Fun With Science in Osaka University

[Mulboyne]

The Asahi reports (Japanese) says that Professor Kanehisa Morimoto of Osaka University is coming under close scrutiny for items of expenditure in his research budget. For instance, 199,500 yen went on home brewing equipment which the prof defended as essential spending. Some sources have said, however, that this is one of his hobbies and he would recruit students to be in charge of supplying the booze. They point out that, since the last man who knew how to operate the equipment left, no-one has used the kit despite claims that it is primarily intended for research. If it was used to supply the laboratory with unlicensed beer, there's some concern that the university may be guilty of evading liquor taxes.



Another item in the budget was a 42,151 yen outlay on party condoms, including some by the name of "King Banana". These have been defended as part of the university's safe sex education for students. The condoms in question have not been located. Perhaps more difficult to justify are the purchases of books such as "Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden", "The Yakuza Today" and a novel called "Happy Retirement", the latter bought as the professor was himself approaching retirement age.

[Mike Oxlong]

Tough times for in the press for Japanese scientists...

A virologist who has retracted several papers in recent weeks because of problems with images has been dismissed from his position at the University of the Ryukyus in Nishihara, Okinawa, according to university sources. The researcher, Naoki Mori, told ScienceInsider that "duplications and inaccuracies were confined to some of the internal control image data" in the retracted papers. But he claims that experimental data "were portrayed entirely accurately." He confirmed he was dismissed last August and says he is trying to get his job back through legal mediation.

The initial spate of retractions and a description of the alleged image manipulation were reported on 24 December on Retraction Watch. The blog quoted Ferric Fang, editor of Infection and Immunity, on how the University of the Ryukyus had notified him of problems with images in a number of his journal's papers authored by Mori. Prompted by questions raised by another journal, the university had conducted an internal investigation into the work of Mori and his team, according to Fang.

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), publisher of Infection and Immunity, has now retracted five papers by Mori and various co-authors in Fang's journal and three more papers co-authored by Mori in its Journal of Virology. ASM also banned Mori from publishing in any of its journals for 10 years...

[Mike Oxlong]

PZ Meyers just had a go at Michio Kaku...

[Iraira]

PZ Meyers just had a go at Michio Kaku...

One physicist who turned evolutionary biologist was Thomas Nagylaki. No connection to Kaku, I'm just name dropping to show how smart I was before I came to Japan.

[dimwit]

PZ Meyers just had a go at Michio Kaku...

Well, geologist often have had a great deal of difficultly with some of the ideas coming from evolutionary biologists which are not borne out by the fossil record.

[Iraira]

Well, geologist often have had a great deal of difficultly with some of the ideas coming from evolutionary biologists which are not borne out by the fossil record.

Strictly into mutation, selection, migration, and drift of/on alleles here.

[Greji]

Strictly into mutation, selection, migration, and drift of/on alleles here.

Sounds exciting. At what point do we get laid?

[Iraira]

Sounds exciting. At what point do we get laid?

Provided you have a set of traits (plummage or a fat wallet) that females find stimulating enough, any time you can find 'em standing on street corner. So sexist.