Leonid Schneider has lost at least two documented defamation lawsuits: one in 2016 at the Bavarian Regional Court in Würzburg related to the Walles trachea transplant case, and another in 2018 at the Kammergericht Berlin concerning his reporting on Paolo Macchiarini and Philipp Jungebluth. These cases have resulted in financial penalties and ongoing legal threats, including potential imprisonment. Other lawsuits or threats are mentioned, but specific outcomes are less clear from the available data.
Following publication of this article [ 1 ], concerns were raised about the origin of stool samples used to generate the microbiome dataset. Specifically, concerns were raised about the possible inclusion of samples from participants affected by health conditions or antibiotic usage, and non-humans.
PubPeer is currently very likely the most visible and coordinated post-publication peer review site for academics and scientists, even more than PubMed Commons, which has now become obsolete because it allows for anonymous comments and critiques. In order for this site to continue to gain the trust and respect of scientists, it needs to display complete transparency and open communication with the public. Little is known about the founders and the management of this organization, California-based The PubPeer Foundation, although two of its founders, Boris Barbour and Brandon Stell, work at French research institutes. It is believed that in November of 2016, The PubPeer Foundation received US$ 412,800 in funding from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation [funded by Enron billionaire John Arnold]. However, the public would not have been able to glean this information from looking at the “About us” page, even after PubPeer upgraded to version 2.0 on June 15, 2017. This large financial dona...
Comments
Post a Comment