Top 10 Worst Scientific Frauds

The South Korean scientist claimed in 2004–2005 to have created patient-specific stem cell lines through cloning, but investigations revealed the data was entirely fabricated, devastating the field.

Bell Labs researcher Schön published a stunning series of breakthroughs in superconductivity and molecular electronics before colleagues discovered he had duplicated and fabricated data across 16 retracted papers.

Presented in 1912 as the missing link between apes and humans, the Piltdown skull was exposed in 1953 as a forgery combining a medieval human cranium with an orangutan jawbone, misleading paleoanthropology for 41 years.

The Dutch psychologist fabricated data across at least 55 published papers over two decades, including widely cited studies on social behavior, triggering a replication crisis across the social sciences.

Holmes claimed her company could run hundreds of medical tests from a single drop of blood. The technology never worked as advertised, endangering patients and defrauding investors of nearly $1 billion.

Obokata's 2014 Nature papers claimed that simple acid baths could reprogram adult cells into stem cells. The results could not be replicated, the papers were retracted, and her mentor Yoshiki Sasai took his own life.

The University of Vermont researcher fabricated data in 10 federal grant applications and 17 published papers on menopause and aging, becoming the first U.S. academic sentenced to prison for research fraud.

The surgeon implanted artificial windpipes in patients based on falsified research. Most patients died from complications, and Macchiarini was convicted of aggravated assault by a Swedish court in 2022.

The Memorial University immunologist published influential studies on infant nutrition and vitamin supplements with fabricated data spanning decades, leading to the retraction of multiple high-profile papers.

The South Korean scientist claimed in 2004–2005 to have created patient-specific stem cell lines through cloning, but investigations revealed the data was entirely fabricated, devastating the field.

Bell Labs researcher Schön published a stunning series of breakthroughs in superconductivity and molecular electronics before colleagues discovered he had duplicated and fabricated data across 16 retracted papers.

Presented in 1912 as the missing link between apes and humans, the Piltdown skull was exposed in 1953 as a forgery combining a medieval human cranium with an orangutan jawbone, misleading paleoanthropology for 41 years.

The Dutch psychologist fabricated data across at least 55 published papers over two decades, including widely cited studies on social behavior, triggering a replication crisis across the social sciences.

Holmes claimed her company could run hundreds of medical tests from a single drop of blood. The technology never worked as advertised, endangering patients and defrauding investors of nearly $1 billion.

Obokata's 2014 Nature papers claimed that simple acid baths could reprogram adult cells into stem cells. The results could not be replicated, the papers were retracted, and her mentor Yoshiki Sasai took his own life.

The University of Vermont researcher fabricated data in 10 federal grant applications and 17 published papers on menopause and aging, becoming the first U.S. academic sentenced to prison for research fraud.

The surgeon implanted artificial windpipes in patients based on falsified research. Most patients died from complications, and Macchiarini was convicted of aggravated assault by a Swedish court in 2022.

The Memorial University immunologist published influential studies on infant nutrition and vitamin supplements with fabricated data spanning decades, leading to the retraction of multiple high-profile papers.