Fake Science

[xoxoxoBruce]

Fake Science? Well more like dishonest, or capitalism infected science. I figure it'll probably get worse as faith, trust, and interest in science erodes, and Funding becomes death matches in the thunderdome.

Hoss Cartwright, a former editor of the International Journal of Agricultural Innovations and Research, had a good excuse for missing the 5th World Congress on Virology last year: He doesn’t exist.

Burkhard Morgenstern, a professor of bioinformatics at the University of Göttingen, dreamt him up, and built a nice little scientific career for him. He wrote Cartwright a Curriculum Vitae, describing his doctorate in Studies of Dunnowhat, his rigorous postdoctoral work at Some Shitty Place in the Middle of Nowhere, and his experience as Senior Cattle Manager at the Ponderosa Institute for Bovine Research.

Cartwright never published a single research paper, but he was appointed to the editorial boards of five journals. Apparently, no one involved in the application processes remembered the television show Bonanza, or the giant but amiable cowboy named “Hoss” who was played by actor Dan Blocker. Despite Cartwright’s questionable credentials, he was invited to speak at several meetings such as the 5th World Congress on Virology—typically a mark of recognition as an expert.

The reason Morgenstern did this is he was spammed to distraction by the phony journals. So the first time he created a character who sounded plausible. It was shockingly successful which led him to Hoss, the most ridiculous character he could think of. Sadly his worst fears were realized.

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