Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds | Science | AAAS via @cathleenogrady.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds

Sophisticated global networks are infiltrating journals to publish fake papers

science.org

Don't look now but: Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds. Brought to you by @science.org 's excellent @cathleenogrady.bsky.social | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds

Sophisticated global networks are infiltrating journals to publish fake papers

science.org

Thousands of Danes have just found out that their genetic data has been used in research for more than a decade, without their consent. Great reporting from @inampudi.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent

The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

science.org

Are you a journalist writing about a current heatwave? The images you choose are critical to the story. The @climateoutreach.bsky.social team have shown some ideas here which help stress the risks rather than the typical ice creams: www.climatevisuals.org/how-do-you-p...

In the early 2010s, critics started pointing out that much of the psychology literature was unreliable. Now, a statistical analysis suggests the field is improving, @cathleenogrady.bsky.social reports. www.science.org/content/arti...

‘A big win’: Dubious statistical results are becoming less common in psychology

Fewer papers are reporting findings on the border of statistical significance, a potential marker of dodgy research practices

science.org

Good summary (imo) by @cathleenogrady.bsky.social, and useful quotes from thoughtful people like @peteetchells.bsky.social and @dingdingpeng.the100.ci and others.

Neil Lewis, Jr.@neillewisjr.bsky.social · last yr.

This is worth reading (re: the recent social media consensus preprint): www.science.org/content/arti...

Last week, a preprint reporting expert consensus on smartphones and teen mental health sparked a kerfuffle. Critics are saying the evidence in the field is too thin to support consensus, and that the findings of the paper have been communicated badly: www.science.org/content/arti...

Social media consensus paper causes social media uproar

Preprint reporting common ground among researchers on smartphones and teen mental health is premature and flawed, critics say

science.org

A massive health dataset has spawned a wealth of cookie-cutter "research Mad Libs" papers that don't tell us anything useful, but flood the literature with noise. Possibly AI-generated, possibly paper mill origin. www.science.org/content/arti...

Low-quality papers are surging by exploiting public data sets and AI

Paper mills are also likely contributing to “false discoveries”

science.org

“The lived experience of a scientist right now is terrifying” My colleague Warren Cornwall spoke to @gregggonsalves.bsky.social, @rebekahtromble.bsky.social, @katestarbird.bsky.social and others about “the fear and self-censorship coursing through the nation’s scientific establishment today”. 🧪

Trump’s ‘fear factor’: Scientists go silent as funding cuts escalate

Many worry about retribution. But for others, speaking out is worth the risk

science.org

Smart and important story from @rebekahwhite.bsky.social. Some geoengineering experiments have brought nearby communities on board; others have failed to get support. What should scientists do to genuinely engage with people about their concerns? www.science.org/content/arti...

Geoengineering could fight climate change—if the public can be convinced

Researchers’ failures to communicate are jeopardizing even basic tests, but new projects may point the way forward

science.org

This is awesome: "As we incorporated [ASL vocab] into the course, we found that students who relied solely on an interpreter started to outperform hearing students ... Deaf students also began to seek out research opportunities more often than they did previously." www.nature.com/articles/d41...

‘A beautiful way of saying a lot’: sign language brings benefits to the organic chemistry classroom

Christina Goudreau Collison works with Deaf students to develop clear signs for organic chemistry terms — which could also help students with non-conventional learning needs.

nature.com

Could Trump trigger a brain drain from the United States? Many institutes overseas say they would welcome researchers who want to leave the country. www.science.org/content/arti... (by @cofford.bsky.social)

Overseas universities see opportunity in U.S. ‘brain drain’

But many U.S.-based scientists seeking to leave may struggle to find positions in countries grappling with funding issues of their own

science.org

I couldn't do what I do w/out the generosity of scientists, many of whom have taken calls while on vacation, while ill, or while dealing with personal tragedies. They communicate complex ideas, oftentimes in a second language. They have made me laugh, cry, and buckle beneath the wonder of it all. 🧪

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈@whysharksmatter.bsky.social · last yr.

Scientists do not get paid for getting quoted in the newspaper about science. People know this, right? Last year I was quoted in about 30 media articles, and I received a grand total of $0 for this. We do it because it’s important, not because we get paid.

Language is the social&cognitive air that humans breathe. It underlies our thinking, connection, education. So what happens when, as a young child, you don't get access to it? Implants can help deaf kids hear – but that's not always enough to give them language 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...

Implants can help deaf kids hear—but many still struggle with spoken language

Some researchers worry about risks of devaluing sign language, overreliance on imperfect devices

science.org

This is the article of my dreams. Finally, finally delving into the ways in which cochlear implants can fail deaf kids, and the importance of early sign language - all upside, no downside. Amazing work, @cathleenogrady.bsky.social !

Implants can help deaf kids hear—but many still struggle with spoken language

Some researchers worry about risks of devaluing sign language, overreliance on imperfect devices

science.org

Language is the social&cognitive air that humans breathe. It underlies our thinking, connection, education. So what happens when, as a young child, you don't get access to it? Implants can help deaf kids hear – but that's not always enough to give them language 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...

Implants can help deaf kids hear—but many still struggle with spoken language

Some researchers worry about risks of devaluing sign language, overreliance on imperfect devices

science.org

Scoop from @kakape.bsky.social: The U.S. Department of Defense has terminated dozens of grants for social scientists studying terrorism, drug trafficking, misinformation, and other threats. www.science.org/content/arti...

Pentagon guts national security program that harnessed social science

Dozens of U.S. academics lose grants from Minerva program for studies related to terrorism, drug trafficking, and other threats

science.org

Great thread from @jbakcoleman.bsky.social on my story about ecologists reaching different conclusions from the same data. Should we be worried? Maybe about analytical ability – but maybe not so much about science's ability to reach a clear answer. 🧪

Joe Bak-Coleman@jbakcoleman.bsky.social · last yr.

I spoke with @cathleenogrady.bsky.social for this story on the many analysts paper in ecology. To me the concerning thing is the interpretation, not the (expected) finding. www.science.org/content/arti...

Give a group of scientists the same data and the same research question, and they should come up with similar answers—in theory. But they don’t. www.science.org/content/arti... (by @cathleenogrady.bsky.social)

Even faced with the same data, ecologists sometimes come to opposite conclusions

Study highlights powerful role subjective choices can play in research, though some critics urge caution about applying findings too broadly

science.org

"These kinds of shocks are going to lead to a mass exodus … for minorities in particular.” For my latest @science.org story, I spoke with early career researchers who have been affected by the federal upheaval and are concerned about what it means for their future. www.science.org/content/arti...

U.S. early-career researchers struggling amid chaos

Uncertain funding, government firings, and distressed universities hit vulnerable groups especially hard

science.org

Hilarious, if it weren't so troubling: Paper mills sell intellectual property rights for weird inventions to scientists - including shoes with "a camera and USB ports around the sole." www.science.org/content/arti... by @cathleenogrady.bsky.social

‘Patent mills’ sell scientists inventorship of bizarre medical devices

Thousands of U.K. “design registrations” sold to Indian academics in past 2 years, new research finds

science.org

One of the wackier stories I've reported in a while. Shady outfits are selling slots on UK "patents" to academics – only they aren't patents, they're just cribbed pictures of crazy, meaningless designs:

Matthew Warren@mattbwarren.bsky.social · last yr.

Suspicious firms are selling scientists in India "inventorship" slots on what they claim are UK patents. In reality, these academics are not buying patents but registered designs - and many of these designs are frankly bizarre... 🧵 www.science.org/content/arti...

You've heard of paper mills - but what about patent mills? @cathleenogrady.bsky.social reports on a new type of academic fraud. www.science.org/content/arti...

‘Patent mills’ sell scientists inventorship of bizarre medical devices

Thousands of U.K. “design registrations” sold to Indian academics in past 2 years, new research finds

science.org

Are you a CDC scientist affected by the order to pull back submitted papers containing terms including the following? Find me today on Signal. Time-sensitive. Confidentiality promised.

What do editors do? Well, out of the 500 plus features @hakaimagazine.com published over 10 years, almost 1/5 were ideas I developed. Among many other duties, editors develop stories. And those were just the features—I also contributed ideas for news stories and visual stories.

This image from a Science article is so good. Text: @cathleenogrady.bsky.social Illustration: Sara Gironi Carnevale - www.saragironicarnevale.com www.science.org/content/arti...

Hundreds of scientists have urged the UK government to reconsider a new funding scheme for biomedical research, warning that the changes will lead to the closure of distinguished research units that have been around for decades. @cathleenogrady.bsky.social reports www.science.org/content/arti...

Funding overhaul threatens historic U.K. research units

Scientists protest new “challenge-led” grants replacing funding that supported long-term basic research

science.org

Scientists are protesting a move from the UK Medical Research Council that could spell the end of historic research units focusing on areas of strategic national importance, such as epidemiology, toxicology, and virology: www.science.org/content/arti...

Funding overhaul threatens historic U.K. research units

Scientists protest new “challenge-led” grants replacing funding that supported long-term basic research

science.org

It took four days from submission to publication, and nearly five years from publication to retraction. After campaigning by many, many scientists, and an investigation by Elsevier, an infamous paper on hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment has been retracted. 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...

Infamous paper that popularized unproven COVID-19 treatment finally retracted

Study on hydroxychloroquine by Didier Raoult and colleagues gets pulled on ethical and scientific grounds

science.org

Science Magazine is now posting on Bluesky @science.org! We’re kicking things off with this beautiful News Feature on the global food trade. Give us a follow here if you haven’t already, and stay tuned as we share more research, commentary, news, and visuals from the Science family of journals.

Science Magazine@science.org · 2y ago

The growth of the global food trade has brought huge benefits, but recent studies have underscored its costs. bit.ly/3BjiXcA