A Year Of Feuds And Fraud For Science

This Year, Science All-Too-Publicly Aired Its Dirty Laundry

(AP) 

SCIENCE AND SECRECY

Scientists accused the Bush administration of censorship on environmental issues of global warming and endangered species. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overruled its science advisory panel's call for extremely tough air pollution soot rules.

In February, a political appointee who worked in NASA's public relations department resigned after reportedly trying to restrict access to Jim Hansen, a NASA climate scientist who has been active in global warming research.

Then in December, the U.S. Geological Survey issued new rules that required administration pre-screening of all scientists' published research and talks, which some scientists said borders on censorship.

Leading up to the second space shuttle launch after the 2003 Columbia disaster, two top NASA officials publicly dissented over safety issues with NASA's decision to launch Discovery in July.


RECALLS AND DRUG TESTS

The FDA in February shut down a New Jersey company accused of stealing cadaver tissue for transplant, including the leg bones of former "Masterpiece Theatre" host Alistair Cooke. Thousands of body parts were recalled.

In March, six healthy volunteers in a London drug test trial went into convulsions, suffered organ failure and lapsed into comas within hours of being medicated.

Studies found that drug-coated heart stents may in rare instances lead to potentially fatal blood clots.

In the summer, spinach tainted with the E. coli bacteria sickened more than 200 people, killing three. The FDA warned consumers nationwide not to eat fresh spinach. And by year's end another E. coli outbreak was linked to Taco Bell restaurants.


SOME GOOD NEWS TOO

Not everything coming out of the FDA was gloomy. In June, the agency approved the first-ever vaccine to fight a type of cancer. The new shot protects against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

In November, the FDA decided it was now safe to allow silicone breast implants once again — after banning them 14 years earlier.

Because of NASA's successful shuttle launches, the space agency reversed itself and said it would try to fix the Hubble Space Telescope in 2008.

Early this year, Asia's much feared bird flu started popping up in Europe and the Middle East, then disappeared and never made it to the United States. Though still a potential human threat, it has not yet become the global epidemic that public health officials worry about.

Another busy hurricane season wilted, ending up weaker than forecasters' predictions. Scientists said the weather phenomenon El Nino gets the credit.

And finally in what was good news for the United States but not elsewhere, 2006 was the year the U.S. swept the science Nobel prizes — the first time since 1983.