Posted on 12/24/2005 11:35:09 AM PST by neverdem
The unwelcome but indisputable revelation that some of the most exciting biomedical claims of the past few years were the product of scientific fraud settled like a cloud over the American scientific community yesterday.
Stem cell researchers said they were depressed and discouraged to learn that an investigatory panel at Seoul National University had found that most of the precious human embryonic stem cell colonies that its scientists had touted were fakes.
The star scientist at the heart of that deception -- Hwang Woo Suk -- resigned yesterday from his university post, his meteoric rise to fame coming to a wrenching and ignominious end.
Many researchers said they are worried about the political impact of the debacle in the United States, where the Senate is poised to consider several bills that could boost or restrict stem cell research. Although controversial because it involves the destruction of human embryos, the science has had generally high approval ratings with the public because of all the medical promise the cells are thought to hold.
Yet scientists vowed yesterday to learn from the experience and move ahead with renewed vigor, saying they still see the field as extremely promising.
"Although it hurts, I think we have to say that if there is fraud of any kind . . . it has to be exposed, no matter what the cost. The truth is of more value than anything else," said John Gearhart, a stem cell researcher at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore.
"We'll have to deal with the cynicism and anything that comes our way politically from the policymakers," Gearhart added. "But people should realize that anything that is wrong with the science is of no value to us either."
The investigation is ongoing at the Seoul university, but a panel there announced late...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
i can see good old Superman laying in his grave, not rolling, not moving, not twitching...just there
All the false hope that was generated because of those lies...
"Fake, but accurate" strikes again...
Well, some years from now it would be grouped with the stories about St.Germain teaching Louis XV to melt small diamonds together into a larger one. The King later affirmed that his experiments were successful [and who would dare doubt the words of King?]. Now, of course, they do grow larger diamond crystals out of smaller ones, under the conditions neither St.Germain nor the King had any idea about.
2006 will bring miraculous news in biotech and medicine!!
Yup. John Edwards is going to lay on hands and raise Chris Reeve out of his wheelchair.
Uhuh, big deal, frauds like this are always forgotten in weeks, in favor of the greater agenda.
If it is not forgotten, they will say that legitimizing the agenda will fix it.
"Fake, but accurate" strikes again...
"But people should realize that anything that is wrong with the science is of no value to us either."
BWAAAHAHA! That's a laugh. Many fraudulent proofs of evolution are still in kid textbooks because they haven't figured out anythign else to replace them with yet. Big deal, move along...
After being presented with John Edwards' bill a quadriplegic would not merely rise from a wheelchair, but jump - and then run in the opposite direction. This is natural, and does not require laying hands.
"But people should realize that anything that is wrong with the science is of no value to us either."
There is one way to do a job right, there are an infinite numer of ways to do a job wrong....
We are half way down the list!
see post #3 ;)
I'm still more worried about dicing up aborted babies than I am about some fraud in Korea.
Not to worry, the abortionists in government and academia will ensure that the flow of money for "fetal stem cell research" continues. It's an essential aspect of the Culture of Death.
What, is Arnie going to take back California's three billion because of this? Is Corzine in New Jersey going to back away from his plans? Is Harvard going to stop seeking research grants for stem cell research? Not on your life.
That'd be a great mystery story. A diamond heist where the thief disposes of the evidence in a furnace.
Depending on your artistic taste, either the diamonds are unaffected, or the diamonds end up like Schwarzenegger at the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
And as the final scene fades out, one of the detectives is heard in voice-over: "Well, there goes a fortune up in smoke."
Full Disclosure: I don't have my CRC handbook right at hand at the moment, so I don't know the ignition point of diamond at ordinary pressure and O2 concentrations...
Cheers!
...and Merry Christmas!
Don't need a CRC handbook, call your local jewler, he'll know how hot his solder can get before he mars the diamond. Something well over 1000F I should think.
Who's his widow gonna sue for 'false hopes'?
Yah - before discosure they were thinking "why can't we make this crap work?"; NOW they're thinking "how are we gonna keep our jobs since this crap WON'T work?".
There are 4 kinds of lies:
Lies
< Damn Lies
Statistics
Statistics used by special interest groups looking for funding.
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