Sound science - fact or fiction?
Released: 13 March 2006
In light of the recent stem cell cloning controversy in Korea, and subsequent investigations into other scientists accused of fabricating research results, the ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum is hosting a public debate Sound Science? Hope, Trust, Policy and Science Fraud to explore the impact science fraud has on trust between scientists, policy-makers and the public, and how we can guard against it.
The event is part of the ESRC’s Social Science Week and takes place on Thursday 16th March 2006, 4.30-6.30pm, One Birdcage Walk, London.
Panellists for this event are:
Professor Michael Banner, Director, ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum (Chair) Dr Stephen L Minger, Director, Stem Cell Biology Laboratory King's College, London Professor Steve Fuller, Professor of Sociology, Warwick University Jeremy Webb, Editor, New Scientist Ben Goldacre, medical doctor and the Guardian's 'Bad Science' columnist. Discussion points will include:
What impact science fraud has had on trust between scientists, policy-makers and the public? How can scientists match the weight of expectation against the limits of their science? What mechanisms are in place to guard against fraud? What is the future security of evidence-based science policy? Commenting on the issue of science fraud, panellists stated:
Professor Michael Banner, Director, ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum:
“I feel the ESRC Genomics Forum has a key role to play in supporting discussion between policy makers, scientists, academics and wider society on advances within the life sciences. We have to approach these developments with optimism, but also with caution. Science fraud is a particularly worrying, if rare, threat to progress in biomedicine and we are delighted to be hosting this ESRC Social Science Week event exploring the impacts of fraud with such a distinguished panel.”
Dr Stephen L Minger, Director, Stem Cell Biology Laboratory King's College, London:
"From a scientific point of view, particularly in relation to stem cell biology, the problems in Hwang Woo-Suk's lab and the potentially fabricated research results, is not necessarily the catastrophe it may seem. Hwang's lab has, in fact, made significant advances in somatic cell nuclear transfer and his work on achieving nuclear transfer in non-human species has been independently verified.
“Science fraud is not a benign activity, however. It unquestionably ruins personal reputation and credibility, and can give a cruel false hope to sufferers and families of those with serious illnesses. Science fraud, especially when played out in such a high profile media arena, must also make society doubt its trust in science practitioners and perhaps discourage support for areas of research already prone to questions of morals and ethics.
“However, this is a very isolated event and many of the questions raised by the investigation of Hwang would have been prevented if more a more stringent regulatory environment, like we have here in the UK, had been enacted before this work was initiated.”
Dr Ben Goldacre, the Guardian's 'Bad Science' columnist:
"Although straight fraud is newsworthy and dramatic - and the motivations are fascinating - the damage is rarely long lasting, because perpetrators are usually caught out when their results cannot be replicated. If you were worried about the semi-deliberate pollution of scientific knowledge, fraud is the least of your worries, alongside the less visible systemic problems like publication bias, and nested publication of pharmaceutical trials."
Professor Steve Fuller, Professor of Sociology, Warwick University:
“Until there is some serious empirical research about the consequences of research fraud, we should remain open-minded about whether it is always as bad as it is presumed to be. And when such fraud is shown to have bad consequences, we should remain open-minded about the nature of the problem that it represents. It is all too easy to scapegoat particular individuals as ‘immoral’ who have been simply caught for behaviour that is in fact widespread. The ‘problem’ represented by research fraud may lie at a more systemic level, namely, a general corruption of the scientific ethos.”
Ends
Contact name: ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum
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