ZOMFG!!!!11!!! ARTIFICIAL LIFE!!!11!!!! (Well, Not Exactly)

As reported in a recent news piece in Nature, researchers at the Craig Venter Institute (“CVI”) have chemically synthesized the complete half-megabase genome of the pathogenic bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium. In previously reported work, CVI successfully transplanted the genome of Mycoplasma mycoides into the extremely closely related species Mycoplasma capricolum.
Nature breathlessly characterized these accomplishments as follows:

The stage is now set for the creation of the first artificial organism — and it could be achieved within the year.

Sorry, but this is total bullshit, and Nature should be ashamed of itself for emulating the journalistic practices of the National Enquirer.

Falsified Gynecological Examination Reports

The NIH Office of Research Integrity has issued a notice on a finding of research misconduct. As usual, Agent writedit is all over it at Medical Writing, Editing & Grantsmanship, category click for prior findings and discussions. So some lower level employee on a clinical trial falsified a couple of records, eh? Big deal right? Is there more to the story?

Blogroll Amnesty Day

Go read Jon Swift on Blogroll Amnesty Day (h/t: Physioprof). After you are done with that, drop me a comment with a blog you think I should be reading. If it has some thing to do with academic careers, science careers, drug abuse or neuroscience, it may even appear on the Blogroll.
Fire away.