Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA. petsko@brandeis.edu
The retraction of 5 protein crystal structures has held back an entire sub-field for years due to the inordinately persuasive power of the pretty pictures that structural biology produces. All too often the first report is sketchy, superficial in its analysis, and prone to error. The second report is often more thoughtful, more useful, and is essential to the scientific process of validation and self-correction.