Scientific Integrity

When friends find out that I'm interested in neuroscience, one of the first reactions I get is a question along the lines of "I saw a news article that said ____, but I thought the news was saying the exact opposite thing a year ago! What gives?" Their reaction is usually due to some short blurb about a new discovery in science or psychology that later is disproven by another study. For the general public, this is a frustrating cycle and seems to prove science as generally unreliable.

While I understand the sentiment, I believe the public doesn't understand the pressure of academia going on behind the scenes. With the national government continuing to cut funding for research, the already competitive field of academia becomes an even harder environment to survive. Researchers are reminded by their department heads that their funding is dependent on releasing newsworthy, dramatic results on a consistent basis. With all the pressure to publish, and publish big, it's hardly surprising that papers from big journals like Science or Nature get retracted. Just look at this listing of big names and big discoveries that were later retracted because of bad science.

And these are just the ones that were caught. Before a paper is published, it is reviewed by a panel of peers. But these reviewers don't get any official reward for playing editor and often do not look closely into the data analyses. And even if they did, the reviewers can't necessarily spot data that has just plain been made-up! And when these faulty papers get published, their repercussions can last for decades. Just look at what this one paper on autism and vaccines did to public health policy in the UK and US.

So, how do we combat scientific fraud? How do we make sure our scientists are publishing their true findings, without massaging the data? There's no simple answer to these tough questions. But I know that as my career in cognitive neuroscience continues, I will remember the damage false findings can create and keep my papers clean of such scientific fraud.

Oh, and yes- I have done more than just ponder the ethical issues facing researchers today. In fact, I've been up to quite a lot! Here's a short photo-list of the past week's high-lights:

The summer program I'm in took me to see Motown on Broadway!

I spent a day by myself in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a
sculpture of Eros, god of love.

The skyline from atop the Met Art Museum

Just chilling with my homie at the Met

The armor exhibit at the Met

An Asian carving of a lion- can't remember from which region.

Had dinner with my roomie from back home and got
gelato for dessert!

We "SURP-ers" had a grill out on friday with plenty of food and good company.

A trip to Coney Island sunday was perfect!

As you can see, the weather was a bit cool and misty, but that meant no
lines for any of the rides!