An astronomy journal has just retracted its first paper in a decade, involving a collaboration between a NASA researcher and a high school student. They attempted to validate a law of astrophysics but based their calculations on the assumption that the law was correct.
The journal is called Research Notes of the AAS, published by the American Astronomical Society. It’s not peer-reviewed, and the retraction has led to changes in how the journal reviews submissions.
One of the authors, Jadon Lam, was a high school student at Pleasant Grove High School in California when he worked on this project. Today, he’s at Caltech pursuing astrophysics. His backstory shows that even early mistakes in research don’t necessarily hinder academic progress.
In a similar case from 2012, a high school student retracted his own work after realizing it contained errors. Interestingly, that didn’t harm his future in science.
According to Caltech’s admissions page, research experience can bolster applications, even if not the main focus. Jonathan Jiang, the corresponding author from NASA, confirmed that Lam’s acceptance to Caltech was based on his academic achievements.
The retracted paper’s flaws were due to using calculated values rather than independently measured data. Specifically, they assumed Kepler’s Third Law to validate their findings. This law explains how planets orbit the sun and was misapplied in this case, as noted in the October retraction notice.
Criticism of the paper began emerging on social media shortly after its publication. Chris Lintott, the journal’s editor and an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, mentioned that the journal was alerted to these concerns when readers took to platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky.
Lintott explained that the journal accepts various types of submissions, including works in progress and student projects, which may not always have robust results. With over 2,000 “notes” published, this was indeed their first retraction. He noted the journal has since updated its process for verifying data sources.
In the world of science, retractions can be seen as a step toward more accurate research. As the educational landscape evolves, young researchers like Lam play a crucial role in pushing boundaries, reminding us that mistakes are often part of the learning process.
