Authorities say an investigation has found faked research at a University of Utah chemical engineering lab.

Jordan Allred, Deseret News

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SALT LAKE CITY An investigation has found faked research at a University of Utah chemical engineering lab.

A graduate student doctored photos for a paper about microscopic structures called nanorods, making it appear as if a theory on how to change their position worked, said Jeffrey Botkin, the associate vice president for research integrity at the university.

"There was no legitimate data in that paper," Botkin said.

The magnified images of the pill-shaped structures attracted attention on social media after the paper was published last year because the rounded ends appeared to be surrounded by square outlines, as if they had been highlighted and moved with an image manipulation program like Photoshop.

The paper purported to show a method for bringing the ends of the nanorods together at an angle that could have had implications for creating synthetic antibodies.

The paper published by the journal Nano Letters has already been retracted.

A university investigation found doctoral candidate Rajasekhar Anumolu changed the images, which were the basis for all the findings in the paper published in June 2013, Botkin said. Anumolu did not return phone and email messages seeking comment.

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Authorities: Investigation finds faked research at U. chemical engineering lab