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Translating Those Scientific Papers

Jul 12, 2007

Janet Stemwedel blogs about "clarity and obfuscation in scientific papers."  While the "translation" lists she links to are funny ("It can be shown" in a paper really means "Somebody said they did this…"), she says that some scientists do try to spin their results, to report the outcome in the most favorable light.

Breaking News
The Scan

Pig Organ Transplants Considered

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration may soon allow clinical trials that involve transplanting pig organs into humans.

'Poo-Bank' Proposal

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest people should bank stool samples when they are young to transplant when they later develop age-related diseases.

Spurred to Develop Again

New Scientist reports that researchers may have uncovered why about 60 percent of in vitro fertilization embryos stop developing.

Science Papers Examine Breast Milk Cell Populations, Cerebral Cortex Cellular Diversity, Micronesia Population History

In Science this week: unique cell populations found within breast milk, 100 transcriptionally distinct cell populations uncovered in the cerebral cortex, and more.