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Plus, There's No Emoticon for 'Eureka!'

Social networks for scientists generally "make two assumptions that doom them to failure," says David Crotty, the Executive Editor of CSH Protocols, at Scholarly Kitchen. And those assumptions are that researchers network and communicate openly with others in their field constantly. However, as Crotty says: "Scientists tend to have fairly small trusted circles, and opinions (at least negative ones) are only expressed within these small groups." Crotty follows that post up with one noting that NIH is funding $12.2 million project to develop a "Facebook for scientists." "If there's any hope for success for such a network, the NIH is probably the best bet as the host and organizer," he says.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.