Month: August 2015

PubPeer founder neuroscientist Brandon Stell

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For the past few years post-publication peer review (PPPR) has grown in influence and one particular website, PubPeer, has become the primary go-to place specifically for blunt PPPR. The kind that happens in journal clubs in labs across the world. Comments on PubPeer have led to numerous serious corrections and retractions of flawed articles. I’m most …

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ISSCR President Sean Morrison on challenges and future of stem cell field

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I recently chatted with Sean Morrison, current President of ISSCR, on his goals for the Society, where the stem cell field stands today, top challenges, and the future. 2020 update: read my new interview with Sean on cell therapies for COVID-19. What are your goals for your tenure as President of ISSCR? SM: ISSCR is the …

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With CRISPR, is GMO also for Google?

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Google is reportedly getting into the genetic modification business. It plans to use a sexy, new genetic technology called “gene drive”, which has both excited and unsettled scientists due to its great power to make GMOs in nature via reproductive chain reactions. This move toward genetic modification is part of a larger trend of Google …

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Paolo Macchiarini cleared of misconduct, but some charges remain

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There has been a great deal of excitement during the past several years over the regenerative medicine work of often-called “super surgeon” Dr. Paolo Macchiarini. For an update on Paolo Macchiarini from a recent scathing Vanity Fair piece, see here. Hei has done pioneering work. For instance, he created and transplanted bioengineered windpipes that were produced in …

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Trump makes case for germline human genetic modification?

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Flying out of Portland Airport yesterday, I saw these magazines side by side: Trump and genetic modification of humans. Hmmm. That’s a humorous juxtaposition and the two covers are oddly similar in design. It go me thinking… Could using germline human genetic modification be a wise thing to do in some cases? After all, humanity …

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Stem cells “wild ride” in space capsule

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Stem cells took a trip near to space in a test capsule and reportedly returned alive and apparently well. What was the story with the stem cells being tested in this way for future time in space? Space.com reports: The RED-4U capsule was created by Terminal Velocity Aerospace (TVA) to return science experiments to Earth …

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Did NHK Violate Rights of Obokata (小保方 晴子) on STAP?

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The Japanese public broadcasting system, NHK, has been accused by scientist Haruko Obokata of violating her human rights. Obokata was the primary researcher involved in the STAP cell fiasco in which two ultimately retracted Nature papers contained duplicated, plagiarized, and manipulated data. She was certainly not the only researcher on those papers, but overall she …

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IPS Cell Immunogenicity, Clinical Insights, & Possible Solutions

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Can cells produced from autologous induced pluripotent stem cell (IPSC or IPS cell) cultures sometimes be immunogenic in patients? This key question has remained somewhat unsettled due to varied findings over the years (e.g. see here), but many of us had generally felt in the last couple years that IPS cell derivative immunogenicity in an …

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Science TGIF: useful, fun sciency videos & stuff

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  It’s Friday so time for another one of my TGIF science reads, links, and in this case, videos. The Myth of Beer Goggles? from Neuroskeptic. No drinking (even TGIF drinking) doesn’t necessarily make people seem more attractive…research from the field (bars). Interesting insights from search committee chair on who gets the faculty jobs. Some surprises? Faculty …

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