It is too soon to say whether two papers reporting the results will have to be retracted. But for stem cell research there is a sense of déjà vu. This is far from the first time that promising results have fallen under a cloud of suspicion.
What is it that makes stem cell work so prone to problems? Arguably, it is because the potential commercial and medical gains are greater than in almost any other field. And therefore, so is the pressure to publish. But ask any scientist and they’ll tell you that pressure is a way of life.
To get an idea of the stresses that stem cell researchers face, New Scientist asked 1000 of them to fill in an anonymous online survey.
The survey is small, but it does suggest there is something rotten in the state of stem cells: a worrying number of respondents admitted knowing about fraud or unethical behaviour.
Read the full, original story: Déjà vu all over again for stem cell research
