Making an example

News: "The scientific community is still reeling. 'Rather than demonstrating the importance of strict care in the handling of research materials,' wrote the Nobel prizewinners, 'the determination to convict Dr Butler and put him in jail sends a strong message to the scientific community. It says: this 62-year-old man, who voluntarily reported missing material and cooperated with federal investigators, is now being repaid with a ruined career and a personal cost from which he and his family will never recover.' It also says that the next time a scientist misplaces 30 vials of a dangerous pathogen, they're hardly likely to call the FBI."