I Always Knew miRNA Was A Hoax

The miRNA field is so hot these days, the Nature/Cell papers are being put out by the truckload. If you believe everything you read, they apparently play a critical role in regulating every critical cellular process. No doubt a lot of the data is true, but its hard to know what's real and what's fake these days. The problem with the rush to publish on such hot topics is that it makes it easier for fakers. A Japanese researcher in the RNA field is being accused of fabricating his results by someone in his lab, sounds like his supervisor. The accuser is calling for the retraction of several key papers, including two from Nature, on miRNAs in neuronal differentiation and in regulating DNA methylation and silencing.