Nature Medicine retracts MS paper with ghost data by former GSK researcher

Nearly six months after first expressing concern about the validity of a 2010 paper on multiple sclerosis, Nature Medicine has retracted the article for containing “erroneous” data — which in this case don’t seem to have existed, making them more fabricated than wrong. The paper, “Crucial role of interleukin-7 in T helper type 17 survival … Continue reading Nature Medicine retracts MS paper with ghost data by former GSK researcher

At long last, disputed dance study retracted from Nature

A 2005 Nature study that has vexed one of its authors since 2007 is finally being retracted. The notice for “Dance reveals symmetry especially in young men,” by William M. Brown, Lee Cronk, Keith Grochow, Amy Jacobson, C. Karen Liu, Zoran Popovic´& Robert Trivers, says very little:

PLOS Blogs removes post criticizing writer over sexual harassment post

Tabitha Powledge and Beryl Benderly, two long-time science writers, have found a post they wrote on PLOS Blogs taken down. The removal follows an online dispute with another blogger, Emily Willingham, about the post, which covered a session on sexual harassment, The XX Question, at the recent National Association of Science Writers (NASW) meeting in … Continue reading PLOS Blogs removes post criticizing writer over sexual harassment post

A third retraction stemming from Cardiff investigations

We’ve been reporting on retractions of research published by Cardiff University scientists following an investigation into their work. On Monday, we noted a new retraction of work by the group in Cancer Research, which we thought was the second retraction following one in the Journal of Immunology in 2011. But it turns out there was … Continue reading A third retraction stemming from Cardiff investigations

Second retraction stemming from Cardiff investigations appears

A second retraction of a paper by a Cardiff University researcher found to have committed misconduct has appeared. In April, a Cardiff investigation found that Rossen Donev, a former researcher at the university, had manipulated images in four different papers. Donev, who was at the University of Swansea until August, according to his LinkedIn profile, … Continue reading Second retraction stemming from Cardiff investigations appears

“Not exoneration”: University reverses sanctions on husband-wife team found to have manipulated images

A complicated case involving two microbiology researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) appears to have come to some conclusion. In November of last year, we reported that

Aussie university halts trials of skin cancer drug whose developer has four retractions

An Australian university has put a hold on trials of an experimental drug for skin cancer whose main developer has been dogged by charges of research misconduct for several years. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is reporting that the University of New South Wales has suspended trials of the drug, DZ13, while it investigates the work … Continue reading Aussie university halts trials of skin cancer drug whose developer has four retractions

Imperial clears Jatinder Ahluwalia of misconduct, blames “protracted negotiation” with Novartis for delay

Imperial College London has found that a former graduate student there — who had been found guilty of misconduct in two other institutions — did not commit fraud while at Imperial. As first reported in the Times Higher Education today:

Three retractions, two lawsuits, one institutional inquiry for San Diego orthopedic surgeon

Three retractions, two lawsuits, one institutional inquiry. That’s not the kind of math anyone likes to do — but it’s the tally for Harish Hosalkar, a San Diego surgeon specializing in pediatric orthopedics. Hosalkar became embroiled in a messy affair after problems surfaced in data he had published while at Rady Children’s Hospital — a … Continue reading Three retractions, two lawsuits, one institutional inquiry for San Diego orthopedic surgeon

Former Duke researcher charged with embezzlement has a paper retracted

A new retraction notice in the Journal of Applied Physiology gives only a hint at the problems in the paper, but what it does say has led us to a story about one of its co-authors. Here’s the notice, from a team at Duke: