L18: VY Lecture 5

Question 1

Why would scientists cheat?

Answer 1

• pressure for publishing and obtaining funding
• poor research culture in lab
• from dangerous habits to outright cheating

Question 2

Technology used for cheating?

Answer 2

• photoshopping to manipulate blots

- misrepresenting data

Question 3

Why is scale of problem difficult to assess?

Answer 3

• problems reported mostly for studies in top journals
• cheating esp in subset of data is difficult to detect
• no one wants to be a whistle blower

Question 4

What are the damages caused by scientific misconduct?

Answer 4

• erosion of trust in funding agencies and among colleagues
• adversely affect progress of other scientists (reproducing results and doing experiments based on findings)
• lowering productivity as research funds diverted to monitor and enforce research integrity and investigate misconduct

Question 5

What are two examples of misconduct?

Answer 5

• baltimore incident

- hwang suk woo

Question 6

What is an important group against animal research?

Answer 6

Peta (people for the ethical treatment of animals)

Question 7

What was set up to counter Peta?

Answer 7

Foundation for biomedical research (FBR) -> educate public on humane and responsible animal research

Question 8

Is animal research necessary?

Answer 8

Yes, animal research has played a vital role in nearly every major medical advance for both human and animal health.

Question 9

What is SPF in animal labs?

Answer 9

Specific pathogen free

Question 10

What organization is used for human research and animal research respectively?

Answer 10

Institutional Review Board (IRB) for human research
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) -> monitor and enforce high standard of care for animals in research; need to approve protocols