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Reproducibility Focus

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is examining issues of reproducibility in science, Ivan Oransky at Retraction Watch writes.

Reproducibility has been a much-discussed issue lately as the US National Institutes of Health has said that it is putting together a training module on enhancing reproducibility and transparency, and it has teamed up with a number of journals to develop guidelines aimed at addressing the reproducibility issue. Additionally, a team from Science Exchange and the Center for Open Science is aiming to replicate findings from 50 preclinical cancer studies as part of its Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology.

The OSTP is seeking comment on how the federal government can address the issue of research irreproducibility. "Given recent evidence of the irreproducibility of a surprising number of published scientific findings, how can the Federal Government leverage its role as a significant funder of scientific research to most effectively address the problem?" says a notice from the OSTP and the National Economic Council in the Federal Register.

The deadline to contribute comments, Oransky notes, is September 23rd.

The Scan

Foxtail Millet Pangenome, Graph-Based Reference Genome

Researchers in Nature Genetics described their generation of a foxtail millet pangenome, which they say can help in crop trait improvement.

Protein Length Distribution Consistent Across Species

An analysis in Genome Biology compares the lengths of proteins across more than 2,300 species, finding similar length distributions.

Novel Genetic Loci Linked to Insulin Resistance in New Study

A team reports in Nature Genetics that it used glucose challenge test data to home in on candidate genes involved in GLUT4 expression or trafficking.

RNA Editing in Octopuses Seems to Help Acclimation to Shifts in Water Temperature

A paper in Cell reports that octopuses use RNA editing to help them adjust to different water temperatures.