Fergie's Tech Blog

New planetoid discovery sets off feud

An AP newswire article, via USA Today, reports that:

The discovery of a new planetoid has set off a bitter feud between American and Spanish scientists while raising questions about the ethics of Internet research.

The dispute began in July when Michael Brown, a professor at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, discovered a new planetoid in the solar system known as the Kuiper Belt.

Days before announcing his discovery, however, a group of Spanish astronomers claimed the new planetoid.

American researchers said they learned that the Spanish scientists had discovered where Brown was aiming a Chilean telescope by using an Internet search engine.

"This is a wake-up call for scientists," Brown said.

posted by Fergie @ 10/17/2005 07:16:00 AM