Scientists get peer-reviewed journals to publish nonsense based on ‘Star Wars’ to prove a

quote:

---

You know all of those peer-reviewed journals that “prove” man-made climate change is genuine?

It seems they may not be so peer-reviewed or accurate after all.

A neurology expert has unveiled a sting operation he embarked on to show that many of these journals will publish anything that is sent to them.

Using the names “Dr. Lucas McGeorge” and “Dr. Annette Kin,” references to “Star Wars” creator George Lucas and “Star Wars” character Anakin Skywalker, the neurologist was able to have several journals publish a paper he wrote on the fictitious “midi-chlorians.”

---

quote:

---

“Four journals fell for the sting. The American Journal of Medical and Biological Research (SciEP) accepted the paper, but asked for a $360 fee, which I didn’t pay. Amazingly, three other journals not only accepted but actually published the spoof. Here’s the paper from the International Journal of Molecular Biology: Open Access (MedCrave), Austin Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (Austin) and American Research Journal of Biosciences (ARJ) I hadn’t expected this, as all those journals charge publication fees, but I never paid them a penny,” he wrote in a blog for Discover Magazine.

He called the manuscript “A travesty, which they should have rejected within about 5 minutes – or 2 minutes if the reviewer was familiar with Star Wars.”

He pointed to some of the absurd highlights.

“Beyond supplying cellular energy, midichloria perform functions such as Force sensitivity…”
“Involved in ATP production is the citric acid cycle, also referred to as the Kyloren cycle after its discoverer.”
“Midi-chlorians are microscopic life-forms that reside in all living cells – without the midi-chlorians, life couldn’t exist, and we’d have no knowledge of the force. Midichlorial disorders often erupt as brain diseases, such as autism.”
“midichloria DNA (mtDNRey)” and “ReyTP”

---