I'm a freelance science writer specialising in physics, astronomy, science funding and research policy. I write for a variety of online and print journals including news and features for Chemistry World, my Lab Rant column for Laboratory News and many more. I also am co-editor of the Euroscientist. In my day job I work as a Project Officer at the University of Oxford with particular interest in research policy, knowledge exchange and impact.
Sleep is such a natural part of life and yet it remains largely unexplained by science. Leila Sattary finds out what dreams are made of and why sleep is so hard to understand.
Most people think they do not get enough of it. Dolphins do it half a brain at a time. Rats die after three weeks without it. Sleep is a common feature in the animal kingdom and yet it remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in science.
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Researchers have estimated that the direct cost of an investigation into a case of scientific misconduct is $525,000 (£341,000).
A group from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York has developed a model that estimates the monetary costs of scientific misconduct cases. The calculations take into account the cost of an inquiry panel, analysis of lab books and computer data, the withdrawal of grants and the relocation of innocent staff from an affected group. The paper also describes meta-analysis of surveys published last year, which showed that approximately 2 per cent of respondents admitted to scientific misconduct and 14 per cent reported knowledge of such behaviour by their colleagues.
In the last reporting year, the Office of Research Integrity received reports of 217 cases of alleged misconduct in the US. According to this new model, the direct cost of investigating these would exceed $110 million.
With budget cuts starting to bite and a fresh wave of bad news expected in the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010, UK scientists are looking for new ways to finance their research. One funding method gaining momentum in the US is ‘microfinancing’, where many members of the public donate small sums of money, usually online, to research projects they feel are worthwhile.
Geneticist and entrepreneur Dr Craig Venter hit the headlines in May 2010 after creating the first example of synthetic life. Leila Sattary asks whether scientists are playing God and weighs up the pros and cons of this bio-revolution.
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