Hi, I'm supposed to be starting my 3rd year PhD in science, turns out my entire PhD project (which is based off the fantastic results of a previous PhD student) was a farce, I pulled the previous students raw data from the machines and verified that she had made up most of the significant results (in published works and thesis chapters). I've shown this to my supervisor but they want me to keep trying the same things, i can only conclude that they want to sweep it under the rug, it's also possible they really just don't want to believe it.

I've been offered a scholarship to "start again" but I'm a little bit broken by the whole experience, my romanticism towards science is dead. I always thought science would be the superior truth but science is done by people and is subject to their desires and agendas, and at the frontier/fringe of understanding it is so easy to trick and deceive in order to get ahead.

Wondering if anyone else has gone through or know anyone who had gone through my experience. And what they ended up doing with their lives...

at a cross road and very depressed. not even sure if i can get a masters out of this, probably not a reference. feel like a total failure.

Been teaching myself some skills relevant to the economy (computer programming) and have been offered an opportunity to study at the masters level with some financial aid (very, very lucky).