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2005 commemorative stamps upon Hwang's research were made by Korea Post. The Stamps juxtapose an image of Stem Cells with Silhouette s of a man rising from a Wheelchair , walking, and embracing another person. Sale of the stamps discontinued on January 11 , 2006 , after it was discovered that all of Hwang's stem cell research had been faked.]] Hwang's team announced an even greater achievement a year later in May 2005, and claimed they had created 11 human embryonic stem cells using 185 eggs. His work, published in the June 17 issue of ''Science'',2}} was instantly hailed as a breakthrough in biotechnology because the cells were allegedly created with the somatic cells from patients of different age and gender, while the stem cell of 2004 was created with eggs and somatic cells from a single female donor. This meant every patient could receive custom-made treatment with no immune reactions. In addition, Hwang's claim meant that his team had boosted their success rate by 14 times and that this technology could be medically viable. Hwang made further headlines in May 2005 when he criticized United States President George W. Bush 's policy on stem cell research. Following on the alleged earlier success, on August 3 , 2005 , Hwang announced that his team of researchers had become the first team to successfully clone a dog. The dog, an Afghan Hound , was named '' Snuppy ''. Shortly after his so-called groundbreaking 2005 work, Hwang was appointed to head the new World Stem Cell Hub , a facility that was to be the world's leading stem cell research centre. However, in November 2005, Gerald Schatten , a University Of Pittsburgh researcher who had worked with Hwang for two years, made a surprise announcement that he had ceased his collaboration with Hwang. In an interview, Schatten commented that "my decision is grounded solely on concerns regarding Oocyte (egg) donations in Hwang's research reported in 2004." Following an intense media probe, Roh Sung-il , one of Hwang's close collaborators and head of MizMedi Women's Hospital, held a news conference on November 21 . During the conference Roh admitted that he had paid women US$1,400 each for donating their eggs, eggs that were later used in Hwang's research. However, Roh claimed Hwang was unaware of this, while the South Korean Ministry Of Health assured that no laws or ethical guidelines had been breached as there were no commercial interests involving this payout. Hwang maintained that he was unaware that these actions were happening during the research and he resigned from his post. On November 22 , ''"PD Su-cheop"'' (Producer's Notebook), a popular MBC investigative reporting show, raised the possibility of unethical conduct in the egg cell acquiring process. Despite the factual accuracy of the report, news media as well as people caught up in nationalistic fervor in their unwavering support for Hwang asserted that criticism of Hwang's work was ''"unpatriotic,"'' so much so that the major companies who were sponsoring the show immediately withdrew their support. 2005 in a Press Conference held in Seoul , Hwang Woo-Suk ( Center ) and his team (including his American collaborator Gerald Schatten ) presented the first successful male dog cloned from adult cells by Somatic Nuclear Cell Transfer .]] On November 24 , Hwang held a press conference in Seoul, in which he declared his intention of resigning from all his official posts. He also apologized for his actions. In the interview he said, ''"I was blinded by work and my drive for achievement"'' --- a statement that has striking similarity with the "discovery" of N Ray s in the beginning of the Twentieth Century or the explanations offered for the Piltdown Man forgery from the same era exposed in the 1950's. He denied coercing his researchers into donating eggs and claimed that he found out about the situation only after it had occurred. He added that he had lied about the source of the eggs donated to protect the privacy of his female researchers, and that he was not aware of the Declaration Of Helsinki , which clearly enumerates his actions as a breach of ethical conduct. After the press conference, which was aired on all major South Korean television networks, most of the nation's media outlets, government ministries, and the public gave support to Hwang. Sympathy for Hwang outpoured, resulting in an increase in the number of women who wanted to donate their eggs for Hwang's research. On , 2006 that Hwang's 2004 and 2005 papers on ''Science'' were both fabricated. Following on the confirmation of scientific misconduct, on January 11 , ''Science'' retracted both of Hwang's papers on unconditional terms.Donald Kennedy. Editorial retraction. . Hwang Woo-suk, Center , beside his junior researchers in the press conference held at the National Press Center in Seoul on Jan. 12, 2006.]] On January 12 2006 Hwang held a Press Conference to apologize for the entire Fiasco , but still did not admit to cheating. Instead, he explicitly put the blame on other members of his research project for having deceived him with false data and alleged a Conspiracy , saying that his projects had been sabotaged and that there was theft of materials involved. He says that cloning human Stem Cells is possible and that he has the technology to do it, and if he is given six more months he can prove it. This is an extension of the ''"ten days"'' he said he needed to re-create the stem cells that he asked for back on December 16 2005 . Seoul prosecutors Raid ed his home that day for files and evidence, to start a ''"criminal investigation"'' of Hwang. Hwang's statements are still fueling patriotic feelings from the Korean public, with many believing him and letting their imaginations take over, with conspiracy theories in the air, including claims that the United States deliberately Sabotage d Hwang. On January 20 2006 Hwang maintained that two of his 11 forged stem cell lines had been maliciously switched for cells from regular, not cloned, embryos. The allegation involves the lines Hwang claims to have created at Seoul-based MizMedi Hospital. S. Korea widens stem cell probe MSNBC. URL last accessed May 1, 2006 HWANG'S LABORATORY TECHNIQUE See Also: Cloning cloning technique involving Stem Cells production.]] In the late 1990s, the method that scientists used in cloning was Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer , which is the same procedure that was used to create Dolly The Sheep . This Laboratory Technique begins when an egg is taken from a donor and the nucleus is removed from the egg, creating an enucleated egg. A cell, which contains DNA , is then taken from the person who is being cloned. The enucleated egg is then fused together with the cloning subject's cell using electricity. This creates an Embryo , which is implanted into a Surrogate mother through In Vitro Fertilization . If the procedure is successful, then the surrogate mother will give birth to a baby that is a clone of the cloning subject at the end of a normal gestation period. The success rate is only about one or two out of 100 embryos. It took 277 attempts to create Dolly. Hwang allegedly used this technique at his laboratory in SNU to clone Dogs during his experiments throughout the early 2000s. He claimed that it was possible to clone Mammals and that probability for success can be better than 1 in 277 attempts (as in similar cases such as Dolly). Although much of Hwang's animal cloning work conspicuously lacked any supporting paper, Hwang's cloned dog, Snuppy , was featured in an August 2005 issue of '' Nature ''3}} and proved genuine in January 2006. research at SNU lab in the 2000s.]] Hwang's intention to develop better techniques on cloning was focused on Stem Cells because they are still at an early stage of development and retain the potential to turn into many different types of cell and when they divide, each new cell has the potential to either remain a Stem Cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function. According to Hwang and many other scientists, it should be possible to harness this ability to turn stem cells into a super ''"repair kit"'' for the body, theoretically to use stem cells to generate healthy tissue to replace that either damaged by trauma or compromised by disease. Among the conditions and illnesses, according to Hwang and his team, which may eventually be treated by stem cell therapy are Parkinson's Disease , Alzheimer's Disease , Heart Disease , Stroke , Arthritis , Diabetes , Burns and Spinal Cord damage. CONTROVERSIES See Also: Scientific misconduct Until late November 2005, Hwang was criticized only for unpublicized Ethical violations. Colleagues and media outlets asserted that he had paid female donors for egg donations and that he had received donations from two junior researchers, both of which were violations. Later controversies would center around Scientific Misconduct . 2005 Hwang Woo Suk was surrounded by journalists on his arrival at Incheon Airport . His team who cloned the first Human Embryo to use for research said they have used the same technology to create Batch es of Embryo nic Stem Cell s from nine patients. According to Hwang, the result was much more efficient than they had hoped.]] Hwang's integrity as a researcher was again put in doubt when it was revealed that ''"PD Su-cheop"'' scheduled a follow-up report questioning his achievement published in '' Science '' in June 2005, which stated he had cloned 11 lines of embryonic stem cells. This caused furious backlash in the South Korean people, and the reaction only intensified when it was discovered that Kim Sun-Jong, one of Hwang's researchers from MizMedi, was coerced by illegal means to testify against Hwang. As a result, the scheduled broadcast was canceled and the network even made a public apology to the nation, everyone more or less operating under the assumption that the show was at fault and not Hwang. Yet other news outlets began to question Hwang's claims. However, close scrutiny revealed that several of the photos of purportedly different cells were in fact photos of the same cell. Hwang responded that these additional photos were accidentally included and that there was no such duplication in the original submission to ''Science''. This was later confirmed by the journal, but what happened next would overshadow this event. Researchers raised questions about striking similarities between the DNA Profiles of the cloned cells. Then collaborator Gerald Schatten asked ''Science'' to remove his name from the paper, stating as a reason that there were ''"allegations from someone involved with the experiments that certain elements of the report may be fabricated".'' In the midst of national confusion, Hwang disappeared from public sight, to be hospitalized days later for alleged stress-related fatigue, while public opinion gradually began to turn against Hwang with even the major Korean companies who pulled their support from "PD Su-Cheop" reportedly now less than pleased with Hwang. Days later, Hwang started going to his laboratory while requesting Seoul National University to officially conduct a probe to the allegations surrounding him. 2005 Scottish Embryologist Ian Wilmut visited South Korea after accepting an invitation by Hwang Woo-Suk, Wilmut gave a lecture to Seoul National University students on that day; he proposed to conduct joint research with Hwang to develop Stem Cell treatment for Lou Gehrig's Disease .]] The scandal took a dramatic turn on December 15 , when Roh Sung-il, who collaborated on that paper, stated to media outlets that nine of those eleven lines had been faked; specifically, DNA Tests illustrated that those nine lines shared identical DNA , implying that they had come from the same source. Roh stated that ''"Professor Hwang admitted to fabrication,"'' and that he, Hwang, and another coauthor had asked ''Science'' to withdraw the paper.4 Adding fuel to the flame, MBC broadcasted the content of the canceled ''PD Su-cheop'' show, which substantiated Roh's claim. On the same day, ABC news reported that ''Science'' had not yet received an official request from Hwang to withdraw the paper, and it had refused to remove Schatten's name from the paper, stating, ''"No single author, having declared at the time of submission his full and complete confidence in the contents of the paper, can retract his name unilaterally, after publication."'' Several prominent scientists, including Ian Wilmut , who cloned Dolly The Sheep in 1998, and Bob Lanza , a cloning expert based in Worcester, Massachusetts , did call on Hwang to submit his paper to an outside group for independent analysis---essentially, the same test used to determine parenthood for children of questionable legitimacy. Lanza noted, ''"You can't fake the results if they're carried out by an independent group. I think this simple test could put the charges to rest."'' , Hwang admitted he was untruthful regarding his research, he also apologized for the Ethical Breaches at his lab and stated he would resign from all his official posts.]] Two major Press Conference s were held on Korean Networks on December 16 , one with Hwang followed by the other with his former Colleague , Roh Sung-il. Hwang started his press conference by claiming that the technology to make stem cells exists, which is not an explicit statement that the stem cell lines he featured in his paper to '' Science '' were not fakes. He, however, acknowledged the falsifications of research data in the paper, attributing them to unrecoverable "artificial mistakes." He said that there was a problem with the original lines caused by Contamination , and if he is given ten more days he could re-create the stem cell lines. He accused Dr. Kim Sun-Jong, a former collaborator, of "switching" some of the stem cell lines. Despite Hwang's claim, in another press conference held only minutes later, Roh Sung-il rebutted Hwang's accusation, saying Hwang is blackmailing MizMedi and Kim Sun-jong. He maintained that at least nine of the eleven Stem Cell lines were fakes and that Hwang is simply untrustworthy. Public opinion appears to be that Hwang was dancing around the issue of whether his work was faked or not. 2005 , Hwang Woo-suk waves his hand to students before he leaves SNU after announcing his Resignation . Hwang apologized on that day and admitted he fabricated results in Stem-cell research that had raised hopes of new cures for hard-to-treat diseases.]] ''"Roh Sung-il, chairman of the board at Mizmedi Hospital, told KBS television that Hwang had agreed to ask the journal Science to withdraw the paper, published in June to international acclaim. Roh was one of the co-authors of the article that detailed how individual stem cell colonies were created for 11 patients through cloning. Roh also told MBC television that Hwang had pressured a former scientist at his lab to fake data to make it look like there were 11 stem cell colonies. In a separate report, a former researcher told MBC that Hwang ordered him to fabricate photos to make it appear there were 11 separate colonies from only three. University of Pittsburgh researcher Gerald Schatten has already asked that Science remove him as the senior author of the report, citing questions about the paper's accuracy. Seoul National University announced this week it would conduct an internal probe into Hwang's research."''[http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-SKorea-Stem-Cell.html?hp&ex=1134709200&en=35da3ed8763374e3&ei=5094&partner=homepage Some scientists have started questioning Hwang's earlier work published in ''Science'' in February 2004 in which he claimed to have cloned embryonic stem cells. Maria Biotech head Park Se-pill said, ``Up until now, I have believed Hwang did derive cloned embryonic stem cells although he admitted to misconduct in his follow-up paper on patient-specific stem cells...Now, I am not sure whether the cloned stem cell really existed.’’ {Link without Title} Official probe by Seoul National University and the confirmation of fraud An internal panel was set up in Seoul National University to investigate the allegation, and the probe was started on December 17 2005 . The panel sealed off Hwang's laboratory and conducted a thorough investigation, collecting testimonies from Hwang, Roh and other people that were involved with the scandal. On December 23 , the panel announced its initial finding that Hwang had intentionally fabricated stem cell research results creating nine fake cell lines out of eleven, and added that the validity of two remaining cell lines is yet to be confirmed. The panel stated that Hwang's misconduct is ''"a grave act damaging the foundation of science."'' Hwang's claim of having used only 185 eggs to create stem cell lines was also denied by the panel, which indicated that more eggs may have been used in the research process. research office, talks to the reporters during press conference held on December 23 2005 .]] The panel announced additional findings on December 29 , and confirmed that there are no patient-matched embryonic stem cells in existence and that Hwang's team doesn't have the scientific data to prove any of the stem cells have ever been made.5 In its final report published on , 2002 to December 8 , 2005 . Hwang's claim of not having known about the donation of eggs by his own female researchers was also denied by the panel; in fact, it was discovered that Hwang himself had distributed egg donation consent forms to his researchers and personally escorted one to the MizMedi Hospital to take the egg extraction procedure. The panel stated that Hwang's 2004 Science paper was also fabricated and decided the stem cell discussed in the paper may have been generated by a case of Parthenogenetic Process . Although Hwang's team didn't rule out the possibility of parthenogenetic process in the paper, the panel said, his team didn't make any conscientious effort to probe the possibility through the tests available. Chung Myunghee, the head of the panel, said at a news conference that the panel is not in a position to investigate Hwang's claim of his stem cells having been switched with MizMedi's, but added that such a claim is incomprehensible when there is no data to prove any of the stem cells were ever made to begin with. The panel, in conclusion, stated that Hwang's team intentionally fabricated the data in both the 2004 and the 2005 papers and that it is ''"an act of deception targeted to both scientific community and general public."'' However, the panel confirmed that Hwang's team actually succeeded in cloning a dog they named Snuppy . (See also ''Nature'' 439:122-123) Hwang's announcement of resignation and the official dismissal Vigil supporting Hwang in Seoul on Christmas Eve of 2005 after his resignation the day before.]] On December 23 2005 Hwang apologized for ''"creating a shock and a disappointment"'' and announced that he is resigning his position as professor at the university. {Link without Title} However, Hwang maintained that patient-matched stem cell technology remains in South Korea, and his countrymen shall see it. Seoul National University said Hwang's resignation request will not be accepted, citing a university regulation which dictates an employee under investigation may not resign from a post. This regulation is effected to prevent premature resignations by investigated employees, thus allowing them to avoid full retributions according to the findings of the investigation (and perhaps avoid involuntary termination), while reaping the benefits of the more honorable and lucrative voluntary resignation. On February 9 2006 , the university suspended Hwang's position as the university's professor, together with six other faculty members who participated in Hwang's team.6 Subsequently, Hwang was dismissed from the university on March 20 2006 . SOUTH KOREA'S RESPONSE TO CONTROVERSIES South Korean government's involvement in the scandal in February 2006.]] After having acquired a celebrity status in South Korea, Hwang actively sought to establish every possible tie to political and economic institutions in the country. Hwang especially tried to win favor from the Roh Moo-hyun government, which in turn was suffering from a lack of popular support and wanted to demonstrate its competency by creating and promoting an exemplary policy success. Hwang approached Park Ki-young, a former biology professor then appointed as the Information, Science and Technolgy Advisor for the President, and put her as one of the co-authors in his 2004 Science paper. Ties with Park yielded a favorable environment for Hwang in the government, as a non-official group consisting of high-ranking government officials was created to support Hwang's research that includes not only Hwang and Park, but also Kim Byung-joon, ''Chief National Policy Secretary'', and Jin Dae-je, ''Information and Communications minister''. The group was dubbed as ''"Hwang-kum-pak-chui,"'' a loose Acronym made from each member's family names which means ''"golden Bat "'' in Korean. After Hwang's so-called groundbreaking paper was published in Science in 2005, support for Hwang came in full swing. In June 2005, the Ministry of Science and Technology selected Hwang as the first recipient of the title Supreme Scientist, an honor worth US$15 million. Hwang, having already claimed the title of POSCO Chair Professor worth US$ 1.5 million, secured more than US$ 27 million worth of support in that year.[http://www.chosun.com/politics/news/200512/200512210305.html President Roh had been Acquainted with Hwang since 2003, and made a number of comments intended to protect Hwang from potential Bioethical Issues . In June 18 2004 , Roh awarded Hwang a medal and said, ''"it is not possible nor desirable to prohibit research, just because there are concerns that it may lead to a direction that is deemed unethical."'' In another instance at the opening of World Stem Cell Hub on October 19 2005 , Roh remarked, ''"politicians have a responsibility to manage bioethical controversies not to get in the way of this outstanding research and progress."'' {Link without Title} On December 5 2005 , after ''PD Su-cheop'' stirred a national controversy, Cheong Wa Dae reaffirmed its unflinching support for Hwang and his research team. Roh said, ''"We'll continue to support Professor Hwang. We hope he will return to his research lab soon for the sake of people with physical difficulties and the public,"'' according to presidential spokesman Kim Man-soo. While implying the controversies over MBC-TV's forceful methods used to gather information from Hwang's former junior staff members, Roh said, ''"The disputes will be resolved gradually and naturally through following scientific research and study. We hope the ongoing disputes over Hwang's achievement will be settled without further trouble."'' {Link without Title} It was alleged that advisor Park Ki-young deliberately avoided to report Roh about details of Hwang's allegation for misconduct, while emphasizing a breach of journalist ethics by MBC. Park, after weeks of silence for her role in the controversy, announced her intent to resign from the advisor post on January 10 , 2006 . On January 11 , 2006 , the national post office stopped selling post stamps commemorating Hwang's research. The title of Supreme Scientist awarded to Hwang was revoked on March 21 , 2006 , after Hwang was dismissed from Seoul National University the day before. Lawmakers' response On December 6 2005 a group of 43 Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties inaugurated a body to support cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-suk. Members of the group, dubbed the ''lawmakers’ group supporting Professor Hwang Woo-suk'', pledged to help Hwang continue his experiments in pursuit of a scientific breakthrough. ''"There are many lawmakers who, regardless of party affiliation, want to support Hwang. We will join forces to help Hwang devote himself to his studies,"'' Rep. Kwon Sun-taik of the ruling Uri Party said in a news conference at the National Assembly, who was also the leader of the group. He said the group will seek to establish Bioethics guidelines and come up with supporting measures for biotechnology researchers in the country. Among those who have joined the group were Reps. Kim Hyuk-kyu, Kim Young-choon and Kim Sung-gon of the ruling party, Kim Hyong-o of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) and Kim Hak-won, chairman of the United Liberal Democrats . Some female lawmakers participated in a civic group for voluntary egg donations for therapeutic research, which opened in November 2005 following the egg procurement scandal. Reps. Song Young-sun and Chin Soo-hee of the GNP said they would provide their eggs to Hwang’s research team. Meanwhile, the ruling and opposition parties called on the Korean Broadcasting Commission to thoroughly investigate the staffers of MBCs PD Notebook which broadcast a documentary program critical of Hwang with coercive tactics in interviews, and reprimand them. {Link without Title} After most of Hwang's claims were confirmed fake on January 10 , 2006 , some lawmakers revealed that Hwang made several campaign donations to them and other lawmakers. {Link without Title} Return of ''"PD Su-Cheop"'' to the air in 2006 The Investigative Journalism show ''"PD Su-Cheop"'' returned to the air on January 3 2006 and summarized the course of Hwang's scandal until that day. The show had been cancelled in retribution after it aired its momentous show that correctly accused Hwang of oddities in his research on November 22 2005 . Their last show of the year on November 29 covered other topics. It remained off the air for 5 weeks. The year's second show, aired on January 10 , dealt further with the Hwang affair concentrating on several instances of Hwang's Media-spinning tactics and South Koreans' gullibility with it, as was shown by the South Korean public, media and even president Roh . An apologetic viewership is expected to again make the show popular. Rallies supporting Hwang woman who allegedly pledged her willingness to offer her eggs and hopes for the return of stem cell team leader Hwang Woo-Suk, (portrait at center), gives flowers to Ahn Cu-Rie, a South Korean stem cell expert (right), and her colleagues at Hwang's office in Seoul."'' ( Reuters )]] The same day many South Korean citizens rallied outside Hwang's laboratory; as more than 1,000 women pledged to donate their eggs for the scientist's research. Hwang has been in Seclusion since apologizing in November 2005, for ethical lapses in human egg procurement for his research. The symbolic event was as a gesture from Hwang's supporters that says they intend to donate their eggs with 1,000 of their members after they took egg-donation pledges online via their website. ''"Dr. Hwang will not be able to return to the lab, at least, until at the end of this week because he is extremely exhausted, mentally and physically,"'' a key team member, Ahn Cu Rie, wrote in an E-mail to Reuters . [... At Hwang's lab at Seoul National University, women left bouquets of the national flower, a Hibiscus called the Rose Of Sharon , for the scientist along with notes of encouragement. The stem cell research center that Hwang led before resigning said it hoped he would return, even though his lapses could hurt its efforts to work with other research institutions. ''"So far more than 700 South Korean women have pledged to donate their eggs and the number is steadily rising,"'' said Lee Sun-min, an official at a private foundation launched last week to promote egg donations. {Link without Title} Thousands of patients have applied to participate in the research, hoping the technology could help treat damaged spinal cords or diseases such as Parkinson's. On Tuesday, an official at the lab said it was hoped that Hwang would return. ''"We're waiting for Hwang to assume the leadership after some rest,"'' Seong Myong-hoon told a news conference. But Seong said the controversy could hurt the lab. That conclusion was reached after one of Hwang's close research partners, Ahn Cu-rie, returned Tuesday after a 10-day trip to meet with scientists in the United States and Japan, Seong said. ''"The reaction of foreign scientists was that they understand what Dr. Hwang disclosed, but they cannot accept that without criticism," Seong said. "We can never be optimistic about cooperation with foreign institutions."'' Seong added: ''"Researchers of our country were newly awakened to the fact that we have to take every precaution to ensure we don't fall behind international ethics (guidelines) while researching."'' {Link without Title} ''"The only hope for us is Dr. Hwang. Don't trample on our one shred of hope,"'' a woman whose son suffers from a severe kidney ailment told South Korean broadcaster YTN at the university. The women also pledged to sell her eggs to Hwang. Hundreds of South Koreans have offered to donate eggs for stem cell research in a show of support for cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-Suk despite his admitted ethical breaches. ) checks her name on a list before an event to donate their Eggs .]] Online Ova donations A Website backed by Hwang's supporters began taking egg-donation pledges online since late November 2005 after Hwang resigned all his official posts at World Stem Cell Hub , relaying them to a clinic linked to Hwang's research team. The number of pledges had reached 725 by early December 2005. Banners like ''"Please come back, doctor Hwang. I'm already dying to see you, professor Hwang,"'' were put up on the Homepage . http://cafe.daum.net/ilovehws The site also carried a photo of Hwang and his cloned dog, Snuppy , trimmed with images of the Rose Of Sharon South Korea's national flower in an apparent appeal for Patriotism . The national anthem played as background music. Those who applied to donate ova included those with incurable Illnesses or their family members, who hope that Hwang's research will eventually lead to cures, as well as just ordinary young, healthy women. ''"Please don't give up, doctor Hwang. Your research is my only hope. You should take all of my ova if they help,"'' Kim Yong-Hae, a 27-year-old disabled woman, said in a message, becoming the 487th donor. ''"I'm a healthy 38-year-old woman who has not given birth to a child. I am impressed by Hwang's dedication. I want to give meaningful help to Hwang's great work,"'' a would-be donor calling herself ''Amidist'' said in a message. . On January 11 , 2006 , Science made an unconditional editorial retraction of Hwang's two papers published in 2004 and in 2005.]] Opposition to Hwang's nationalist supporters Although many popular message boards in South Korea were overwhelmed by Hwang's supporters with nationalist fervor, other boards provided a counterbalance, including BRIC (Biological Research Information Center) SCIENG (Scientists and Engineers' community)[http://www.scieng.net/v2/index.php and DC Inside Science Gallery[http://kr.dcinside13.imagesearch.yahoo.com/zb40/zboard.php?id=science]. A member of BRIC, a website dedicated to biologists, first discovered the discrepancies in DNA analysis data in Hwang's paper and made them public. Other members followed suit, uncovering the fact that many photos presented in the paper were also fabricated. The Science Gallery of DC Inside, a website for digital camera enthusiasts, also contributed to the revelation of Hwang's misconduct by discovering yet more problems in the paper and pointed out fallacies in Hwang and his supporters' claims. DC Inside's effort was instrumental in debunking Hwang's falsification to the public. NOTES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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