Scientific Responsibility Research Articles

Image Archetypal from the Novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is a crucial work in Gothic literature and science fiction, exploring human ambition, innovation, and isolation. Using Carl Jung's archetypal imagery, this study examines the novel’s key themes and characters. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the text and secondary literary sources. Prominent archetypes identified include the Overreacher, the Monster, the Promethean Figure, the Wanderer, and the Tragic Hero. Victor Frankenstein is analyzed as both the Overreacher and the Tragic Hero, symbolizing hubris and downfall. The Monster embodies isolation and alienation, while Victor’s act of creation reflects the Promethean Figure, symbolizing innovation and ethical dilemmas. Both characters are portrayed as Wanderers, emphasizing their existential quests for meaning and belonging. These archetypes play a central role in the narrative. Shelley’s use of archetypal imagery enhances the novel’s critique of scientific advancement and ethical responsibility. Victor’s tragic heroism serves as a cautionary tale about unchecked ambition, while the Monster’s plight underscores the societal need for empathy and acceptance.

Risks of competing discourses of scientific responsibility in global ocean futures

Accelerated innovation in climate-impacted oceans is outpacing standards of scientific responsibility. Standards of responsibility are critical because they shape research agendas, funding flows, scientific practice, and how innovations are regulated. Here, we examine responsibility debates among 243 marine scientists and end-users proposing, trialling and/or implementing 76 innovations for climate-impacted oceans. We identify three distinct discourses: ‘science outside society’, ‘science for society’ and ‘science with society’. Competition within and across these discourses reveals heightened tensions between the need to protect scientific autonomy and freedom, and moral duty to ensure socially just and desirable ocean futures. Without thorough debate and oversight, the wide-reaching power of such unresolved tensions could propel marine science and ocean futures into volatile ethical and moral territory. Better connection and articulation of standards of responsibility with scientific motivations, practices, and funding are key to ensuring the transparency and accountability required to progress equitable and sustainable oceans.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Missions and Visions of Research Institutes

ABSTRACT The concept of scientific social responsibility is appealed to in the context of research institutes more often than the concept of corporate social responsibility. Although the objective of research institutes is largely to act on behalf of the economy, for social good, and to support social activities and innovations, little research has been done on their sense of social responsibility. The aim of this article is to identify elements of social responsibility in the mission and vision of Polish research institutes (including both formal mission and vision statements, as well as informal “declarations” to similar effect). First, a critical analysis of the literature on the subject (66) was carried out, which served as the basis for developing a critical analysis of social responsibility in research institutes. This was followed by a content analysis of 88 mission and vision statements of Polish research institutes. The results, presented using R and WordArt, indicate that the missions and vision statements of Polish research institutes rarely include elements of social responsibility, despite the fact that members of the institutes’ community make such declarations. This implies the need for further research: 1) from the perspective of the institutes’ employees, concerning the diagnosis of informal activities that can be qualified as socially responsible activity; 2) from the perspective of the directors of research institutes. The purpose of further research should be to prepare recommendations that can be used in the development and implementation of the institutes’ strategies.

Experiences of early career researchers: Influences on the design and reporting of animal experiments, and the practical and emotional support needed to enhance best practice methods.

While best practice methodology in animal research aims to address reproducibility and translational issues, awareness and implementation remains low. Preclinical systematic reviews have highlighted many flaws, including issues with internal validity and reporting. With early career researchers (ECRs) heavily involved in all aspects of animal experiments, it is crucial we understand what shapes their research practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 ECRs, including research masters, PhD and postdoctoral academics. Data were collected and analysed concurrently using constant comparison techniques and an iterative approach. Findings revealed low-level awareness of best practice recommendations but a desire to engage in dedicated workshops on designing and reporting animal experiments. Current laboratory practices and previous literature were main influences on research practice, more than institutional training. An unexpected finding was the discovery of ethical and emotional dilemmas ECRs faced when working with animals. This highlights the need for a multifaceted approach to better support junior researchers, both emotionally and practically, to encourage responsible science.

Doing the right thing to get diamonds?

In this response to Diamond is a scientist's best friend, Emma Marsden reflects on the dilemmas and responsibilities of scientists in the position of editing and submitting from a personal perspective.

Entities, Uncertainties, and Behavioral Indicators of Consciousness.

Two problems related to the identification of consciousness are the distribution problem-or how and among which entities consciousness is distributed in the world-and the moral status problem-or which species, entities, and individuals have moral status. The use of inferences from neurobiological and behavioral evidence, and their confounds, for identifying consciousness in nontypically functioning humans, nonhuman animals, and artificial intelligence is considered in light of significant scientific uncertainty and ethical biases, with implications for both problems. Methodological, epistemic, and ethical consensus are needed for responsible consciousness science under epistemic and ethical uncertainty. Consideration of inductive risk is proposed as a potential tool for managing both epistemic and ethical risks in consciousness science.

Evaluating the alignment between chemistry curriculum and high-stakes tests through the lens of chemistry core competencies in China

ABSTRACT The study investigates the alignment between the Chemistry Curriculum Standards of Senior High School (Curriculum Standards) and 10 sets of 2023 standards-based high-stakes tests in mainland China through the lens of Chemistry Core Competencies (CCCs). Following Porter’s alignment model, a two-dimensional matrix composed of components of CCCs and proficiency levels of CCCs was developed to represent Curriculum Standards and tests, based on which to compute overall alignment indices and the degree of match for each dimension. The results indicate that all tests value CCCs, but the vast majority have statistically insignificant alignment with Curriculum Standards. This inconsistency is mainly due to the tests’ more emphasis on higher-order thinking skills, which has resulted in an overall shift towards higher proficiency of CCCs from Curriculum Standards to tests. Compared to Curriculum Standards, the tests measure scientific thinking more than chemical concepts, and the ratio of scientific inquiry and practice is most consistent with Curriculum Standards, but minimally assesses scientific attitudes and responsibility. The findings present direct evidence for improving the quality of assessment in the future. The proposal of the alignment analytical framework offers researchers in other countries the possibility of localised exploration.

Wie weiter mit der Aufarbeitung? Bericht über die Pressekonferenz zum Abschlussbericht „Helmut Kentlers Wirken in der Berliner Kinder- und Jugendhilfe“ am 23. Februar 2024 in Berlin

“Child endangerment under public responsibility” was how the Hildesheim research team summarized its 2020 review report on “Helmut Kentler’s work in Berlin’s child and youth welfare system”. On February 23, 2024, the team presented the final report of its subsequent research project at a press conference at the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family. The results of the research project extend far beyond Helmut Kentler’s work in child and youth welfare in Berlin and can be summarized succinctly as “Child welfare endangerment in public and professional as well as scientific responsibility”.

Artificial intelligence in medicine and the pursuit of environmentally responsible science

Artificial intelligence in medicine and the pursuit of environmentally responsible science

Global Governance for Personalized Medicine, Politics of Uncertainty, and Pierre Bourdieu.

How we choose to respond to uncertainty matters for robust and responsible science. New laws and consensus reports are popular instruments for global governance of emerging technology and attendant uncertainty. However, the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu noted that "[t]he judicial situation operates like a neutral space that neutralizes the stakes in any conflict through the de-realization and distancing implicit in the conversion of a direct struggle between parties into a dialogue between mediators." Put in other words, while law and legal modes of reasoning are certainly useful for conflict resolution and closure, their overprivileging in emerging technology and uncertainty governance can potentially bring about depoliticization by transforming the struggles and dissent necessary for democratic governance into a "dialogue between mediators." Hence, the critical sociological gaze offered by Bourdieu is particularly relevant for democratization of global governance of multiomics technologies and timely with the current uptake of personalized medicine. For example, in May 2023, the Romanian government introduced a law to give patients the right to personalized medicine. Personalized medicine is related to the larger umbrella concept and field of theranostics, the fusion of therapeutics and diagnostics. It is therefore timely to reflect on a "right for theranostics in planetary health," considering the potential for future pandemics and ecological crises in the 21st century. Rather than forcing consensus or convergence in an innovation ecosystem, dissent grounded in rigorous political theory, sociology of law and critical legal studies can strengthen democratization and global governance for personalized medicine and multiomics technologies.

Kemampuan Literasi Sains di Sekolah Dasar: Systematic Literature Review dan Bibliometric Analysis Periode Tahun 2016 - 2023

This study aims to determine the development of research trends in science literacy skills of elementary school students in 2016-2023. The research methods used were bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review. Bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer. Researchers chose Google Scholar as a source of information. Documents related to science literacy were collected using the Publish or Perish application, then processed with the PRISMA method. The results of the review analysis of 109 science literacy articles in elementary schools in articles published in the period 2016-2023 showed that this research continues to grow. The journal that most frequently publishes science literacy articles is Basicedu Journal. The article with the most citations in 2017. The most published science literacy research subtopic is about learning media. Factors that influence the low level of science literacy in elementary school are inappropriate teaching materials. Meanwhile, factors that can improve science literacy in elementary schools are the active role of teachers, the learning environment, and adequate information technology. The impact of increasing science literacy is dominated by affective impacts in the form of scientific attitudes and responsibility, psychomotor impacts in the form of science process skills and critical thinking.

War: not an unlikely topic for science lessons.

As a seven-year-old child, I experienced war in Cyprus. Armed conflict has not been far from my conscience ever since. At a time when there are active conflicts in many parts of the world, war is unlikely to be far from many children's minds globally today. Can a "war" theme be included in science lessons and play a role in helping young children develop into socially responsible scientists and peaceful citizens?

Singleton-based species names and fungal rarity: Does the number really matter?

Fungi are among the least known organisms on earth, with an estimated number of species between 1.5 and 10 million. This number is expected to be refined, especially with increasing knowledge about microfungi in undersampled habitats and increasing amounts of data derived from environmental DNA sequencing. A significant proportion of newly generated sequences fail to match with already named species, and thus represent what has been referred to as fungal “dark taxa”. Due to the challenges associated with observing, identifying, and preserving sporophores, many macro- and microfungal species are only known from a single collection, specimen, isolate, and/or sequence—a singleton. Mycologists are consequently used to working with “rare” sequences and specimens. However, rarity and singleton phenomena lack consideration and valorization in fungal studies. In particular, the practice of publishing new fungal species names based on a single specimen remains a cause of debate. Here, we provide some elements of reflection on this issue in the light of the specificities of the fungal kingdom and global change context. If multiple independent sources of data support the existence of a new taxon, we encourage mycologists to proceed with formal description, irrespective of the number of specimens at hand. Although the description of singleton-based species may not be considered best practice, it does represent responsible science in the light of closing the Linnean biodiversity shortfall.

Истории связующие нити. Ярославль и Сергей Иванович Спасокукоцкий

Biography of Sergey Spasokukotsky, the outstanding Russian surgeon, is closely related to the Yaroslavl Territory. He spent his childhood in the Danilovsky region, coming from a large and friendly family of a zemstvo doctor. In 1880–1888, he studied at the Men’s Gymnasium after his family had moved to Yaroslavl. The building now belongs to the Yaroslavl State Medical University where a representative of his scientific school, Professor Busalov AA, worked decades later. Life and activity of Sergey Spasokukotsky represent a bright example of unselfish service to medicine. Being a graduate of the Emperor’s Moscow University, he had a chance to continue his medical career in Moscow but went to the province where he worked as a zemstvo doctor for many years, actively implementing advance achievements of medicine into abdominal surgery, neurosurgery, pulmonary surgery, creating novel and modifying available surgeries. S. Spasokukotsky and his student developed an affordable and effective method of preparing a surgeon’s hands for a surgery with 0.5% ammonia solution (method by Spasokukotsky and Kochergyn). The scientific and practical activities of Sergey Spasokukotsky resulted in the development of a large scientific school with an ultimate scientific social responsibility, originality, great depth and boldness while solving the issues of surgical pathology.

Lost in translation: PISA experts, brokers, and marionettes

ABSTRACT This paper explores how the OECD acts a broker of knowledge-making in the development of PISA, the most widely known International Large-Scale Assessment. Drawing on the work of Bandola-Gill, Grek, and Tichenor (2022) and analysing empirical data gathered through interviews with OECD staff and PISA contractors and experts, the paper analyses how the OECD brokers the making of comparative knowledge on learning outcomes. The paper does this by unpacking what counts as expertise in the making of PISA, and how the OECD manages and uses this expertise. Exploring the ways that international organizations broker experts and utilize expertise reveals how IOs first select experts and then delegate their expert-brokering role; they then seek to share the delegated process; and finally, take back expert-brokering and knowledge-production by creating, or decreeing, consensus. The paper also shows how expertise – beyond informing on a technical level – is used to shift scientific responsibilities and build global consensus.

Cancer Patients' Attitudes Towards the Anti-Covid-19 Vaccine: A Collective Case Study.

The purpose of the present study was to determine cancer patients' attitudes toward the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. Historically, the scientific community's responsibility was to investigate attitudes about vaccination. The course of COVID-19 in cancer patients makes them a high priority for vaccination. Cancer patients are at greater risk of serious complications and death because of COVID-19 infection. The purpose of the present study was to determine cancer patients' attitudes toward the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. We examined several constructs that potentially influenced cancer patients' perceptions of the vaccine: health status, knowledge of COVID-19 and vaccination, cancer patients' perceptions of vulnerability, and attitudes toward general vaccines. We conducted a collective case study with 200 cancer patients undergoing treatment, and divided the sample into two groups: patients who "expected to heal" (Group A) and patients who "expected to chronicize" (Group B). Data were collected through a purpose-built questionnaire consisting of 22 questions and a study of medical records. Data analysis showed that both groups, Group A (M= 3.89 SD= 0.64) and Group B (M= 3.98 SD= 0.64), had a favorable attitude toward the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. This favorable attitude toward the anti-COVID-19 vaccine depended on several factors: perception of vulnerability to COVID-19, perception of the severity of their oncological situation, and communication with oncologists. Our study highlighted the plurality of factors that influence attitudes toward the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. It is therefore of fundamental importance to increase the use of the shared decision-making approach (SDM) to guide the patient to an informed choice.

An overview of the new Moroccan regulation on collection and export of meteorites: A geoheritage to promote and preserve

AbstractMorocco is known for the high number of meteorites collected in its territory, including finds and falls. This is explained by the large size of the Moroccan Sahara, the guarantee of security in this desert, and the large community of well‐trained Moroccan hunters and nomads who roam through it. Despite this richness, most meteorites collected in Morocco are sold abroad and exported. The exportation of meteorites as well as other geoheritage samples such as fossils and minerals was not completely legal or illegal as there was no dedicated regulation. Since 2000, the APPGM (Association pour la Protection du Patrimoine Géologique du Maroc) a Non‐Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to the preservation of the Moroccan geoheritage began working with the Moroccan Geological Survey, on a draft of a specific law dedicated to geoheritage. It was fundamental to benefit from the experience of other countries with a high number of meteorites where exportation is not allowed and that are losing their meteorites to illegal exportation. The author recommended a win‐win regulation that would allow the legal collection and exportation of meteorites under clear rules benefiting both hunters and scientists but also the country. In 2014, Morocco updated its law regarding mines. One article cited geoheritage as including fossils, minerals, and meteorites and mentioned that their collection and exportation would be regulated by decree. In 2019, the Moroccan Geological Survey and APPGM prepared the application decree of this article that has been discussed and approved by the Moroccan government and implemented in February 2020. This situation is unique in the region as well as compared to the other countries with a high potential of meteorites collection. Meteorite researchers and collectors all over the world should be aware of this regulation in Morocco to make their acquisitions legal. They should request a copy of the “End of the work” from local traders, the receipt from the Geological survey, and the certificate of export from customs. It is an important ethical and scientific responsibility of our community.

AI ethics on the road to responsible AI plant science and societal welfare

The swiftness of artificial intelligence (AI) progress in plant science begets relevant ethical questions with significant scientific and societal implications. Embracing a principled approach to regulation, ethics review and monitoring, and human-centric interpretable informed AI (HIAI), we can begin to navigate our voyage towards ethical and socially responsible AI.

Examining animal testing for risk assessment: A WC-12 workshop report

In toxicology and regulatory testing, the use of animal methods has been both a cornerstone and a subject of intense debate. To continue this discourse a panel and audience representing scientists from various sectors and countries convened at a workshop held during the 12th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences (WC-12). The ensuing discussion focused on the scientific and ethical considerations surrounding the necessity and responsibility of defending the creation of new animal data in regulatory testing. The primary aim was to foster an open dialogue between the panel members and the audience while encouraging diverse perspectives on the responsibilities and obligations of various stakeholders (including industry, regulatory bodies, technology developers, research scientists, and animal welfare NGOs) in defending the development and subsequent utilization of new animal data. This workshop summary report captures the key elements from this critical dialogue and collective introspection. It describes the intersection of scientific progress and ethical responsibility as all sectors seek to accelerate the pace of 21st century predictive toxicology and new approach methodologies (NAMs) for the protection of human health and the environment.

Research on the relationship between scientific and technological innovation and corporate social responsibility

Research on the relationship between scientific and technological innovation and corporate social responsibility