research ethics

Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.

A look at some noteworthy scientists who died this year, leaving behind a legacy of research excellence.

Cofounders of a microbiome biobank speak with The Scientist about their new partnership with nonprofit OpenBiome and how to ethically work with donors.

For too long, some scientists have acted like Gollums of the ivory tower, guarding precious study sites, model organisms, and even entire fields of inquiry.

The long-tailed macaque and pig-tailed macaque are now endangered in the wild according to the IUCN Red List, which says exports for monkey research are partially to blame.

The human cells, engineered to respond to blue light, influenced rat behavior when stimulated.

The award highlights tremendous opportunities for aDNA as well as challenges related to rapid growth, equity, and misinformation.

Researchers overseeing the clinical trial for the first FDA-approved oral contraceptive claimed the drug gave the Puerto Rican participants power over their family planning. Critics claimed the women were exploited.

Ancient stashes of animal bones, tools, and other artifacts are often dismissed as archaic garbage heaps, but the deposits provide glimpses of the cultural practices and environmental conditions of past Indigenous settlements.

The document, which was facilitated by the European Commission, establishes new benchmarks regarding how research assessments should be performed.

A review by the US Office of Inspector General found that only about half of the scientists running clinical trials funded by the NIH in 2019 and 2020 appropriately recorded their findings in a federal database, as is legally required.

As a former committee member who now advises PETA, I believe that claims that the identities of committee members must be kept secret to protect their safety are unfounded.

A federal judge ruled that Envigo can finalize the sales for 500 of its remaining 3,000 research dogs, but it needs to improve the safety and health of the animals remaining at its facilities while federal officials decide their fate.

And how do scientists go about answering that question?

Hundreds of the school’s faculty, students, and trainees are protesting its consideration of David Sabatini, who left his previous posts after alleged sexual misconduct.

Researchfish is a platform commonly used to track the status of grants and the impacts of research. When academics were critical of the company online, Researchfish shared these comments with the largest funding agency in the UK, and the scientists’ comments were sometimes shared with their employers.

The Scientist spoke to Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory’s Jim Strickland about the institute’s new MDI Bioscience initiative to perform more drug testing and development in nonmammalian models.

After a week of deliberation, a jury returned a guilty verdict on four charges related to wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Scientists find human DNA preserved in lice cement from the heads of South American mummies.