[Sam_Damon]

So much for "science being settled."

Scientists are human too, fully capable of mistakes. In this case, some honking big mistakes.

[Pelham]

Settled science. Nothing to see here. Move along.

[dsc]

I hate to overreact, but isn’t this something of a scandal?

Time, money, and scientific labor wasted?

[Nateman]

The HeLa cell line goes all the way back to October 4, 1951. That is when ‎Henrietta Lacks died of her cancer. I heard about this issue litterally decades ago and apparently the powers that be have still failed to resolve it.

[Getready]

I would guess there are other areas in research with poor sample control.....but trust me...im a scientist...

[SunkenCiv]

I recall reading that HeLa contamination in various samples seemed to have spread to all major US research facilities, so in order to replenish other lines, samples were sought in the USSR.

And the USSR lines were likewise all contaminated, filled with nothing but HeLa cells. And this was before detente and glasnost.

[originalbuckeye]

Medical research was compromised decades ago. The ‘publish or perish’ mindset at the large medical institutions is but one culprit. I was working at one such institution when I was told by a doctor that another doctor was making great breakthroughs in the type of cancer that my dad had. Turned out the guy had faked ALL his cell lines and was just writing papers/articles. He was booted from the daunting institution, but was allowed to still work in his specialty at another hospital.....just no research ever again.