Chinese scientists row over long-sought protein that senses magnetism

&quot;Zhang [...] says that he was justified in publishing the results because Xie’s work was merely biochemical identification, whereas he had the idea of using magnetic fields and the protein to control cells. Xie says that this idea is obvious, and that he included it in a patent he applied for last year.&quot;<p>You have to love that sentence:<p>&quot;The idea was obvious - I included it in my patent application!&quot;

It is notable that the &#x27;original author&#x27;s&#x27; paper was still in review. And that the review started, by a big-name journal, in Dec. 2014 - over 9 months ago. While the newer paper was reviewed and published, by a no-name journal, in under a week. The discrepancy is huge - professionally, and scientifically. There is no reason a discovery needs a year in review - that is simply laziness on the part of the big prestigious journal. And that they&#x27;re now being scooped by a competitor puts them in a poor light. This seems as much about the various journals as it is about the authors, and the universities.<p>The new journal eLife is a wonderful happy medium - month-long high-quality reviews for a high-quality paper.

The one that backs down can be the Chinese Walter White in a few years.