Scientific Fabrication
at the Highest Level
by Panayiotis Zavos
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The Scientific World is shocked and amazed by the Korean
Team's recent degree of corruption and misrepresentation
of the facts and their deliberate fabrication of data with
regards to their cloning stem cell research efforts. In
a 2004 paper in the journal Science, Hwang's team said
they had cloned the first human embryos for research, while
in another subsequent article in May 2005, they claimed
to have produced the first embryonic tailored stem cells.
In releasing its final results into the probe, the university
panel that investigated Hwang and his team which included an
American scientist, Dr. Gerald Schatten from the University
of Pittsburgh, said that Hwang and his collaborators could
not provide any proof that he or anyone else on his team could
have created the cloned embryonic stem cells, and the data
in the published papers was deliberately fabricated.
These developments have created and continue to create immense
problems for scientists that are very genuinely working in
the cloning and stem cell arenas. The South Korean cloning
scandal is a setback for other scientists working on cloning
and embryonic stem cells and will increase scrutiny of their
achievements. The difficulties that Mr. Hwang has created have
a great deal of similarity with those that Ms. Bosselier and
her team at Clonaid have created for serious researchers with
interest in the reproductive cloning areas a couple of years
ago. These fabricated "stories" by Bosselier at that
time were of incredible magnitude and provided the "cloning" critics
unlimited potential to attack the scientists with interest
in reproductive cloning and attempt to destroy their efforts
and reputation. I know since I was there and sensed all of
the side-effects of such criticism but our team was able to
withstand these criticisms and continue to focus on our efforts
in the area of reproductive cloning. Mr. Hwang has replicated
Ms. Bosselier's fabricated story telling habits and even surpassed
her by fabricating and publishing data that never existed.
It is my hope that the World will realize that when scientists,
for personal and selfish reasons, decide to misrepresent the
truth, to promote their agendas, that they do not represent
the honest and truly devoted scientists that have the same
goals and aspirations to promote true science and present the
facts as they may appear.
Hwang's efforts just as much as, Bosselier's efforts are regrettable
and should not be used by anyone to promote their agendas and
criticize the integrity of the scientific community and more
specifically those that carry out research in the cloning and
stem cell areas. We should be very objective and vigilant about
those that will try to generalize and promote a negative image
about research efforts in the cloning and stem cell research
areas, because they would be doing a disservice to humanity
and setting the World clock at a stand still. We are marching
on but we are going to be more vigilant than ever about our
efforts and those of others in making sure that this type of
misrepresentation and systematic fabrication of scientific
data does not happen ever again. Hwang's fabricated studies
claiming he had cloned human embryos to provide stem cells
is also a huge disappointment for patients who believed his
work could lead to new therapies for debilitating diseases.
We are all sickened by these developments and we, in the scientific
world do not need those "fabricators" in our path
as we look into the future of scientific accomplishments and
in making this World a better place for all of humanity. We
can all do without the Bosseliers, the Hwangs and the Schattens
in this world. It certainly could be a better place for the
scientific community and the World, as a whole.
_______________
Prof., Dr. Panayiotis Zavos, Ed.S., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Reproductive Physiology & Andrology,
University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky USA
Director, Andrology Institute of America
Associate Director, Kentucky Center for Reproductive Medicine & IVF
http://www.zavos.org
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