美国宾夕法尼亚州立大学(Pennsylvania State University)对该校一名出名的研究人员展开了正式调查，以判定他进行气候变化研究的方式是否涉嫌学术不端。

　　Pennsylvania State University has begun a formal investigation into whether a prominent faculty member is guilty of scientific misconduct for the way he carried out research into climate change.

　　但该大学称对曼恩(Michael Mann)博士工作的初步调查已于上个月末完成，基本排除了对曼恩的指控。该指控称曼恩与其他科学家共谋，共同压制与其地球正在变暖的看法不一致的观点和数据。

　　But the university said a preliminary inquiry into Dr. Michael Mann's work, completed late last month, cleared him of allegations that he conspired with other scientists to squelch views and data at odds with their belief that the earth is warming.

　　去年11月末，一位不知名的电脑黑客从一个英国科学中心──东安格里亚大学(University of East Anglia)气候研究部窃取了数百份电子邮件及其它文件。之后，引发了上述指控。

　　Those allegations arose after an unknown computer hacker stole hundreds of emails and other documents from a British scientific center, the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, in late November.

　　在哥本哈根联合国气候峰会召开前不久，这些电子邮件和文件被公布在网上。对全球变暖持怀疑态度的人士称这些文件让人对联合国报告的正确性表示怀疑。联合国资助的报告称地球正在变暖且人类活动几乎肯定是这一趋势的元凶。

　　The emails and documents were published online shortly before the United Nations' climate summit in Copenhagen. Global-warming skeptics said the documents called into question the validity of U.N.-sponsored reports contending that the earth is heating up and that human activity is almost certainly the primary contributor.

　　作为宾夕法尼亚州立大学地球系统科学中心主任，曼恩是该联合国报告的主要贡献人。他因提出有争议性的“曲棍”图而广为人知，该图显示地球温度正在快速上升。

　　Dr. Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State, was a leading contributor to the U.N. reports. He is perhaps best known for his controversial 'hockey stick' chart, which showed the earth's temperatures rising rapidly.

　　曼恩于周三发表声明称他相信宾夕法尼亚州立大学的初步审查已经洗清了他学术不端的嫌疑。该初步审查主要针对被黑客窃取的邮件的内容进行调查。但他说他完全支持对他的科学研究方法进行的最新调查，称这可能是消除人们心头疑虑的最佳方式。

　　In a statement released Wednesday, Dr. Mann said he believed Penn State's first review, which centered on material in the hacked emails, cleared him of misconduct. But he said he fully supports the new inquiry into his scientific methods, 'which may be the best way to remove any lingering doubts.'

　　宾夕法尼亚州立大学说他们开展新的调查是因为被窃取的电子邮件可能会影响公众对曼恩博士的总体科研成果、特别是对气候科学方面的科研成果的信心。

　　Penn State said it is undertaking the new inquiry because the purloined emails may be undermining public confidence in Dr. Mann's findings, 'in science in general and climate science specifically.'