The issue focused on medical records for patients who don't want to give their identity to researchers. There are studies showing that scientists need medical records in order to study biological samples and experiments. Scientists could face academic discipline if they chose not to release medical records.

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Here's what science researcher Barry Chin told Nature about his research into genetics:

As I began studying evolutionary biology, one of the key scientific challenges was collecting biological data from laboratory animals. Scientists study evolution because evolution makes evolution possible.