COMMENTARY Strengthening relationships A new window to the natural world on pulsars 817 821 LETTERS I BOOKS I POLICY FORUM I EDUCATION FORUM I PERSPECTIVES

LETTERS edited by Jennifer Sills

Evolution of the Monkey Crouch calculations? Did he record wind T. PFAU ET AL. (“MODERN RIDING STYLE IMPROVES HORSE RACING pressure scores or take biome- times,” Brevia, 17 July, p. 289) nicely document the effectiveness of chanical readings to assess his new riding style? Probably not. It is the “monkey crouch” riding style on race times and horse- bio- more likely that he merely proceeded by trial and error, much as did mechanics. This style produced measurable speed benefits to winning Olympic champion Dick Fosbury when he invented his famous high race times at the English Stakes (1900–1910). jumping “flop” (2). The change in riding style across a decade of different jockeys Inventive behavior is often attributed to creativity or to genius when prompts the question: How did the monkey crouch originate? Many a simpler explanation suffices. The origin of the monkey crouch per- authors credit two American jockeys— and Tod Sloan— fectly fits the Law of Effect: Successful behavioral variations are

with bringing this style to England in 1895 and 1897, respectively. retained and unsuccessful variations are not. This positively Darwinian on August 13, 2009 However, English rider Harding Cox claimed to have adopted the mon- process works for human inventions just as it does for earthly orga- key crouch still earlier. Cox even described how he developed the style nisms—mechanically and without design or purpose. and what benefits it conferred: “When hunting, I rode very short, and EDWARD A. WASSERMAN* AND MARK S. BLUMBERG leant well forward in my seat. When racing, I found that by so doing I Department of Psychology and Delta Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. avoided, to a certain extent, wind pressure, which … is very obvious to the rider. By accentuating this position, I discovered that my mount *To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected] had the advantage of freer hind leverage” (original italics) (1). Measurements taken by Pfau et al. support Cox’s impressions. References

1. H. Cox, Chasing and Racing (John Lane, , 1922), p. 212. www.sciencemag.org Did Cox intend to design his new riding position? Did he purpose- 2. E. A. Wasserman, M. S. Blumberg, Assoc. Psych. Sci. Observ. 19, 25 (2006); fully reposition himself on his horse after painstaking mathematical (www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2072).

Energy Strategies leum usage in areas that require fuels with high Response energy density will be greatly diminished. BRIGGS ARGUES THAT ENERGY STRATEGIES

and Efficiency Our ultimate goal should be to transition should not focus exclusively on efficiency. We Downloaded from J. E. CAMPBELL ET AL. (“GREATER TRANSPOR- completely away from fossil fuels. To do that, agree and explicitly state a wide range of cri- tation energy and GHG offsets from bio- we need to look at each type of energy use and teria in our Report. Briggs also argues that electricity than ethanol,” Reports, 22 May, assess how best to meet that demand. While biomass should be dedicated to liquid fuel p. 1055) compared the efficiency of using producing electricity from biofuels to power production to allow for a complete transition biomass to power vehicles through either electric vehicles may be a more efficient use of away from fossil fuels, whereas other renew- ethanol production or electricity production that biomass itself, we have many other options ables should be used for electricity. His argu- (for electric vehicles). However, it is prema- available for producing nonfossil electricity ment would be compelling if the complete ture to conclude that biomass use should (such as nuclear, geothermal, wind, and solar transition away from fossil fuels were within focus on the latter simply because it boasts power). However, those options cannot be as reach in the near term. greater overall efficiency. easily used to create high energy density fuels. Instead, we expect the transition away from Some energy uses, such as air travel and Biomass can meet that need, and therefore fossil fuels to be more gradual. In the mean- long-distance shipping, require fuel with high would be most wisely used to fill that need, time, we must find the mix of fossil fuels, bio- energy density, which current and foreseeable rather than to produce electricity (1). mass energy, and other renewables that best batteries cannot achieve. Those applications MICHAEL S. BRIGGS meets the interacting goals of energy inde- will continue to require a liquid hydrocarbon Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, pendence, climate mitigation, economic com- fuel to meet their needs. Currently, our only Durham, NH 03824, USA. E-mail: [email protected] petitiveness, and clean air. Multiple forms of viable nonfossil option for satisfying that biomass energy could contribute to this mix, demand is biofuels. If biomass that could be Reference but much of the current policy focus is limited 1. M. Briggs, “A fundamental analysis of means of produc- turned into biofuels is instead burned to pro- ing and storing energy,” dissertation, University of New to liquid fuels (such as ethanol mandates in

duce electricity, our ability to reduce petro- Hampshire (2008). the and other countries). The ISTOCK CREDIT:

812 14 AUGUST 2009 VOL 325 SCIENCE www.sciencemag.org Published by AAAS Gasoline from Why mimic? that’s scientific misconduct.” Without appro- biomass priate permission from all the relevant edi- tors, as well as the inclusion of an overt notice in the later publication to inform readers, it is 822 824 deception and therefore is indeed miscon- duct; copyright may also be a problem if it has been assigned to the original publisher. Moreover, if the second submission occurs with a declaration—signed, implied, or other- efficiency advantages of bioelectricity (1) and versally. The task of identifying boundaries wise—that none of the material has been or bioheat (2) provide a strong motivation for could benefit from the establishment of a sim- will be published elsewhere, it amounts to broadening the research and evaluating these ple and reliable technique that would determine outright fraud. applications along with liquid fuels. where efforts are needed to ensure communica- Authors who have sought editorial per- Support for future research and policy tion across language barriers. Assigning defin- mission and been transparent when reusing analysis should be broad enough to encourage itive language codes is premature until mutual material have nothing to fear from inclu- serious exploration of the prospects for elec- intelligibility criteria and techniques have been sion in Déjà vu. They may ultimately point trifying vehicles, including the potential rate applied consistently. This would require a coop- to the entry as independent confirmation of of adoption, cost, range, and the kinds of vehi- erative effort among linguists in all countries, their integrity. JOHN LOADSMAN cles compatible with electrification. The situ- along with the necessary financial support. Department of Anaesthetics, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, ation to avoid is one in which strong starting WALTER SHEARER Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. E-mail: science09@ loadsman.com assumptions about the limited potential of 100 East Hartsdale Avenue, Hartsdale, NY 10530, USA. vehicle electrification create so much momen- E-mail: [email protected] tum for liquid fuels from biomass that we Reference forgo the option that makes the most efficient Note 1. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, 1. The author and Sun Hongkai have published a mono- “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to on August 13, 2009 use of the biomass energy. graph together. biomedical journals: Writing and editing for biomedical J. ELLIOTT CAMPBELL,1* DAVID B. LOBELL,2 publication” (www.icmje.org). CHRISTOPHER B. FIELD3 1College of Engineering, University of , Merced, Plagiarism: CA 95344, USA. 2Program on Food Security and the Plagiarism: Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, Transparency Required USA. 3Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution of Consider the Context Washington, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. J. COUZIN-FRANKEL AND J. GROM (“PLAGI- arism sleuths,” News Focus, 22 May, p. 1004) THERE SHOULD BE NO DOUBT THAT ANY *To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: suggest that “[r]epetitious reviews and incre- form of covert duplication of data represents [email protected] www.sciencemag.org mental reports are part of an accepted tradi- a serious threat to the integrity of the scien- tion.” Accepted when and by whom? The Inter- tific record (“Plagiarism sleuths,” J. Couzin- References national Committee of Medical Journal Editors Frankel and J. Grom, News Focus, 22 May, 1. J. Ohlrogge et al., Science 324, 1019 (2009). 2. D. deB. Richter Jr. et al., Science 323, 1432 (2009). (ICMJE) has for many years included a detailed p. 1004). Duplication and other types of section on overlapping publications in its redundancy (such as “salami publication”) “Uniform requirements for manuscripts sub- are a source of great concern for science Defining Language mitted to biomedical journals” (1). The need for journal editors (1). In that regard, Skip

transparency, both to editors and readers, is a Garner’s eTBLAST and his Déjà vu site Downloaded from Boundaries paramount concern. Nowhere in the ICMJE should be viewed as a welcomed addition in THE NEWS FOCUS STORY “HOW MANY LAN- document is there an exemption for any partic- the arsenal to combat and prevent possible guages? Linguists discover new tongues in ular type of manuscript, including reviews and scientific misconduct. China” (M. Erard, 17 April, p. 332) discusses translations. Essentially all journals include in The issue of wholesale reuse of an author’s an important challenge: defining accurate lan- their instructions to authors a statement such previously published text is slightly more guage boundaries. I encountered this issue as that provided by Heart Failure Reviews: nuanced. It is understandable when non-native while working on United Nations conflict pre- “Submission of a manuscript implies that the authors with limited English skills engage in vention and resolution initiatives in ethnically work described has not been published before this behavior, particularly when they have diverse regions where success is determined by and that it is not under consideration for received poor relevant guidance. While adher- reliable communication. Although the strict cri- publication anywhere else.” Many require a ing to a single set of clear, ethical standards teria described by Sun Hongkai constitute one signed declaration. Nevertheless, the authors equally applicable to all, we also must recog- approach to delineating language boundaries, of many reviews, editorials, and textbook nize that each case is unique and should be the degree to which speakers of one language chapters fail to disclose the inclusion of sub- treated accordingly. In contrast, substantial or dialect can understand speakers of another— stantial sections of text lifted largely verbatim text reuse by experienced authors who hold a mutual intelligibility—remains the ultimate from previously published or simultaneously full command of the language is inexcusable test for defining languages for the purposes of submitted material. and should not be tolerated. An exception practical application to work such as mine. One of the authors apparently unhappy might be made for methodology sections Unfortunately, determining mutual intelli- about inclusion in the Déjà vu database is because these contain very complex, technical gibility can be complex and burdensome, and quoted as saying “[t]here’s going to be redun- descriptions of materials and procedures that the techniques used to test it are not applied uni- dancy [in review articles], but I don’t think are often difficult to paraphrase (2). Even

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slight changes to the wording of these sections References thermore, the effects of invasive plants on could potentially lead to subtle misinterpreta- 1. E. Wager, S. Fiack, C. Graf, A. Robinson, I. Rowlands, nitrogen fluxes are site-dependent (1, 2). To J. Med. Ethics 35, 348 (2009). tions of how an experiment was conducted. 2. M. Roig, Eur. Sci. Edit. 33, 39 (2007). avoid the confounding effects caused by site, However, the underlying assumption in this 3. M. Roig, J. Cogn. Behav. Psychot. 8, 245 (2008). we need experimental studies that can un- argument—that previously published methods 4. M. Roig, “Avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and other equivocally separate causes from conse- questionable writing practices: A guide to ethical writing” sections are so well written that they cannot (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office quences. We agree with Sax and Brown (3) possibly benefit from additional clarification of Research Integrity); http://ori.hhs.gov/education/ that there is no paradox of invasion. Indeed, or elaboration—is often unwarranted (3). products/plagiarism/. there are underlying mechanistic explanations Practices such as patchwriting and authors’ for each species in its new environment. A recycling of their previously published text general pattern of enhanced nitrogen cycling should not just be regarded as questionable— No Paradox for does not exist for plant invaders. they should be unequivocally classified as Invasive Plants ANNELEIN MEISNER,1* WIETSE DE BOER,2 inappropriate scholarship (4). MIGUEL ROIG W. H. GERA HOL,1 JENNIFER ADAMS KRUMINS,1 WIM H. VAN DER PUTTEN1,3 Department of Psychology, St. John’s University, Staten THE PERSPECTIVE “AN INVASIVE PLANT PARA- Island, NY 10301, USA. E-mail: [email protected] dox” by M. E. Rout and R. M. Callaway (8 1Department of Multitrophic Interactions, Netherlands May, p. 734) overgeneralizes the effect of Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6666 ZG Heteren, Netherlands. 2Department of Terrestrial Microbial Ecology, invasive plants on the nitrogen cycle. An inva- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6666 ZG Letters to the Editor sive plant’s impact on nitrogen cycling is Heteren, Netherlands. 3Laboratory of Nematology, Letters (~300 words) discuss material published in based on plant identity rather than origin. Wageningen University, 6700 ES Wageningen, Netherlands. Science in the previous 3 months or issues of gen- Invasive nitrogen-fixing plants can increase eral interest. They can be submitted through the *To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: nitrogen cycling in a newly invaded ecosys- [email protected] Web (www.submit2science.org) or by regular mail tem, but this does not apply to all functional (1200 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA). Letters are not acknowledged upon receipt, groups of invasive plants. Mechanistically, it References nor are authors generally consulted before publi- is difficult to imagine how non–nitrogen-fix- 1. N. Dassonville et al., Oecologia 157, 131 (2008).

cation. Whether published in full or in part, letters ing plants could enhance total nitrogen pools 2. W. D. Stock, K. T. Wienand, A. C. Baker, Oecologia 101, on August 13, 2009 375 (1995). are subject to editing for clarity and space. in the ecosystem, unless they did so by affect- 3. D. F. Sax, J. H. Brown, Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 9, 363 ing free-living nitrogen-fixing microbes. Fur- (2000). www.sciencemag.org Downloaded from

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Clarifying Coals CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS News Focus: “Bringing hominins back to life” by M. Balter (10 July, p. 136). The name of the National Geographic science R. A. KERR’S NEWS FOCUS STORY ABOUT THE editor was misspelled. It is James Shreeve. peak coal controversy, “How much coal re- News Focus: “Private money, public disclosure” by J. Kaiser (3 July, p. 28). The article may have inadvertently given the mains?” (13 March, p. 1420), did not distin- impression that Stanford psychiatrist Alan Schatzberg failed to report some of his outside financial interests to his university. guish between the challenges of mining bitu- All income discovered by Senator Grassley had been disclosed to Stanford. Also, the amount of Dr. Schatzberg’s equity in minous compared with sub-bituminous coal. Corcept Therapeutics was not initially disclosed to Grassley, but was always disclosed to Stanford. The older mining literature indicates that a large fraction of the bituminous coal resource mines went deeper [for example, to 1450 m at stress and coal/rock mechanical properties. should be minable to a depth of at least 1200 Monceau-Fontaine (6)]. New technologies The ultimate extraction depth for brown coal m. The situation for the globally substantial may enhance productivity of labor-intensive, and sub-bituminous coal will depend on the sub-bituminous and brown coal resource is high extraction percentage, longwall mining. burial history statistics of these materials. more complex. Thus, the ultimate extraction ratios for bitumi- STEPHEN EDWARDS The Royal Commission coal report of 1903 nous coal could well be high. School of Earth, Atmospheric, and Environmental Sciences, to 1905 (1, 2) showed that for typical U.K. geo- The situation is less clear for sub-bitumi- The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. logical conditions, recovery ratios of 80 to nous coal (which forms an important part of E-mail: [email protected] 90% were achievable for bituminous coal with the global coal resource). Rock strengths References the labor-intensive mining technology of the range from similar to those in bituminous coal 1. Great Britain Royal Commission on Coal Supplies, “First report of the Royal Commission on Coal Supplies” time. Similar arguments apply to the global to an order of magnitude weaker, depending (London, 1903). bituminous resource, given that coal-bearing, on the basin burial history. The depths at 2. Great Britain Royal Commission on Coal Supplies, “Final post-Devonian strata are too young to have a which the rocks become overstressed will be report of the Royal Commission on Coal Supplies” (London, 1905). high probability of being strongly tectonized lower. This applies even more strongly to less 3. G. L. Kerr, Practical Coal-Mining (C. Griffin, London, 1922). or metamorphosed. The early- to mid-20th- indurated brown coals. However, the available 4. C. H. Fritzsche, E. L. J. Potts, Horizon Mining (George century mining literature contains numerous English literature describing the relationship Allen & Unwin, London, 1954). examples of very high extraction ratios for between pressure temperature history and 5. I. W. Farmer, Coal Mine Structures (Chapman & Hall, on August 13, 2009 London, 1985). thick seams and in multiseam mining (3–5) to mechanical properties of such rocks is limited, 6. A. Forti, J.-J. Stassens, Objectif Mine, Photographies de depths of about 1200 m. Later 20th-century as is that relating mining problems to over- Désiré Deleuze (Editions du Perron, Alleur, Belgium, 1996). www.sciencemag.org Downloaded from

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