Italian court clears seismologists of manslaughter charges

Nature : The six Italian seismologists accused of misleading the public about earthquake risk have been acquitted after a 30-day appeals trial . A government official convicted with them had his prison sentence reduced from six years to two. The charges stem from the days leading up to the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck the town of L’Aquila on 6 April 2009. Months before the big quake, the area had been experiencing a series of low-magnitude tremors. The prosecution alleged that the experts had met to discuss the potential for a larger quake and downplayed the danger, and as a result, many of the town’s residents were killed because they did not evacuate their homes when the quake began. The scientists said the incident was the result of miscommunication. The ruling may not be final, however—the families of the deceased have said they intend to challenge it in Italy’s supreme court.