This week at Retraction Watch featured the retraction of a Cell paper by Harvard researchers and the retraction of a JCI study by NIH scientists. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:
Researchers at Harvard have retracted a Cell paper on biofilm disassembly after they repeated the experiment—following contradictory results from another team—and the new results “can no longer support” the original conclusions. The 2012 paper, “A Self-Produced Trigger for Biofilm Disassembly that Targets Exopolysaccharide,” describes a factor called norspermidine, produced by the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, that appeared to break … Continue reading Harvard biofilm paper in Cell breaks down after challenged findings can’t be repeated
Cancer biologist Rakesh Kumar has chalked up another retraction, this time for “identical,” “duplicated,” and “replicated” figures and images. It comes on the heels of a flurry of motions in Kumar’s $8 million lawsuit against his employer, George Washington University, for breach of contract and emotional distress because it removed him as department chair last year and … Continue reading Third retraction for GWU biologist as university seeks to dismiss his $8 million lawsuit
The week at Retraction Watch featured lots of news about exercise. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:
Authors from Xinxiang Medical University in Weihui, China, are retracting a 2014 paper in Molecular Biology Reports because… well, because lots of things. The researchers exposed nine rats to acute levels of alcohol then compared them to unexposed mice rats, noting differences in gene expression and molecular pathways. But no one is toasting these findings … Continue reading Drunk rats paper wasted by “significant statistical errors”, among other issues
The authors of a study on the effects of the hormone leptin on the liver have retracted it from Cell Metabolism, almost four months after the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) determined it contained faked data, courtesy of its first author. However, the authors say that the paper’s conclusions remain valid, and are supported by new … Continue reading Authors retract leptin paper due to “fabricated data”
The British Journal of Sports Medicine has “temporarily removed” an editorial arguing that physical activity alone will not cure the obesity epidemic, following an expression of concern. In its place stands the following message: This paper has been temporarily removed following an expression of concern. First author Assem Malhotra, based at the Department of Cardiology, … Continue reading Widely covered editorial extolling importance of diet over exercise “temporarily removed”
Once again, a team of Duke University scientists has retracted a paper, this time due to “unreliable” figure data. With co-authors at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Duke team has withdrawn a paper from the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology after concern about data in three figures led them to repeat one of their main experiments. They … Continue reading “Unreliable” data suffocates third paper for Duke pulmonary team
This week at Retraction Watch featured a sexist peer review seen around the world, and settlement of the malpractice case against Duke and Anil Potti. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:
A lawsuit filed in October 2011 against Duke University and Anil Potti, who has retracted 11 papers and corrected a number of others amidst investigation into his work, has been settled, Retraction Watch has learned. Potti resigned from Duke in 2010 following questions about his work, and revelations that he had lied on grant applications … Continue reading Malpractice case against Duke, Anil Potti settled