did not want to accept negative information about ...