Science journal pulls controversial study about bizarre life form
Researchers claimed to have found bacteria utilising arsenic – an element lethal to known life forms – for growth. If validated, this would have profoundly expanded life's known parameters, on Earth and beyond.
However, numerous research groups failed to replicate the findings, arguing it is biologically unfeasible for an organism to use such a toxic element for DNA and proteins. Some scientists have since suggested the original experiments were compromised by undetected contaminants.
On Thursday, the journal Science, which first published the research, retracted it, though not because of misconduct on the researchers' part.
'If the editors determine that a paper's reported experiments do not support its key conclusions, even if no fraud or manipulation occurred, a retraction is considered appropriate,' the journal's editor-in-chief Holden Thorp wrote in the statement announcing the retraction.
The researchers disagree with the journal's decision and stand by their data. It's reasonable to pull a paper for major errors or suspected misconduct — but debates and disagreements over the findings are part of the scientific process, said study co-author Ariel Anbar of Arizona State University.
'One doesn't retract a paper because the interpretation is controversial, or even because most disagree with the interpretation,' wrote Anbar in an email. 'At least, that hasn't been the case until now.'
Science has more frequently retracted papers for reasons beside fraud in recent years, said Thorp and Vada Vinson, Science's executive editor, wrote in a blog post.
NASA helped fund the original work. The space agency's science mission chief Nicky Fox said in a statement that NASA does not support the retraction and encourages Science to reconsider.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Verge
23 minutes ago
- The Verge
Alfie Allen has a (new role on) 3 Body Problem.
Dive into the world of Netflix's 3 Body Problem See all Stories Posted Jul 31, 2025 at 5:28 PM UTC Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Charles Pulliam-Moore Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Books Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Netflix Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Streaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All TV Shows
Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
Radioactive Wasp Nest Found in Decommissioned Nuclear Weapons Plant
As if wasps couldn't get any scarier, a chilling discovery near Aiken, South Carolina, suggests they're comfortable making their nest in a former nuclear bomb facility. On July 3, employees conducting a regular checkup of radiation levels at the Savannah River Site (SRS)—a former nuclear weapons production facility dating back to the 1950s—found themselves staring down at something that probably should not have been there. That something was a wasp nest measuring more than 10 times the federally permitted radiation limit. Nearly three weeks after this bizarre discovery, Department of Energy (DOE) officials published a report on the incident, in which they assured local residents that no new leaks had been found in the waste tanks. Rather, the nest likely became radioactive from leftover contamination dating back to when the site was fully operational. As per procedure, the workers sprayed the nest with insecticide and bagged it—along with the dead bees—as radioactive waste, according to the report. 'The delay in reporting was to allow time for reviewing previous wildlife contamination for consistency in reporting criteria,' officials said. 'No further action was required in the field. There is no impact from [the] event on other activities and operations.' The SRS was built in the early 1950s to produce tritium and plutonium-239 for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Close to the turn of the century, the U.S. government transitioned the plant from a weapons manufacturer to a producer of fuel for nuclear plants, in addition to cleaning up decommissioned structures. Overall, DOE and its contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), which manages the site, concluded that the incident, while understandably unsettling, shouldn't be of significant concern to the public 'Upon discovery of the contaminated nest, the immediate area was secured and surveyed; no contamination was found in the area,' SRMC told the Aiken Standard. 'There were no impacts to workers, the environment, or the public.' The company also said that further surveys of the nest revealed there weren't any wasps left on the nest, adding that even if there were, the individual insects 'would have significantly lower levels of contamination.' Watchdogs of the site aren't so impressed by the official explanations. Savannah River Site Watch criticized the report for being incomplete, failing to address where the contamination came from, how the wasps encountered the radiation, and, most importantly, whether a yet-uncovered leak could have left another radioactive wasp nest in the vicinity. 'I'm as mad as a hornet that SRS didn't explain where the radioactive waste came from or if there is some kind of leak from the waste tanks that the public should be aware of,' Tom Clements, executive director of Savannah River Watch, told CBS News. Identifying the type of wasp nest could have revealed the source of the contamination, Clements said, since some wasps build nests from dirt while others use materials that can point to specific locations. It's unclear, however, whether this apparent lack of effort reflects ignorance or negligence on the part of the officials.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Clouds force last-minute delay for astronaut launch to the International Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Thick clouds prompted SpaceX to call off Thursday's planned launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA. The countdown was halted at the one-minute, 7-second mark. SpaceX's next launch attempt from Kennedy Space Center is Friday, although the weather forecast is less favorable. The U.S., Japanese and Russian crew will spend at least six months at the space station, replacing colleagues launched in March as the fill-ins for NASA's two stuck astronauts. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who's temporarily leading NASA, was at Kennedy Space Center for the launch attempt. The morning started out with ideal weather, but the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. By Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
