Actually there are plenty of examples of consensus being wrong

* the theory of continental drift proposed by Alfred Wegener and supported by Alexander Du Toit and Arthur Holmes but soundly rejected by most geologists until indisputable evidence and an acceptable mechanism was presented after 50 years of rejection.

* the theory of symbiogenesis presented by Lynn Margulis and initially rejected by biologists but now generally accepted.

* the theory of punctuated equilibria proposed by Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge which is still debated but becoming more accepted in evolutionary theory.

* the theory of prions -proteinaceous infectious particles causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases- proposed by Stanley B. Prusiner and at first rejected because pathogenicity was believed to depend on nucleic acids now widely accepted due to accumulating evidence.

* the theory of Helicobacter pylori as the cause of stomach ulcers. This theory was first postulated in 1982 by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren however it was widely rejected by the medical community believing that no bacterium could survive for long in the acidic environment of the stomach. Marshall demonstrated his findings by drinking a brew of the bacteria and consequently developing ulcers, subsequently curing himself with antibiotic medication. In 2005, Warren and Marshall were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work on H. pylori[7]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_consensus

--- On Tue, 2/16/10, Nicholas Geti <ngeti@optonline.net> wrote:

> From: Nicholas Geti <ngeti@optonline.net>

> Subject: Re: [OT] No global warming since 1995

> To: "ProFox Email List" <profox@leafe.com>

> Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 6:02 PM

> Hey. For once I agree with Ricardo.

> Good comment.

>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "Ricardo Ar