http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/science scandal http://io9.com/tag/science scandal

A scientific controversy of operatic proportions has reached a significant turning point today. The drama kicked off in 2009, with a publication in Science that reported a startling link between chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and a virus called XMRV. But today, following a partial retraction issued back in September, Science has decided to withdraw the paper entirely: More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5870388&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Scientist magazine has helpfully gathered together all the weirdest and worst science scandals of 2011, as well as bringing us updates on some ongoing science trainwrecks that started way back in 2010. Here are a few highlights. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5869396&view=rss&microfeed=true

Every branch of science has its share of "sexy" studies—so called for their supposed tendency to provoke media attention, even in the absence of strong or conclusive findings—but investigations in the field of social psychology are often especially popular targets of the "sexy" label. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5855733&view=rss&microfeed=true

Scientists have long been required to list any and all conflicts of interest that could unduly influence the objectivity of their research — for example, they would need to reveal if a tobacco company funded research showing that smoking doesn't cause cancer. However, this kind of information is not always readily accessible to members of the general public. Now, it would appear that a highly-publicized and widely-supported effort to increase transparency surrounding research funding has been shot down. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5827503&view=rss&microfeed=true This week we were all set to report on an interesting but possibly biased study that pointed to some incredible health benefits through transcendental meditation. Funded by the Maharishi University of Management, the paper claimed an almost 50% drop in heart problems (including those leading to heart attacks and strokes) for people who practiced transcendental meditation. We were skeptical to say the least, but it was being published in the eminently respectable Archives of Internal Medicine, so we thought it worth covering. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5816691&view=rss&microfeed=true

What's blocking your access to accurate scientific information? Often, it's the representatives of research institutions themselves. Today on Embargo Watch, science journalism watchdog Ivan Oransky reports on just one example of how universities try to prevent reporters from getting information about scientific studies - and we're not talking about studies of nukes or neurotoxins, or even unpublished work not yet fit for public consumption. Nope - this was an archaeological finding published this week, which science journalist and io9 pal Ed Yong was trying to write about. Oransky reports: More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5760376&view=rss&microfeed=true

After the Earth-shaking announcement last week that they'd discovered an arsenic-based life form, NASA researchers are under attack from many in the scientific community. Experts are calling the research shoddy, and wondering if NASA is just desperate for publicity. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5708505&view=rss&microfeed=true

Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, is being sued by two Papua, New Guinea, men who claim the award-winning science writer lied about their lives to prove that tribal culture is violent. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5226368&view=rss&microfeed=true