Ethics and fraud

摘要

The fall of Woo Suk Hwang represents perhaps the highest-profile case in the sorry history of research misconduct. The sheer Shakespearian drama of the Korean cell biologist's eclipse, surrounded by fawning courtiers and plotting groups of acolytes and enemies and in full view of the television cameras, has left few researchers of any discipline, anywhere in the world, unaware of its circumstances. But what really makes the Hwang case special is the importance of the impugned results (W. S. Hwang et al. Science 303, 1669-1674; 2004 and 308, 1777-1783; 2005). The claimed cloning of human embryos placed Hwang at the forefront of stem-cell research, perhaps the most acclaimed and contentious sphere of modern science. It is also the first major misconduct case to occur during the modern era of carefully patented biology, in which scientists may aspire not just to fame, but to fortune as well.