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Snip for victory
MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP/GETTY
60 SECONDS
It’s a steal ELOQUENT language has never been the strong point of academic papers, so it’s somewhat ironic that some scientists are lifting clever turns of phrase and even whole paragraphs from other published papers in a bid to sound more articulate.
“Scientists are copying turns of phrase and entire paragraphs from other papers” “It’s an increasing problem,” says editor-in-chief David Williams of the journal Biomaterials. “I have come across it four times in the last year alone – twice from people at very prestigious institutions, too.” On two occasions, Williams spotted the plagiarism himself. On the other two, his referees spotted their own words being reused. Research institutions are often shocked to hear of such tactics, but act decisively when told, says Williams. “One said they would sack a postdoc scientist if it happened again,” he says. Most culprits are people whose first language is not English, says Williams. But he adds that the trend could change with the meteoric rise in science publishing in China. Could writers whose first language is not Mandarin begin lifting phrases, too? “I would not be surprised,” Williams says.
Snip for victory IT MAY not seem like the kindest cut, but circumcision has been hailed as a vital new way to combat HIV. In a report issued on 28 March, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS issued a series of recommendations to increase rates of circumcision in countries where the HIV problem is most serious. “We reviewed all the evidence, and the evidence is compelling,” says Kim Dickson, coordinator of
“Circumcised men are 60 per cent less likely to pick up HIV than uncircumcised men”
DIGITAL ART/CORBIS
070331_N_p6_p7_Upfronts.indd 7
Torrential rain last year flooded missile silos in Fort Greely, Alaska, significantly damaging the US missile defence system, says the independent watchdog Project on Government Oversight. The silos house interceptor missiles to shoot down any missiles heading for the US, but the interceptors themselves were not damaged, says POGO.
Demon drink
the joint WHO/UNAIDS working group that produced the report. Studies in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya have recently shown that circumcised men are on average 60 per cent less likely than uncircumcised men to pick up the virus (New Scientist, 25 November 2006, p 8). Dickson says promoting the procedure would have greatest impact in countries where more than 15 per cent of heterosexual men are HIV-positive, but fewer than 20 per cent are circumcised. Swaziland, for example, where 40 per cent of adults are HIV-positive, has held two “circumcision Sundays”, on which hospitals have –Alien? No chance– offered the procedure.
www.newscientist.com
Damp squibs
Alcohol is responsible for nearly a third of all deaths of men aged 15 to 29 in the developed world. So warn addiction specialists in The Lancet –Tactical operations– (DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60369-9). Increasing the price of alcohol, There are caveats, however. restricting hours for its sale and raising The procedure must be done by a the legal drinking age would reduce its trained physician, and men must toll, say the researchers. realise that it doesn’t provide full protection, so they should carry Darwin no coward on using condoms and having fewer partners. “It’s not a virtual Charles Darwin was not afraid to condom, so you can’t assume publish his theory of evolution, you’re protected,” Dickson says. according to his diaries and Newly circumcised men correspondence. It has long been should also avoid sex for at least thought that Darwin held back On the six weeks, until they’re healed. Origin of Species for fear of the reaction to his ideas, but in fact he was simply too busy writing other books, then ill (Notes and Records of the Royal FOLLOWING concerns raised by Society, DOI: 10.1098/rsnr.2006.0171). New Scientist, the University of Minnesota has launched an Schoolgirls rumble Ribena inquiry into some prominent stem cell research. Lab tests carried out by two New Last week, we revealed that Zealand schoolgirls on the blackcurrant three images from a paper on adult drink Ribena have led to a fine of stem cells in the journal Blood NZ$217,000 (US$156,000) for the drink’s were apparently used to describe manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline. different results in a US patent Contrary to advertisements, Anna (New Scientist, 24 March, p 12). Devathasan and Jenny Suo of Auckland One of those images also seemed found that some versions of Ribena to be used twice, in mirror-flipped contained hardly any detectable versions, within the Blood paper. vitamin C. The university has informed Catherine Verfaillie, who led the What’s the beef? research team, and a former student, Morayma Reyes, that an The sons of US women who ate a lot of inquiry is under way. It will beef while pregnant between 1949 and determine whether there is 1983 have grown into men with low evidence to merit an investigation sperm counts. Anabolic steroids used as into possible misconduct. The growth promoters in beef cattle in the Catholic University of Leuven US, though not in Europe, may have (KUL) in Belgium, where Verfaillie played a role (Human Reproduction, now works, has also launched an DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dem068). inquiry into the matter.
Stem cell inquiry
31 March 2007 | NewScientist | 7
27/3/07 4:38:16 pm
60 SECONDS
It’s a steal ELOQUENT language has never been the strong point of academic papers, so it’s somewhat ironic that some scientists are lifting clever turns of phrase and even whole paragraphs from other published papers in a bid to sound more articulate.
“Scientists are copying turns of phrase and entire paragraphs from other papers” “It’s an increasing problem,” says editor-in-chief David Williams of the journal Biomaterials. “I have come across it four times in the last year alone – twice from people at very prestigious institutions, too.” On two occasions, Williams spotted the plagiarism himself. On the other two, his referees spotted their own words being reused. Research institutions are often shocked to hear of such tactics, but act decisively when told, says Williams. “One said they would sack a postdoc scientist if it happened again,” he says. Most culprits are people whose first language is not English, says Williams. But he adds that the trend could change with the meteoric rise in science publishing in China. Could writers whose first language is not Mandarin begin lifting phrases, too? “I would not be surprised,” Williams says.
Snip for victory IT MAY not seem like the kindest cut, but circumcision has been hailed as a vital new way to combat HIV. In a report issued on 28 March, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS issued a series of recommendations to increase rates of circumcision in countries where the HIV problem is most serious. “We reviewed all the evidence, and the evidence is compelling,” says Kim Dickson, coordinator of
“Circumcised men are 60 per cent less likely to pick up HIV than uncircumcised men”
DIGITAL ART/CORBIS
070331_N_p6_p7_Upfronts.indd 7
Torrential rain last year flooded missile silos in Fort Greely, Alaska, significantly damaging the US missile defence system, says the independent watchdog Project on Government Oversight. The silos house interceptor missiles to shoot down any missiles heading for the US, but the interceptors themselves were not damaged, says POGO.
Demon drink
the joint WHO/UNAIDS working group that produced the report. Studies in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya have recently shown that circumcised men are on average 60 per cent less likely than uncircumcised men to pick up the virus (New Scientist, 25 November 2006, p 8). Dickson says promoting the procedure would have greatest impact in countries where more than 15 per cent of heterosexual men are HIV-positive, but fewer than 20 per cent are circumcised. Swaziland, for example, where 40 per cent of adults are HIV-positive, has held two “circumcision Sundays”, on which hospitals have –Alien? No chance– offered the procedure.
www.newscientist.com
Damp squibs
Alcohol is responsible for nearly a third of all deaths of men aged 15 to 29 in the developed world. So warn addiction specialists in The Lancet –Tactical operations– (DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60369-9). Increasing the price of alcohol, There are caveats, however. restricting hours for its sale and raising The procedure must be done by a the legal drinking age would reduce its trained physician, and men must toll, say the researchers. realise that it doesn’t provide full protection, so they should carry Darwin no coward on using condoms and having fewer partners. “It’s not a virtual Charles Darwin was not afraid to condom, so you can’t assume publish his theory of evolution, you’re protected,” Dickson says. according to his diaries and Newly circumcised men correspondence. It has long been should also avoid sex for at least thought that Darwin held back On the six weeks, until they’re healed. Origin of Species for fear of the reaction to his ideas, but in fact he was simply too busy writing other books, then ill (Notes and Records of the Royal FOLLOWING concerns raised by Society, DOI: 10.1098/rsnr.2006.0171). New Scientist, the University of Minnesota has launched an Schoolgirls rumble Ribena inquiry into some prominent stem cell research. Lab tests carried out by two New Last week, we revealed that Zealand schoolgirls on the blackcurrant three images from a paper on adult drink Ribena have led to a fine of stem cells in the journal Blood NZ$217,000 (US$156,000) for the drink’s were apparently used to describe manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline. different results in a US patent Contrary to advertisements, Anna (New Scientist, 24 March, p 12). Devathasan and Jenny Suo of Auckland One of those images also seemed found that some versions of Ribena to be used twice, in mirror-flipped contained hardly any detectable versions, within the Blood paper. vitamin C. The university has informed Catherine Verfaillie, who led the What’s the beef? research team, and a former student, Morayma Reyes, that an The sons of US women who ate a lot of inquiry is under way. It will beef while pregnant between 1949 and determine whether there is 1983 have grown into men with low evidence to merit an investigation sperm counts. Anabolic steroids used as into possible misconduct. The growth promoters in beef cattle in the Catholic University of Leuven US, though not in Europe, may have (KUL) in Belgium, where Verfaillie played a role (Human Reproduction, now works, has also launched an DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dem068). inquiry into the matter.
Stem cell inquiry
31 March 2007 | NewScientist | 7
27/3/07 4:38:16 pm