Question

A botanist has recently developed an enzyme called NoGro. This enzyme acts as an

herbicide by preventing cell growth in the leaves of a certain species of tree that is an

invasive plant species in Florida. The botanist wants to test the effects of temperature

on NoGro so that NoGro can be applied to the invasive tree under optimal

conditions on Florida farms. After looking into the background of the study, you

discover that the botanist performing this investigation is being paid by a company

that will make a lot of money if NoGro proves to be useful at eradicating the invasive

tree. How might this affect your view of the research in this experiment?

Answer 1

Answer:

results could be biased and therefore they are not reliable

Explanation:

A conflict of interest is generated when the authors of a given study have any type of interest that could influence their judgments, results and/or conclusions. These conflicts of interest include any relevant financial relationships, personal, religious, political or intellectual interests. To solve this situation, peer-reviewed, well-reputed journals generally include a conflict of interest statement where authors declare all interests that might be perceived as conflicting.