Notes from the Biomass

It may just be that the average reader can grasp a clinical outcome more easily than they can the average PLoS Biology or Nature paper. To use this week's Nature articles as an example, we have:
Atomic packing and short-to-medium-range order in metallic glasses

Policing stabilizes construction of social niches in primates

Epigenetic silencers and Notch collaborate to promote malignant tumours by Rb silencing

Which clinician should have a comment on these? There are more comments in BMJ because the articles are closer to actual patients and diseases than the article about Atomic Packing in Metallic Glass. The better question might be -- why aren't the other basic scientists in these areas writing comments?

Kargis

Although, I haven't check out the PLoS Biology commenting system, the Nature Blogs' comments are reviewed by an editor before posting.

That has really turned me off to commenting. We have to have freedom of speech in order to produce worthwide ideas even if it means posting not so polite or even offensive comments.

I will not post comments under such a system.

A userbase moderated system would be the best (think Slashdot). I would love a website like Slashdot that posted science articles with data presented. It would have to be in an understandable language (think Scientific American). The scientific community would be in better shape and peer reviewed journals would not be able to compete. Many journals only have two or three people review a manuscript before publishing. Potentially thousands of people could review an article and point out inconsistency and/or ability to reproduce results on a posted thread. I think under such a system the South Korean Stem Cell sciencist would have been discovered much quicker. And maybe if such a system was in place it would act as a deterent for future scammers.










Below is a warning posted on the comments page:

Comments will be reviewed by the editors before being published. You can be as critical or controversial as you like, but please don't get personal or offensive. We strongly encourage you to use your real, full name. Email addresses are useful in case we need to discuss your comment with you privately, or notify you in case we decide not publish your comment. Email addresses will not be made public on the blog.