FOX News: Italian court convicts 7 scientists for failing to predict earthquake

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Italian court convicts 7 scientists for failing to predict earthquake Oct 22nd 2012, 15:44 L'AQUILA, Italy –  An Italian court has convicted seven scientists and experts of failing to adequately warn citizens before an earthquake struck central Italy in 2009, killing more than 300 people. The court in L'Aquila Monday evening handed down six-year-prison sentences to the defendants, members of a national "Great Risks Commission." In Italy, convictions aren't definitive until after an appeals trial, so it is unlikely any of the defendants would face jail immediately. Timeline April 6, 2009: Powerful quake strikes L'Aquila, Italy, killing more than 300 people. May 27, 2011: Scientists charged with manslaughter for failing to predict the natural disaster. Sept. 20, 2011: Trial begins as prosecutors call for "justice." Oct. 22, 2012: 7 scientists convicted of manslaughter. Scientists worldwide have decried the trial as ridiculous, contending that science has no way to predict quakes. In 2011, a shocked spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) likened the accusations to a witch hunt. "It has a medieval flavor to it -- like witches are being put on trial," the stunned spokesman told FoxNews.com at the time. According to a blog post on Science magazine's website, the seven defendants are: Franco Barberi, a volcanologist at the University of Rome (Roma Tre) and the commission's then-vice-president; Enzo Boschi, a geophysicist at the University of Bologna and at the time president of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV); Gian Michele Calvi, a seismic engineer at the University of Pavia; Mauro Dolce, a seismic engineer and director of seismic risk at Italy's Civil Protection Department (DPC); Claudio Eva, a seismologist at the University of Genova; and Giulio Selvaggi, a seismologist at INGV; alongside DPC's then-deputy head Bernardo De Bernardinis. Earthquakes are, of course, nearly impossible to predict, seismologists say. In fact, according to the website for the USGS, no major quake has ever been predicted successfully. "Neither the USGS nor Caltech nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake," reads a statement posted on the USGS website. "They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future." The verdict also calls for damage payments that could add up to hundreds of thousands of euros, Science magazine wrote. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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