‘I had no choice but to commit misconduct’: elite researchers tell all in anonymous interviews

Hello Nature readers,
Today we learn that elephants might call to each other by name, read first-hand accounts from people who committed research misconduct and discover what the science of elections can reveal in this super-election year.

Call me by your (elephant) name

Elephants seem to use proper names to address their fellows — a habit that appears to otherwise be unique to humans. Scientists used machine learning to analyse 469 deep rumbles made by wild female African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) and their families in Kenya. They found patterns that indicate that calls are specific to individuals. The researchers also played recorded calls to elephants out in the field and watched how the animals responded. “They could tell if a call was addressed to them just by hearing that call,” says behavioural ecologist and study co-author Michael Pardo.

‘I had no choice but to commit misconduct’

“I had no choice but to commit [research] misconduct,” admits a researcher at an elite Chinese university. The shocking revelation is documented in a collection of several dozen anonymous, in-depth interviews offering rare, first-hand accounts of researchers who engaged in unethical behaviour. The study co-authors — sociologist Zhang Xinqu and criminologist Wang Peng — suggest that researchers felt compelled, and even encouraged, to engage in misconduct to protect their jobs. This pressure, they conclude, ultimately came from the Double First-Class Initiative, a Chinese programme to create globally recognized universities.

US advisors back Alzheimer’s treatment

An advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously recommended that the agency approve Eli Lilly’s donanemab for Alzheimer’s disease. In trials, the drug slowed cognitive decline by around 35% over 18 months in people with mild to moderate disease. This rate is similar to that seen in rival drug lecanemab, which the FDA approved last year. The advisors recommended more research on whether donanemab is effective in people at varying stages of the disease and in people of colour.

What European elections mean for climate

The European Green Party suffered losses and far-right parties made gains in last week’s European Parliament elections. The outcome suggests that climate change is less of a priority for voters across the bloc amid the cost-of-living crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the new parliament is unlikely to dismantle Europe’s key climate goals, say researchers. “When you look at polling data, there's not much climate scepticism left in Europe,” says environmental economist Aurélien Saussay.

Megavote spawns psephological tsunami

By the end of this year, close to half of the global population will have gone to the polls — the biggest manifestation of the democratic process in history. Psephologists — researchers who study public sentiment and voting patterns — will be spoiled for the data they use to understand the political lie of the land. Pollsters will try to predict who will vote, and for whom. Psephological predictions can also offer a glimpse of future government policies relevant to funding and other research interests.

Five best science books this week

Andrew Robinson’s pick of the top five science books to read this week includes the last book by influential environmentalist James Lovelock, an exploration of the act of culling wild animals and a call for guardrails in the age of artificial intelligence.

Where fungus is king

Lurking in London’s Kew Gardens is the world’s largest fungarium. This collection of 1.3 million specimens includes around half of all the species known to science. Inside, mycologists delve into how the organisms sequester carbon, nourish the root systems of other plants and otherwise influence critical ecosystems.