Digg



del.icio.us



Newsvine



Reddit



Facebook Science retracted a paper Friday that included doctored photos from a former university researcher. COLUMBIA, Missouri (AP)  The prestigious journalretracted a paper Friday that included doctored photos from a former university researcher. The journal retracted the paper a day after the University of Missouri-Columbia announced it had completed an investigation that determined postdoctoral researcher Kaushik Deb had altered pictures of mouse embryos. 'SCIENCE' ARTICLE: Cdx2 Gene Expression and Trophectoderm Lineage Specification in Mouse Embryos Questions arose after the photos appeared in a February 2006 issue of the journal. Complaints to both Science and the university had prompted the magazine to issue an "editorial expression of concern" in October warning readers that the results of the earlier study might not be reliable. The research indicated that cell division of a mouse embryo differentiated sooner than previously shown, with one cell eventually forming a placenta while the other formed a fetus. It had major implications in determining which early stage cells could be used to create embryonic stem cell lines, said R. Michael Roberts, who led the research group. "Retraction is a relief in a way," Roberts said. "I've wanted to retract for over a year." The investigation cleared Roberts and two other researchers, Mayandi Sivaguru and H.Y. Yong, of any wrongdoing in the case. The three researchers signed the retraction, noting their paper was "founded at least in part on falsified or fabricated images." The retraction said Deb had resigned from the school shortly after allegations of research misconduct were received and could not be found to sign the retraction. "We deeply regret any scientific misconceptions that have resulted from the publication of this article," the retraction read. Roberts said the retraction does not mean that everything in the paper was wrong. "But," he said, "the paper was written on the basis of those images. Everything has to be repeated." In a written statement, the journal said a handful of the 950 papers it publishes each year do lead to some type of clarification or retraction. "Unfortunately, scientific misconduct does occur, though other retractions are due to honest error," according to the statement. Because the research involved grants from the National Institutes of Health, the university's findings will be shared with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Research Integrity. The agency could bar Deb from getting federal research money for several years, Hall said. "I would say that all things being equal, Dr. Deb has forfeited his career in science," Hall said. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Share this story: Digg del.icio.us Newsvine Reddit Facebook Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.