Disgraced Korean stem cell hero quits

South Korea’s most esteemed scientist Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk quit under a cloud of controversy on December 23^rd after fabricating results in a landmark paper on stem cell research. His career and reputation now lay in tatters following his cheating. He could also face prosecution after investigators found that he had intentionally made up the results. His misdemeanor has shocked the science world and has badly tarnished the image of Seoul National University.

It said his was a “major misconduct that undermines the fundamentals of science”. In a televised apology, the disgraced Dr. Hwang expressed his remorse and made clear his intentions of quitting his position. He said: “I am stepping down …to apologize for causing such big shocks and disappointment.”

Dr. Hwang shot to the forefront of his field in May 2005 for his work on the world’s first cloned dog, an Afghan hound called Snuppy (an acronym from ‘Seoul National University’ and ‘puppy’). He co-authored a paper on embryonic stem cells, which are able to develop into any kind of human tissue. The paper was hailed by scientists in the heart of the battle against Parkinson’s disease and other debilitating spinal cord injuries. Dr Hwang had become a national hero and was showered with honors, awards and substantial research funding.

However, it all came undone when younger scientists smelled a rat and accused him of manipulating data. A remorseful Dr. Hwang maintains: “Patient-tailored embryonic stem cells remain the proud technology of our nation.”

2. ‘Witch’ link denies JK Rowling top US award

Harry Potter author JK Rowling missed out on getting a top American honour because US politicians believed she had a link to witchcraft.

Matt Latimer, a top speech writer for George W. Bush, has said in a new book that the world famous author was rejected for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest award given to any civilian in the USA. It recognizes people who have added a lot to world culture. The claims that Rowling was snubbed are in Mr. Latimer’s new book, called ‘Speechless: Tales of a White House Survivor’. In it, he criticizes top US officials for their “narrow thinking”, that led to a decision not to honour JK Rowling. The Bush administration also decided not to award the medal to Senator Edward Kennedy, who died in August, 2009.

JK Rowling is the best selling author in the world. She has sold over 400 million books and has won numerous awards for her writing. She has a following of perhaps a billion fans worldwide. Her personal fortune is estimated to be around $800 million. Before she struck upon the idea for Harry Potter, Rowling was a struggling teacher. She taught students in Portugal to learn English. Her life changed overnight with the success of her first novel.

The recent news that George W. Bush officials believed Harry Potter encouraged witchcraft is not the first time she has upset American conservatives. In 2007, Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly attacked her for saying that the Harry Potter character Dumbledore was gay. He said she was trying to play with the minds of U.S. kids.

3. Birkenfeld’s bonanza

THE going rate for information that can be used to hunt down tax cheats just went up dramatically. In what is believed to be the biggest award ever handed to a single whistleblower in America, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agreed to pay former UBS banker Bradley Birkenfeld (pictured)$104m for his role in exposing the giant Swiss bank’s efforts—illegal in America but not in its home country—to help American taxpayers hide money in offshore accounts.

Mr Birkenfeld approached the Department of Justice (DoJ) in 2007, offering to reveal the inner workings of UBS’s international private-banking division, where he had worked for five years. Some of the details that emerged raised eyebrows, including the revelation that bankers had used toothpaste tubes to smuggle diamonds across borders for clients.

In 2008 Mr Birkenfeld was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States after prosecutors concluded he had not come clean about his relationship with a California developer. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and received a 40-month sentence. He was released on August 1st but is still confined to a halfway house, meaning he could not attend the press conference announcing the payout.

Some will surely view the nine-figure reward as grossly excessive. But it is hard to exaggerate the importance of the role Mr Birkenfeld played in undermining offshore tax evasion. The case put the first big cracks in Switzerland’s vaunted bank secrecy.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-17