Séralini saga continues as retracted GM study is republished in second journal
The move comes after the initial publication of the study was retracted by the editor of Food and Chemical Toxicology (FCT), Dr Wallace Hayes, amid much criticism from scientists and regulatory authorities.
Professor Giles-Eric Séralini, the researcher behind the now infamous study linking consumption of Monsanto's NK603 GM maize and its associated herbicide Roundup to long term toxicity and cancer in rats recently said the decision to retract the study was based on ‘unscientific double standards’.
“We are forced to conclude that the decision to withdraw our paper was based on unscientific double standards applied by the editor," said Séralini at the time.
"These double standards can only be explained by pressure from the GMO and agrochemical industry to force acceptance of GMOs and Roundup."
The saga now takes a fresh twist as the original work, which critics say is still ‘highly flawed’, has been has been republished in Environmental Sciences Europe, owned by Germany's Springer group.
The raw data has also been placed in the public domain for others to scrutinise, the researchers said.
"Censorship of research into the risks of a technology so intertwined with global food safety undermines the value and credibility of science," the team said in a statement.
Winfried Schröder, editor of the journal Environmental Sciences Europe of the Springer Group, said: ‘’We want to enable a rational discussion about the study of Séralini et al. (Food Chem Toxicol 2012, 50:4221–4231) by republishing it.”
“This methodological competition is the energy necessary for any scientific progress. The sole purpose is to enable some scientific transparency and on this basis, a discussion that does not try to hide, but focuses on these needed methodological controversies.”
