Close X
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
ADVT 
Tech

Online labs can reduce scientific fraud: Study

Darpan News Desk IANS, 06 Oct, 2014 05:34 AM
    Online video games and remote experiments can combat the rising level of errors and fraud in life sciences research, says a new study co-authored by an Indian-origin researcher.
     
    "Online game-like approach are more scientifically rigorous than the standard practice of scientists proposing an explanation for some phenomenon and then testing that hypothesis through experimentation," explained Rhiju Das, assistant professor of biochemistry from the Stanford University.
     
    "Massive online laboratories today use videogames to engage large numbers of non-professional investigators and prevent scientists from manually testing their own hypotheses," Das noted.
     
    Reporting on the success of their own online lab, Das and assistant professor Adrien Treuille from Carnegie Mellon University wrote about a RNA-design project called EteRNA, which has produced unprecedented design insights that have advanced knowledge of RNA (ribonucleic acid).
     
    "We registered more than 150,000 participants who contributed in excess of two million human-hours to EteRNA. That means there were a lot of eyes, a lot of people looking over each other's shoulders as hypotheses were developed and experimental results evaluated. Everything is out in the open," Treuille explained.
     
    If you strip the game part, projects such as EteRNA present a fundamentally new model of remote science that can prevent many common forms of scientific fraud, Das commented.
     
    Online participants use computer design tools to propose RNA designs that meet certain criteria.
     
    The designs are then synthesized in the Stanford lab of Das.
     
    The results are made available to the entire EteRNA community for analysis and use in future design challenges.
     
    The transparency makes it difficult for any individual to retrospectively adjust scientific hypotheses to match experimental results, or to cherry-pick data to reflect a scientist's biases.
     
    The paper was published in the journal Trends in Biochemical Sciences.

    MORE Tech ARTICLES

    By 2040, 3D printed drone that heals itself, destroys missiles

    By 2040, 3D printed drone that heals itself, destroys missiles
    Imagine a powerful drone that heals itself, divides into smaller ones or knocks out missiles with direct energy.

    By 2040, 3D printed drone that heals itself, destroys missiles

    Facebook faces action over 'emotion contagion' study

    Facebook faces action over 'emotion contagion' study
    US privacy group Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC) has filed a formal complaint with the Federate Trade Commission (FTC) over Facebook's use of user data in its "emotion contagion" study.

    Facebook faces action over 'emotion contagion' study

    Would you give up a friend for a smartphone?

    Would you give up a friend for a smartphone?
    Would you swap your close friend for a smartphone? For 17 percent of Americans, they would prefer losing a best friend rather having their devices taken away.

    Would you give up a friend for a smartphone?

    Journal defends Facebook 'emotion contagion' study

    Journal defends Facebook 'emotion contagion' study
    A scientific journal that published the Facebook study about how emotions spread across social networks has defended its decision to publish the research.

    Journal defends Facebook 'emotion contagion' study

    Twitter driving couples towards infidelity, break-ups: Study

    Twitter driving couples towards infidelity, break-ups: Study
    Have you noticed a drastic change in the behaviour of your hubby towards you since the day he joined Twitter? It is time to take cognizance of how much time he is spending on the micro-blogging site.

    Twitter driving couples towards infidelity, break-ups: Study

    Watch out! Your boss uses social media more than you

    Watch out! Your boss uses social media more than you
    If you log on to your Facebook account while at work, you have now less reason to be apprehensive as researchers have found that top managers are the ones who use private social media most for personal purposes during working hours.

    Watch out! Your boss uses social media more than you