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Opinion: Science Needs Better Fraud Detection—And More Whistleblowers
An influential paper on amyloid protein and Alzheimer’s disease potentially fabricated data. Why did it take 16 years to flag?
Opinion: Science Needs Better Fraud Detection—And More Whistleblowers
Opinion: Science Needs Better Fraud Detection—And More Whistleblowers

An influential paper on amyloid protein and Alzheimer’s disease potentially fabricated data. Why did it take 16 years to flag?

An influential paper on amyloid protein and Alzheimer’s disease potentially fabricated data. Why did it take 16 years to flag?

fraud

A Theranos sign outside the company's headquarters
Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Convicted of Fraud
Amanda Heidt | Jan 4, 2022 | 4 min read
After a week of deliberation, a jury returned a guilty verdict on four charges related to wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
SEC Charges uBiome Founders with Defrauding Investors
Catherine Offord | Mar 23, 2021 | 2 min read
The microbiome-testing company made misleading claims about its prospects and about its business strategy, which allegedly relied on fooling doctors into ordering unnecessary tests, according to the US government.
Contributors
The Scientist | Dec 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the December 2020 issue of The Scientist.
Timeline: When Bad Research Changes Public Health Strategy
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2020 | 1 min read
Illinois-based Surgisphere Corporation had a brief moment in the limelight this year following its infamous study of hydroxychloroquine. But the impact of the company’s deception reverberated across world.
The Surgisphere Scandal: What Went Wrong?
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
The high-profile retractions of two COVID-19 studies stunned the scientific community earlier this year and prompted calls for reviews of how science is conducted, published, and acted upon. The warning signs had been there all along.
DOJ, Department of Justice, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, China, intellectual property, visa fraud, People's Liberation Army
Foreign Researchers Accused of Hiding Links to Chinese Military
Amanda Heidt | Jul 24, 2020 | 3 min read
Four Chinese nationals have been charged with visa fraud after revelations that they sent information on the layout of US labs and research carried out by colleagues back to China.
Surgisphere Fallout Hits African Nonprofit’s COVID-19 Efforts
Catherine Offord | Jun 7, 2020 | 9 min read
The company had helped develop a tool to aid decision-making in distributing limited medical equipment among coronavirus patients, but two high-profile retractions call into question the validity of Surgisphere’s work in toto.
University College London Geneticist Cleared of Wrongdoing
Jef Akst | Dec 5, 2018 | 1 min read
A second investigation by the school concludes that David Latchman, also the head of Birkbeck, University of London, was not involved in the image manipulation found in papers he coauthored.
Duke to Settle Case of Alleged Fake Data Used to Win Grants
Ashley Yeager | Nov 20, 2018 | 2 min read
A whistleblower claims his former supervisor committed fraud when applying for government funds.
Dozens of Retractions Requested for Heart Stem Cell Studies
Ashley P. Taylor | Oct 15, 2018 | 2 min read
Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital disavow the work by former faculty member Piero Anversa.
Theranos Goes Under
Sukanya Charuchandra | Sep 5, 2018 | 1 min read
The discredited blood-testing company announced its decision to close in a company-wide email.
Arrests, Investigations Over Vaccine Scandal in China
Kerry Grens | Jul 27, 2018 | 1 min read
Changsheng is found to have forged records for a rabies vaccine and is accused of distributing thousands of substandard DPT immunizations to be used in children.
SEC Charges Theranos With Fraud
Jim Daley | Mar 14, 2018 | 2 min read
The company raised more than $700 million based on false claims to investors, according to the complaint.
Sensors Journal Pulls Planned Special Issue Due to Guest Editor’s Fake Credentials
Diana Kwon | Jan 16, 2018 | 3 min read
Ashutosh Tiwari, who falsely claimed to be affiliated with Linköping University, is also under investigation for alleged scientific misconduct and fraud.
Bioengineering Professor, Students Accused of Fraud
Kerry Grens | Sep 30, 2017 | 1 min read
Virginia Tech’s Yiheng Percival Zhang was arrested for misusing grant funds from the federal government.
Parkinson’s Researcher Notches 17 Retracted Papers
Aggie Mika | Sep 13, 2017 | 2 min read
Scientific misconduct motivated Yoshihiro Sato’s three additional retractions last month; his institution doesn’t respond. 
Retractions Damage Scientists’ Reputations: Study
Aggie Mika | Sep 8, 2017 | 2 min read
Authors of rescinded papers see a 10 percent to 20 percent decline in citation rates for their other publications. 
How Journals Treat Papers from Researchers Who Committed Misconduct
Diana Kwon | Aug 18, 2017 | 4 min read
Nature Plants explains how it handled a manuscript coauthored by Patrice Dunoyer, a biologist with multiple retractions to his name.
Studies Retracted After UCLA Investigation
Diana Kwon | Jul 21, 2017 | 1 min read
Most of the authors have had papers pulled in the past.
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