Curi-us: Author whose lawyers threatened Science Fraud corrects a paper the site criticized

A few weeks ago, we reported on the shutdown of Science-Fraud.org, a site dedicated to highlighting problems with scientific papers, thanks to legal threats. At the same time, we noted that Rui Curi, one of the authors whose work had been questioned — and whose lawyers had sent the site a cease-and-desist letter — ended … Continue reading Curi-us: Author whose lawyers threatened Science Fraud corrects a paper the site criticized

Neuroscientists retract Cell autism model paper for “improperly assembled” figures

A group of authors have retracted a Cell paper describing a mouse model of autism because of image problems. The senior author on the paper — there were 22 altogether — is Paul Worley of Johns Hopkins. Here’s the notice for “Enhanced Polyubiquitination of Shank3 and NMDA Receptor in a Mouse Model of Autism:”

University of Lisbon investigation that spawned neuroscience retractions found no evidence of misconduct

Yesterday, we reported on two retractions in the Journal of Neuroscience whose notices referred to a University of Lisbon report that had determined there was  “substantial data misrepresentation” in the original articles.  The notice didn’t say anything about misconduct, but when we see “misrepresentation,” we tend to think — as do many others — that … Continue reading University of Lisbon investigation that spawned neuroscience retractions found no evidence of misconduct

Chemical engineer apologizes for “deliberate lapse,” retracts two papers from Croatian journal

A professor of chemical engineering in India has retracted two papers after what he called a “deliberate lapse” of submitting the work without the knowledge of his co-author. The two papers by Kailas L. Wasewar, then an associate professor in the Chemical Engineering department of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in Nagpur, India — he … Continue reading Chemical engineer apologizes for “deliberate lapse,” retracts two papers from Croatian journal

Authors retract Diabetes paper after submitting it “without knowledge of inherent errors”

A group of neuroscientists has retracted a paper published earlier this last year in Diabetes after realizing that a figure that took up a whole page of the paper may not have been quite right. Here’s the notice for “Blockade of receptor for advanced glycation end products in a model of type 1 diabetic leukoencephalopathy”:

Catching up: OSU “missed fraud,” Dipak Das lost tenured professorship, Ivan on NPR’s Science Friday

We have a few follow-ups from stories we’ve recently covered: Terry Elton case initially chalked up to “disorganization,” not misconduct Ohio State University (OSU), which along with the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) recently sanctioned a pharmacy professor for image manipulation, “failed at first to recognize his deception,” according to an investigation by The Columbus Dispatch … Continue reading Catching up: OSU “missed fraud,” Dipak Das lost tenured professorship, Ivan on NPR’s Science Friday

Owner of Science Fraud site, suspended for legal threats, identifies himself, talks about next steps

One of the owners of the whistleblower site Science Fraud, which went dark yesterday in response to legal threats, has identified himself, and explained what happened. In a post on his personal blog (since removed)* — give the whole post a read if it reappears — Paul Brookes, a scientist at the University of Rochester, … Continue reading Owner of Science Fraud site, suspended for legal threats, identifies himself, talks about next steps

Neuroscientist made up data in NIH grant applications, says ORI

Paul Muchowski, a neuroscience researcher at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease in San Francisco, faked data in multiple grant applications, according to findings released today by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI). In a funded NIH grant, R01 NS054753-06A1, and two submitted grant applications, R01 NS054753-06 and R01 NS047237-06, ORI says that Muchowski “knowingly … Continue reading Neuroscientist made up data in NIH grant applications, says ORI

Stem cell retraction leaves grad student in limbo, reveals tangled web of industry-academic ties

A contested retraction in Stem Cells and Development has left the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) graduate student who fought for it in limbo, uncertain if he will earn his PhD. And many of those who didn’t want the paper retracted have a significant financial interest in a company whose work was promoted by the … Continue reading Stem cell retraction leaves grad student in limbo, reveals tangled web of industry-academic ties

ORI: Ohio State researcher manipulated two dozen figures in NIH grants, papers

Terry S. Elton, a researcher at Ohio State University in Columbus who studies genetic expression in various heart conditions and Down syndrome, has been sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity for fabricating and/or falsifying data in a number of NIH grants and resulting papers. According to an OSU statement sent to Retraction Watch … Continue reading ORI: Ohio State researcher manipulated two dozen figures in NIH grants, papers