Biologist

On 6 February, the University of Lausanne (UNIL) told staff by email that prominent evolutionary biologist Laurent Keller was no longer employed there. The Swiss university and Keller both declined to explain why, and there is still no official word on the reason. But Science has learned that in the past 2 months, at least three former researchers in Keller’s department submitted accounts to the university of his alleged inappropriate behavior with women…

Prominent evolutionary biologist Laurent Keller will “no longer be working for” the University of Lausanne as of 6 February, according to an email sent to members of the university’s Department of Ecology and Evolution. The email did not state a reason for the departure, or say whether it was voluntary. A source within the department, who asked to remain anonymous because the university instructed employees not to comment on Keller’s departure, says department…

A version of this story appeared in Science, Vol 377, Issue 6613.Download PDF On a hot day in July, evolutionary biologist Martha Muñoz is leading four undergraduate students on a scouting expedition in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. As they hike up a steep trail, Muñoz turns over rocks and pokes leaf litter to assess where they might find salamanders when they return that night. She quizzes the students about how the weather might affect their…

With a pivotal research misconduct hearing nearing, a behavioral ecologist under fire for more than 2 years for data irregularities or possible fabrication in dozens of publications has resigned from their prestigious position at McMaster University, Science has learned. The Canadian school confirmed yesterday in a statement it has reached a “confidential” settlement with Jonathan Pruitt, whose work on social behavior in spiders had earned international acclaim and whose…

In an amazing twist of fate, the aggressive cervical cancer tumor that killed Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year old African American mother, became an essential tool that helped the biomedical field flourish in the 20th century.  As a cancer researcher who uses HeLa cells in my everyday work, even I sometimes find it hard to believe.Lacks' cervical cancer cells, called "HeLa" after the first two letters of her first and last name, are immortal, continuing to divide when most cells would die. This ability to survive through…