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 […]
PubPeer founder neuroscientist Brandon Stell Read More »
Here are some papers and news for weekend reads. What are you reading this weekend? What are your go-to stem cell journals? Hostile Takeover: Glioma Stem Cells Recruit TAMs to Support Tumor Progression by Yu Shi, Yi-fang Ping, Xia Zhang, Xiu-wu Bian in Cell Stem Cell. YAP1 Regulates OCT4 Activity and SOX2 Expression to Facilitate self-renewal and
Weekend Reads: Cool Papers, PubPeer, Jacob Hanna, & More Read More »
A heated series of discussions on stem cell publications is ongoing on the Post-publication review (post-pub) website, PubPeer, which has been called by a PubPeer user “The stem cell shoot out“. This “shoot out” goes well beyond the one page on PubPeer. It is notable to see that the authors of the papers that are the
PubPeer “Stem Cell Shoot Out” & STAP 2.0 Clarification Read More »
Post-publication (post-pub) review is arguably one of the most innovative developments in scientific publishing in the past few years, including at the site PubPeer. An illustration of the widespread influence of post-pub review is the fact that PubMed recently started allowing readers to post comments about any paper. Post-pub review drove the rapid debunking of the
Will Lawsuit Against PubPeer Chill Post-Pub Review? Read More »
As we think about how much of a role belief should play in the hard sciences such as cell biology, a supposed cell type called VSEL or very-small embryonic stem cell-like cells comes to mind. For these guys it seems to me that the ratio of data to belief isn’t great. VSELs have nine lives. I
The role of belief in hard science: the VSEL case Read More »
The stem cell field has puzzled on and off for years over a constellation of papers on purported stem cells including so-called VSEL and MUSE cells. Many of us haven’t been convinced that these are real stem cells. I see VSEL and MUSE fitting into a larger pattern of dubious stem cell claims including the STAP
STAP cell deja vu? 28 VSEL papers flagged by Bik Read More »
Retraction Watch broke the news that Haruko Obokata of the STAP cell train wreck now has a 4th paper retraction. The publication related to the controversial idea that adult tissues have pluripotent potential or actual pluripotent stem cells in them so it was kind of foundational for the debunked STAP cell idea. It also reminds
4th Obokata retraction after Harvard investigation: STAP saga finally over? Read More »
Below are the 2016 stem cell predictions I made last year and their status now color-coded near year’s end. Green is right, orange is mixed bag, and red is flat out wrong. Overall, I did better than most past years with only having entirely blown it on four. Stay tuned later this week for my 2017 predictions,
Grading my stem cell predictions for 2016: how’d I do? Read More »
Professor Rudolf Jaenisch of MIT and his former postdoc/now assistant professor at The Weizmann Jacob Hanna have gotten into a very public, stem cell skirmish over conflicting papers. Hanna raised concerns over a Jaenisch lab paper and things have escalated from there. This mess is playing out before our eyes on PubMed (there was a comment from Hanna
Public stem cell skirmish erupts between Hanna & Jaenisch Read More »
Each December I make stem cell predictions for the coming year and I did that for 2016 where I made 20 predictions. At around mid year I do a checkup on how my predictions are doing halfway and that is the purpose of this post. Below are my predictions that I made in 2015 for stem
Stem cell checkup: how are my 2016 predictions doing half way? Read More »