[meteorite-list] Fredericksburg meteorite and politics ofscience

From: Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:24:12 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <20070320162413.91823.qmail_at_web33103.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Pete, at the time, Dr Wasson was one of the only
people working on iron meteorites. I tried to submit
it via other labs, when they heard that Dr. Wasson was
working on it, they declined.
Michael Farmer
--- Pete Pete <rsvp321 at hotmail.com> wrote:

> >>he ignored me, and sat on the
> information for years
>
> Hi, List,
> This may be a silly question, but if one location of
> analysis is a bit
> tardy, is it unethical to send another sample to
> another lab?
>
> Cheers,
> Pete
>
>
> From: Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>
> To: drtanuki <drtanuki at yahoo.com>,
> meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fredericksburg
> meteorite and politics
> ofscience
> Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 22:34:48 -0700 (PDT)
>
> Dirk, I have no idea, but it is clearly a personal
> issue with Dr. Wasson. I gave them more than 500
> grams
> of a meteorite, I was never contacted again, or
> thanked for that gift. I was further ignored for
> nearly a decade when time and time again, I
> requested
> data.
> That there could be an argument about who was on the
> meteorite first, well, this is the real world. Dr
> Wasson had years to buy the meteorite. He did not,
> he
> got angry when the owner decided to sell to me. I
> saw
> the emails, asking time and time again that Dr.
> Wasson
> make a decision on the meteorite, all unanswered.
> Can ANYONE see a problem then, with me forking over
> $100 bills, HUNDREDS of them, when the owner offered
> the meteorite to me? Mr Wasson was then outraged
> that
> I snatched the meteorite from UCLA! That is
> laughable.
> So after I gave him for free something that I have
> paid thousands for, he ignored me, and sat on the
> information for years. This is true professionalism
> in
> science right there!
> Michael Farmer
> --- drtanuki <drtanuki at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Open letter to the LIST and the NOMCOM and
> > Meteoritics
> > Researchers,
> >
> > Mike Farmer and others have brought up the
> question
> > of
> > ethics and politics in meteoritics among
> > researchers.
> > Two examples that come to mind are Fredricksburg
> and
> > NWA 869.
> > Does the NOMCOM have an ethics committte or a
> > special committe that is assigned to researching
> > scientific misconduct and other problems within
> the
> > research community and the NOMCOM itself?
> > If you know of other research misconduct please
> > feel
> > free to write about it on this list or privately.
> > Thank you, Sincerely, Dirk Ross...Tokyo
> >
> > --- Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > > List members.
> > > I must express my disappointment with Jason for
> > > quipping that the fact that the Fredericksburg
> > > meteorite has not been classified, thus is not
> a
> > > meteorite. Jason, here are you exact words "It
> > would
> > > be something like calling
> > > Fredericksburg (remember that Hexahedrite from
> a
> > few
> > > years ago?) an approved meteorite - it's never
> > been
> > > mentioned in the bulletin or elsewhere, so how
> can
> > > you?"
> > >
> > > Jason, you know it is a meteorite, and you know
> > why
> > > it
> > > has not been approved. Politics and personal
> > grudge
> > > has turned science into a farce. John Wasson at
> > UCLA
> > > (the top iron meteorite scientist in the world"
> > > refuses to submit it since I bought it. He
> > > classified
> > > it, confirmed with the owner that it was a
> > > Hexahedrite
> > > that was not paired to any other known
> meteorite,
> > > and
> > > tried to buy it. He did not try very hard, as
> he
> > had
> > > several years head-start on me. The owner sent
> > many
> > > faxes and emails to Dr. Wasson, who did not
> > respond
> > > for more than one year. Tired of waiting, the
> > owner
> > > found me on eBay, called me, and we made a
> price.
> > I
> > > was in Alaska only days later, cash in hand and
> > saw
> > > the copies of emails. He told me he needed
> money
> > and
> > > could no longer wait on UCLA, which did not
> return
> > > his
> > > emails/faxes and phone calls. The emails I saw
> > were
> > > very clear, asking Dr. Wasson to get in touch
> with
> > > him
> > > and finalize a price and purchase agreement.
> Those
> > > phone calls, faxes, and emails all went
> unanswered
> > > for
> > > nearly a year.
> > >
> > > Only days after announcing that I had bought
> the
> > > meteorite, I received a rather terse and abrupt
> > > email
> > > from Dr. Wasson, angry that I had bought "his
> > > meteorite" and he demanded a large piece for
> UCLA
> > > since they had done the work on the meteorite.
> I
> > > sent
> > > them an end cut weighing more than 500 grams
> > > (Perhaps
> > > as much as 800 grams, I can't remember because
> > that
> > > was more than seven years ago). I never heard
> one
> > > more
> > > word from Dr. Wasson, not a "thank you" or
> > anything.
> > > I
> > > emailed him numerous times requesting the
> > > classification data, with no response. I heard
> > > through
> > > other scientists that he was quite angry with
> me
> > for
> > > buying what he felt was his meteorite.
> > > It has now been more than seven years since I
> > bought
> > > Fredericksburg, I don't even remember the exact
> > > year,
> > > but in that time, it has all been sold off.
> > >
> > > Did I leave anything out? Do you know more
> about
> > > this?
> > > Can I ask what you are calling me on? If UCLA
> > could
> > > not make a decision or raise the funds years
> after
> > > knowing about this meteorite, then I think the
> > loss
> > > was due to their own lack of interest and
> > > follow-through and ignoring the repeated
> requests
> > of
> > > the man trying to sell them the meteorite. The
> > owner
> > > needed money, and years
> > > after asking UCLA for it, decided to sell to
> > myself.
> > >
> > > So actually, more than seven years after I
> bought
> > > the
> > > meteorite, and provided more than 500 grams to
> > > UCLA,
> > > Dr Wasson refuses to finish the job he started
> > years
> > > before I ever heard of the meteorite. I guess
>
=== message truncated ===
Received on Tue 20 Mar 2007 12:24:12 PM PDT