Different worlds Confirmatory versus exploratory research
Explanation of the differences between confirmatory and exploratory research and the dangers of confusing the two concepts.
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OpenAI's Jukebox Opens the Pandora's Box of AI-Generated Music
OpenAI released Jukebox, a state-of-the-art AI model capable of generating music with vocals in the style of various artists and genres. I highlight some of my favorite samples and discuss the legality of it all.
Flattening the Truth on Coronavirus
All your questions about the pandemic, answered. Sort of.
What the Proponents of 'Natural' Herd Immunity Don't Say
Try to reach it without a vaccine, and millions will die.
The World is on Lockdown. So Where Are All the Carbon Emissions Coming From?
The air is clear, the roads are clear, and dammit greenhouse gases are stubborn.
Malaria 'completely Stopped' by Microbe
Scientists say the microbe - found in the wild near Lake Victoria - has enormous potential.
Op-ed: Covering Science at Dangerous Speeds
Pandemics like COVID-19 call into question the benefit of news embargoes, but do reporters use the additional time to digest findings and consult experts unrelated to the study?
Coronavirus Means Science is Suddenly Being Done Differently - and So is Politics
No-deal Brexit Could Wreck UK's Chance of Leading Covid-19 Global Research
What Happens Next? COVID-19 Futures, Explained With Playable Simulations
An interactive guide
NIH's Axing of Bat Coronavirus Grant a 'horrible Precedent' and Might Break Rules, Critics Say
NIH's Axing of Bat Coronavirus Grant a 'horrible Precedent' and Might Break Rules, Critics Say
The research community is reacting with alarm and anger to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) abrupt and unusual termination of a grant supporting research in China on how coronaviruses move from bats to humans. The agency axed the grant last week, after conservative U.S. politicians and media repeatedly suggested—without evidence—that the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, that employs a Chinese virologist who had been receiving funding from the grant.
Call for Transparency of COVID-19 Models
At this time of crisis, it is more important than ever for scientists around the world to openly share their knowledge, expertise, tools, and technology. Scientists must also openly share their model code so that the results can be replicated and evaluated.
Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, Scopus, Dimensions, Web of Science, and OpenCitations' COCI: a Multidisciplinary Comparison of Coverage Via Citations
Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, Scopus, Dimensions, Web of Science, and OpenCitations' COCI: a Multidisciplinary Comparison of Coverage Via Citations
New sources of citation data have recently become available. Although these have been compared to the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, or Google Scholar, there is no systematic evidence of their differences across subject categories. In response, this paper investigates citations found by these data sources to English-language highly-cited documents published in 2006 from 252 subject categories, expanding and updating the largest previous study.
Oxford University Press Launches a New Open Access Journal Series
Oxford University Press (OUP) announces the first two titles in the new flagship open access journal series. The Oxford Open series launches with Oxford Open Immunology and Oxford Open Materials Science. This is an important step forward in OUP’s open access publishing programme.
DORA's First Funder Discussion: Updates from Swiss National Science Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and the Dutch Research Council
DORA's First Funder Discussion: Updates from Swiss National Science Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and the Dutch Research Council
DORA launched a new virtual discussion series for public and private research funders. The goal of the series is to increase communication about research assessment reform by providing a space for funders to share and discuss new initiatives, with the hope that this will ultimately serve as a platform to accelerate the spread of good research assessment policies and practices.
The Limitations to Our Understanding of Peer Review
Peer review is embedded in the core of our knowledge generation systems. Despite its critical importance, it curiously remains poorly understood in a number of dimensions. In order to address this, this paper assesses where the major gaps in the theoretical and empirical understanding of peer review lie.
Retracted Coronavirus (COVID-19) Papers
Retraction Watch has been tracking retractions of papers about COVID-19 as part of their database. Here's a running list, which will be updated as needed.
Policy Briefs of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force
The Policy Briefs of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force are now available on its website. They reflect the Task Force thinking on a topic at that time and will be updated in the light of new studies or other data.
Between Fast Science and Fake News: Preprint Servers Are Political
Preprints servers have become a vital medium for the rapid sharing of scientific findings. However, this speed and openness has also contributed to the ability of low quality preprints to derail public debate and feed conspiracy theories.
Science Has an Ugly, Complicated Dark Side. And the Coronavirus is Bringing It Out.
Science Has an Ugly, Complicated Dark Side. And the Coronavirus is Bringing It Out.
Experts say the pandemic is letting bad science slip through the cracks.
The Race for Coronavirus Vaccines: a Graphical Guide
Eight ways in which scientists hope to provide immunity to SARS-CoV-2 .
'There is No Absolute Truth': an Infectious Disease Expert on Covid-19, Misinformation and 'Bullshit'
'There is No Absolute Truth': an Infectious Disease Expert on Covid-19, Misinformation and 'Bullshit'
A biology professor who spent his career studying two seemingly disparate topics, emerging infectious diseases and networked misinformation, sees them merged into one the moment reports of a mysterious respiratory illness emerged from China in January.
A Systematic Examination of Preprint Platforms for Use in the Medical and Biomedical Sciences Setting
A Systematic Examination of Preprint Platforms for Use in the Medical and Biomedical Sciences Setting
The objective of this review is to identify all preprint platforms with biomedical and medical scope and to compare and contrast the key characteristics and policies of these platforms.
How the Pandemic Made This Virologist an Unlikely Cult Figure
Christian Drosten, who has become Germany's most popular podcaster, warns against reopening the country too soon.
We Need Open Science - Crisis or No Crisis
For years, the Swiss National Science Foundation and other organisations have been demanding open science as the new normal. The corona crisis drastically confirms the validity of this demand.
Covid-19 Shows Up UK Universities' Shameful Employment Practices
Instead of supporting the 54% of staff on insecure contracts, many managers are using the pandemic to sack them.
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