In some ways it’s hard to imagine that it was only just over 6 months ago that Nature published the two STAP cell papers by a collaborative team of Japanese and American researchers. It feels like years have gone by since then because so much has happened related to the STAP mess including the retraction of the …
Where will STAP cell mess go from here & key unanswered questions Read More »
Today has been a dark day of mourning for science following the death by suicide of Dr. Yoshiki Sasai. I did not know Dr. Sasai personally, but was very impressed with his work. His suicide leaves me feeling very sad and it seems like an appropriate time for reflection. (update I did a post on suicides by …
Reflecting on Sasai tragedy, STAP, & flawed field of science Read More »
Dr. Yoshiki Sasai (笹井芳樹) former Deputy Director of the RIKEN CDB and a senior author on the STAP papers, has reportedly died from suicide. Update: The Japan Times writes on this situation that Sasai was found hanging at RIKEN and there may have been a suicide note. Dr. Sasai was a top scholar in the stem …
Stem cell tragedy: Yoshiki Sasai (笹井芳樹) commits suicide Read More »
Here is a STAP Cell Image Gallery With Links Want to go to the links associated with specific STAP images? Click on thumbnails with embedded links below.
I asked Nature a half dozen questions about their editorial process. While they declined to answer any direct questions about the STAP cell paper situation, I thank them for answering these questions via a Nature spokesperson. The end result is an intriguing glimpse inside the editorial/review process at Nature. 1. Does Nature have any kind …
Interview with Nature on their editorial process in wake of STAP Read More »
The Obokata STAP cell papers in Nature were retracted today. It feels like it’s been a long time coming in one way as for months now it has felt like retraction was inevitable, but it’s been extraordinarily fast in another way as retractions almost never happen this fast. It’s a day of mixed feelings. This …
Perspectives on STAP cell Nature paper retractions Read More »
As the STAP cell fiasco has evolved, there has been discussion of various possible resolutions or even penalties for those involved, both institutions like RIKEN and individuals. One of the most extreme and I believe way out of proportion potential outcomes suggested has been the dismantling of RIKEN’s entire Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in …
Don’t Penalize All of RIKEN CDB for STAP Cell Flap Read More »
What were people saying about STAP cells at the ISSCR 2014 meeting? It was a tale of two meetings when it came to STAP at ISSCR. Officially, bigwigs at the podiums only briefly mentioned it and they seemed to collectively argue that STAP was something unfortunate, but that the bigger danger was the overreaction to …
Now that it appears that the authors have all consented to eventually have both of their STAP cell Nature papers retracted, what’s next for STAP? Who knows, but below is my attempt at a top 10 list of STAP predictions looking ahead. I hope I’m wrong about several of them. 10. No insight will come …
Japanese news media are reporting that Haruko Obokata and other key authors have agreed to retract the Nature STAP cell letter, but not the Nature article. This is a major development and a peculiar one because to many in the field it is the Nature STAP cell article that is the more flawed of the two Nature papers on STAP. Why would …
Obokata OKs Retraction of Nature STAP Cell Letter, Not Article Read More »