Biologists' roles in lynx-hair fraud under review

Washington Times ^ | Tuesday, April 23, 2002 | By Audrey Hudson

[JohnHuang2]

A professional society of wildlife biologists is investigating its members who submitted false samples of lynx hair during a national study to determine whether the actions violated ethical standards.

The Wildlife Society will examine the actions of three federal and state employees who submitted samples from captive and stuffed cats for laboratory DNA analysis. The lynx is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

[JohnHuang2]

Tuesday, April 23, 2002 Quote of the Day by clintonh8r, SoDak, Still Thinking, Brett66, & Russ 4/23/02

[William Tell]

The science classes I took required that we maintain a lab notebook. This was a bound blank book into which we entered the results of our experiments, calculations involving those results, and our conclusions.

Similar notebooks are kept by scientists and engineers in industry. These are often serial numbered books and the pages are all numbered. Entries are dated and may be signed when the content might be of special significance, such as establishing key aspects of an invention or discovery.

When one notebook is filled, an index of contents may be prepared to aid in finding key results later. A final entry may be made to identify the serial number of the subsequent notebook, thereby establishing an unbroken chain of scientific records.

Entries in the notebook which are later found to be in error are corrected by making new entries, explaining the prior errors, and lining through the erroneous parts. The contents are not obliterated by lining through them.

Outside of academic laboratories, such notebooks are routinely considered the property of the employer.

The solution to the problem posed in this article is to examine the notebooks kept by the scientists in question.

Dated entries will be found which discuss the design of the experiment to gauge the effectiveness of the laboratories. The methodology of submitting samples, the number and type of samples, and how they will be labelled will all be decided before the experiment begins.

Control procedures will be detailed. Results which reveal false positives and false negatives will be included.

If the people who claim that they were carrying out science cannot provide this supporting material, then they are not scientists...they are thieves who are defrauding the taxpayers of this country.

[dixiechick2000]

Hi, JH2! Mind if I pass this along to some other good bumpers...er, pingers?
Good to see you on one of my rare, "late" night FR perusals. ;o)

[Travis McGee]

A professional society of wildlife biologists is investigating its members who submitted false samples of lynx hair during a national study to determine whether the actions violated ethical standards.

"Hmm... Gee... I dunno.... This is more compilcated than it sounds, because their motives were good."

[JohnHuang2]

Pleasure to see you, too, my friend =^)

[nightdriver]

"There is an elephant in the room. It is standing there in the back, swaying back and forth, flapping its ears and exuding foul odors from time to time. A blaze orange sign hangs along its sides with 'lynx scandal' in large black letters," Mr. Thomas said.

Yeah, right! Just like the spotted owl scam, huh? Does anyone remember this guy Jack Ward Thomas as the guy who started the big lie about the owl? The truth about that debacle is just starting to surface.

[bybybill]

I own a small bidnis in Oregon and we are hurting. Joblessness is at 8.9% partly cause you can`t cut trees in Oregon because of these so called experts.Thanks to Clinton-Gore, the USFS is filled with idiots that will do anything to stop capitolism. Send them all to Afganistan.

[Travis McGee]

Translation: "Be more careful next time guys, and don't get caught. Use better untraceable samples from real wild lynx next time."

[Travis McGee]

That's a tough legacy to root out: they have 100% fedgov job protection for the next 20-30 years.

[WhiteyAppleseed]

The employees maintain they submitted the false samples to test the lab's accuracy, but their integrity has been questioned.

Representative Kelly used the same kind of excuse during Abscam. It didn't work then and it doesn't work now. The "scientists" know the protocol set up to test the samples that would be collected had been tested many times over. The lack of trust for the very science they claimed to be using is troubling.

[Beamer]

Translation, we were busted.

[Cuttnhorse]

The employees maintain they submitted the false samples to test the lab's accuracy, but their integrity has been questioned.

This is so much Barbara Strisand,BS. In minerals exploration, geologists routinely use procedures to test the accuracy of analytical labs, and W. Tell is right, these procedures are well-established and known to everyone in the exploration company. We always had a written document describing the exact lab-testing procedure.
I do not believe for a minute these bozos are telling the truth and they should be fired.

[RJCogburn]

Interesting, but remember that our heroic AG, Mr. Ashcroft, has turned his back on any justice being done in this matter.

[KC Burke]

Many of the mass media out doors magazines are carrying articles that portray this as a conservative witchhunt meant to discredit "good envirnmentalists" for the sake of pollutors and exploiters, i.e. anyone against the leftist envirnmental agenda. Outside and similar magazines, read by active young men and women, misportray this event and its context.

[Travis McGee]

Gee, that's a surprise!

(not.)

[editor-surveyor]

"The solution to the problem posed in this article is to examine the notebooks kept by the scientists in question."

Absolutely correct! - This is the only way to settle it. - No entry, no honor.

If they really were testing the system, then there will be a diary of the actions. (fry'em now and get it over with)

[Black Agnes]

In my place of employment, failure to keep accurate and up to date (cosigned within appropriate time period by researcher in non related field even) results in FIRING.

[headsonpikes]

"...they are not scientists...they are thieves..." bttt!

[lowbridge]

A professional society of wildlife biologists is investigating its members who submitted false samples of lynx hair during a national study to determine whether the actions violated ethical standards

They're scientists, and they need an investigation to determine this?

I smell whitewash.