Not all fiction.

I'm so glad my fascination with CSI (on Thursdays) "runs deeper than bikinis and bullet holes"--according to January's Culture in Context ("Science fiction") by Patrick McCormick.

My husband and I are educated retirees who see in this program far more than McCormick seems to acknowledge. Perhaps his critique is beyond our comprehension, but we do not see Peterson and crew as nerds, geeks, brainiacs, phlegmatic nerds, etc. Each week we are amazed at what science has in its "bag" to better solve the problems presented.

Certainly we are realistic enough to know that such solutions are seldom accomplished in years, let alone in one hour. Yes, we are in a world of fingerprinting and DNA analyses. Thank God for high tech.

McCormick seems to think that these marvels or discoveries leave no room for interpretation or ambiguity of error. I don't believe that is what CSI is saying. The "nerds" are waging war on crimes and drugs and declaring victory over ignorance, error, and failures.

Peterson says, "Follow the evidence." Science has continued to find ways to do that over the years. Had we known in the past what we know now, perhaps so many "wrongful convictions" would not have been made.

Marilyn Walker

Elk Grove Village, Ill.