International Scientific Journals Retract Chinese Research Articles on Uyghur DNA for Ethical Violation

Two major scientific journals have recently retracted articles on Uyghur DNA by Chinese researchers due to ethical concerns.

The International Journal of Legal Medicine and Human Genetics retracted the two articles that were published in 2019 on Sept. 7 and Aug. 30 respectively.

The scientific journals are owned by academic publisher Springer Nature.

Both articles study more than 100 DNA samples from Uyghur minorities in China's Xinjiang region in order to recreate their faces and heights.

The journals stated that they "Requested supporting documentation from the authors, including the application form submitted to the ethics committee and evidence of ethics approval." However, "The documents supplied by the authors contain insufficient information related to the scope of the study for us to remain confident that the protocols complied with our editorial policies or are in line with international ethical standards," the journals said in their statements.

For years, international scientists have voiced their suspicions and moral concerns over whether the blood samples collected from the Uyghurs for the research are voluntarily given.

For years, Yves Moreau, a professor of engineering at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, has been most vocal about the retractions of Chinese research articles using Uyghur DNA samples.

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