The processes of science are very different from those of the courtroom. Both have evolved to satisfy the needs of their practitioners. Scientific hypotheses are best tested by the accuracy of their predictions; the establishment of a fact of science does not greatly affect the Universe, only the wisdom of scientists. By contrast, facts in law are tested in an adversarial debate and established by judgment. The establishment of a legal fact alters society from then on. At the best of times, and even with near certainties, science and the law do not mix well. - James Lovelock: ‘The ages of Gaia' (Oxford University Press, 1988).