OE is certainly happy to make the deal, but not for the quality of the content. Rather, it keeps their targeted ad business growing. Platforming medical and health content is simply laying the groundwork for making a Facebook of medical information — a platform designed to sell user-targeted ads with the quality of content barely registering as a concern.

OE has proven susceptible to eugenics-adjacent pay-to-play misinformation, pay-to-play articles placed to help shill colostrum, and pay-to-play articles published to promote “functional medicine,” a MAHA-related pseudo-specialty. And nobody at OE seems to care, because that’s just part of the Section 230 platform game — don’t interfere in the content, just use it to get qualified leads to interact with your ad system.

While Facebook leveraged the trust of your social network — friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances — to get users into their ad platform, OE is leveraging trust markers in medical science, from brands to the concepts of peer review and evidence.

Bottom line? OE is an advertising platform being rolled out to target physicians with premium targeted ads, likely selling for a cost-per-view (CPV) of $500-$800. With major agencies backing it and others suffering FOMO, OE is positioned to clean up. However, with only about $7 billion in annual pharma ad spending, is this enough to justify their massive valuation? And will they be able to unseat actual point-of-care tools like UpToDate? Or will they just be a second-rate sideshow after the dust settles, the fundamental flaws become clear, and the short-term wins have been pocketed?

We also share our “Discoveries of the Week.”

Fish doorbells: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-dutch-fish-doorbell-helps-migrating-fish-each-spring/

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Things are more complicated now in the sciences. Insurgents are coming from all directions, so we have to distinguish between bad insurgents and good insurgents — and some of the new bad ones are playing an updated version of the tech game, too.

• Disruption is so embedded now that normies are insurgents.

Good insurgents want to align with pro-science players for the long-term and to the benefit of all. Bad insurgents continue to exploit communication channels and others, primarily for their own enrichment and benefit.

In addition, bewildering controversies have emerged between the science-aligned incumbents and science-aligned insurgents, in particular AAAS and Stand Up for Science.

We discuss the value of the newer, unencumbered insurgents vs. encumbered incumbents, how the battle is against anti-science players unencumbered by rules, norms, or bureaucratic process, and how we need to support the good insurgents who are focused beyond the horizon of crazy in-fighting.

The incumbents have the power to influence, and they have a choice to make.

We also share our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• The Murder of Jane Stanford: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-murder-of-jane-stanford/id278981407?i=1000751170391

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Martina Linnenluecke is an internationally recognized scholar who conducts research on corporate adaptation and resilience to global climate change. She is also at The University of Technology Sydney Business School.

Their work caught our attention when we saw their January 5, 2026, article in The Conversation entitled “The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing.” It was related to their 2025 “speaking out” article in the journal Organization entitled “The junkification of research.”

From academic capitalism to the secondary market for careerist OA publishing, the discussion is wide-ranging and lively, with a focus on their five stages of junkification/enshittification:

1. The commodification of research
2. The proliferation of pay-to-publish journals
3. A decline in quality and integrity
4. The sheer volume of publications
5. Enshittification

We also share our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• Tony Hawk’s “Ollie 720 Challenge” won by a 12-year-old from Japan, Ao Nishikawa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGScJcp-Y3c

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Max is also well-known for the cartoons he puts out on LinkedIn. Inspired by his love of 19th century political cartoons, these are timely, well-designed encapsulations of current events. One he did in honor of my post about “Rachel So” and aixiv.org was particularly lovely. 

We wanted to talk to Maxwell about his career, his cartoons, and his vision for where this is all going.

We also discuss his idea for “compute-ready documents,” and share our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• “Then Is Now Diaries:” https://thenisnow.substack.com/p/1954-from-here-to-there
• “Goldie & Frenchie” YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dogpackapp
• Skyride maintenance: https://liftblog.com/aeronaut-skyride-busch-gardens-williamsburg-va/comment-page-1/

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Collins is from Massachusetts. His mother is a librarian, and he initially pursued a sports journalism career. In 2024, he became CEO of a company called Global Tetrahedron, which purchased The Onion. He wanted to rescue it from being purchased by Elon Musk and becoming “an AI slop farm.”

• Collins is also attempting to buy InfoWars from Alex Jones, mainly to make sure victims who have been awarded money from Jones’ lies and defamations can finally get some. 

The interview touched on a core difference in the media space, one that I pondered independently before listening to the interview — Why is there one fake media space that is currently thriving but starting to crack under the strain, and a separate reality-based media space growing stronger and more interesting and relevant by the day?

What does this portend? Where does scientific publishing fit into this now? Are we indulging unscientific fantasies of our own?

And why is it so much more fun and impactful to be in the reality-based world today?

We also share our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• “Stuff You Should Know” podcast about the color orange (and more): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407?i=1000747999454
• The Ransomware Hunting Team: https://reneedudley.com/
• • Now available in paperback

Interview with Ben Collins: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-onions-ben-collins-on-political-satire-why-trump/id1643307527?i=1000747679219

• Subscribe to The Onion: https://membership.theonion.com/

Wired article about infiltrating Moltbook: https://www.wired.com/story/i-infiltrated-moltbook-ai-only-social-network/

“Polymaths” fantasies: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2025/01/20/in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence-polymaths-are-back-in-vogue/

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Working as a painter and portraitist, years ago she found herself utilizing her abilities to help people by becoming a forensic artist. This meant certifying with the International Association for Identification (IAI) and becoming a Certified Forensic Artist.

PJ works by assisting various law enforcement agencies with John and Jane Doe images and skull-to-face reconstructions. The same methods can also apply to museum and historical projects. Her work for medical examiners and cold case investigators bridges forensic science, creative visualization, and multimedia storytelling to bring human faces to life with accuracy and impact. She has helped law enforcement identify various victims and close years-old cold cases. 

We also have our “Discoveries of the Week,” which are quite toothy.

PJ Puterbaugh’s site: https://pjputerbaughartist.com/

Forensic Art and Illustration: https://www.amazon.com/Forensic-Art-Illustration-Karen-Taylor/dp/0849381185/

GOLF: What You Know Can Hurt You: https://www.amazon.com/GOLF-What-Discover-fundamentals-swing/dp/0615268404/

Ologies podcast about paleohistology: https://www.alieward.com/ologies/paleohistology

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

She worked as a fact-checker at CNN, and caught our eye with her TEDxDuke talk about social norms around truth.

Since then, she has graduated from Duke and is now pursuing a Master’s in the Social Science of the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute. 

In this interview, we discuss distinctions between norms, normal, and normalized, dis- and misinformation, believing lies vs. condoning lies, “weird checking,” the Fairness Doctrine, and much more.

We also have our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• The paper Skylar mentions

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Markets depend on middlemen, as do information economies. The health of markets and information spaces often depends on how well those middlemen function, the rules that define their scope of action, and the incentives that guide their choices. As Jonathan Rauch wrote in The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of the Truth (Brookings Institution Press, 2021):

Compared to the intermediation of yore, with editors, editorial boards, and publishing staff listed on mastheads, platforms have no such obvious pathways to accountability. Section 230 has been used to provide them with the kind of legal cover that allows them to make their own rules and behave with near impunity. Attention is the new commodity, and stealing yours is the goal. The new middleman is a thief, not an ally.

We discuss these issues, the black boxes of platforms, the role of LLMs as new black box intermediaries, the long-forgotten Fairness Doctrine and its relevance, and more.

We also touch on recent news (the new STM report, PISS, and more).

Joy’s post about velvet ropes: https://www.the-geyser.com/bring-back-the-velvet-ropes/

This podcast gets a nod:

Also, this draft paper (labeled as such, thank you authors) is a critically important read because of the ideas: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5870623

• Some background on how it came about: https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/how-generative-ai-is-destroying-society

We finish with our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

• Also, he and Kent are not related, even if people often misattribute things between them.

Late last year, Rick wrote a two-part contemplation (Part 1 and Part 2) of what the OA movement might have achieved and where things might reasonably go from here, emphasizing that a range of approaches might have to be embraced so we can focus on more central issues.

Rick has also written three books, including Scholarly Communication: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2018).

Our wide-ranging discussion touches on how libraries first inspired Rick, his career journey from BYU and back, and his role in shaping discussions around OA through analysis.

We finish with “Discoveries of the Week.”

• Joy’s Discovery of the Week: https://youtu.be/zOd01sLlDj4?si=L6cCE09o-K7c-g1A

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

• What might happen if we reorient ourselves around information consumers?
• What norms might be more readily embraced?
• What rules might be reestablished?
• Would it be a better game?

A recent proposal in Nature from Jennifer Byrne, a cancer researcher at the University of Sydney, would require publishers to certify as ISO-9001 organizations, with her justifications fitting with our arguments quite well:

• “Organizations certified as ISO-9001-compliant must demonstrate operations that are customer-focused, committed to continual improvement and underpinned by systematic management approaches and evidence-based decision-making.”
• “Journals and publishers are currently incentivized to meet authors’ expectations — but ISO 9001 compliance means also prioritizing the needs of readers.”

Other links for the episode:

• Cloud Dancer Dogs: https://www.latimes.com/companion-animals/dogs/breeds/story/pantone-2026-cloud-dancer-white-dog-breeds
• “HardFork” interview: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/podcasts/hardfork-ai-science.html
• Tristan Harris interview: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ai-dilemma-with-tristan-harris/id1498802610?i=1000740817066

This also marks our 32nd episode since launching the “Disrupted Science” podcast in June — a surprising achievement as according to Riverside 44% of podcasts started don’t make it past three episodes, and only 8% make it past 10 episodes.

Maybe we’re just stubborn enough to make this work. We were stubborn enough to write a book, after all.

• We were also interviewed last week by Darrell Gunter for WSOU 98.5FM at Seton Hall.
• • Maybe we also like to talk . . .

We’ve had tremendous guests as we’ve gotten underway, and look forward to some of them returning next year in addition to some great new guests already being lined up.

We also have our final “Discoveries of the Week” and some book updates to share.

Thanks for listening, and for all your support.

Happy New Year!

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

The increasingly conjoined bubbles may share a fate in some manner, one we speculate about.

There are also some common business aspects — funding that dries up, circular financing operations, and bad actors aplenty.

Will both bubbles pop in spectacular fashion? Will they slowly deflate? Will one pop, leaving the other unharmed? Or are there another scenarios?

In any event, both bubbles appear incongruous with scientific discovery.

Where do we go from here?

We finish with our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• Article on the New York Times’ “Connections” game.

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Topics of today’s interview include RFK, Jr., MAHA, public health disinformation and misinformation, supplements grifting, seeds of chaos to enable lawsuits, the importance of a new approach to advocacy, the negative valence of social media, and the proven power and safety of vaccines.

Also, we have our “Discoveries of the Week,” including an important study Jacobs mentions.

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Altmetric has made some changes lately, including podcasts, so-called sentiment analysis, and Bluesky itself. And their LinkedIn account is much more sober than Bluesky.

But as you experience the Bluesky account, you get a feeling that something is definitely not quite right.

What is going on here? Is some part of Altmetric coming off the rails?

And, with the Impact Factor producing confusing results, is it time to look beyond current metrics?

We also have some book updates and our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• Interview with Dr. Fay-Wei Li, Duke
• Gaga Fern

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Lowe tackles a mix of scientific updates, political perspectives, and critiques of scientific publishing, all in an extremely down-to-earth and readable manner. He’s also the author of a 2016 book, The Chemistry Book: From Gunpowder to Graphene, 250 Milestones in the History of Chemistry.

In a recent post Lowe described himself as an “AI Realist,” while writing a great line about current LLMs:

When it comes to AI, Lowe is a short-term pessimist and a long-term optimist, but as the interview shows, sacrificing science at the altar of technology is not a way forward.

Discovery science, the effects of cuts on academia, and why drug discovery is and likely will remain difficult terrain are all topics we discuss.

A serious amateur astronomer and — like any good chemist — a cook, Derek’s renowned chocolate pecan pie recipe: https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/holiday-organic-synthesis-chocolate-pecan-pie

It’s an entertaining and informative episode, with our “Discoveries of the Week” and our thanks for all the support you’ve given us and our nascent podcast efforts so far.

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

In 2019, McNamee published a book — Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe — where he outlined how his high hopes for his proteges Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg had been dashed.

More recently, he’s been reflecting on the mismatches between capital investments and revenues for large AI companies.

McNamee is a member of the band Moonalice, which performs and records regularly. He shares a fascinating story about the band, as well.

We finish with our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Earlier this year, Berg grew alarmed at the nomination of Jay Bhattacharya as Director of the NIH, and began a correspondence with him after his confirmation. For a time, he documented this via his Bluesky account, which grew massively as a result.

Striking a calm, evidence-based tone, Berg often received no response from Bhattacharya. When he did, the responses seemed to bristle with political overtones. Berg published these correspondences in late Summer in PDF form under the title, “Fifty Shades of Jay.” He continues to update the document from time to time.

We wanted to talk with Jeremy about this, and given the recent spate of announcements about Director-level “hiring in a hurry” at the NIH — including a new Director of the NLM — we also wanted to discuss other aspects of MAHA-era science defunding, firings, and hirings as the US scientific establishment is turned upside-down. We also talk about diversity issues, with a particularly interesting angle coming to light.

It’s a fascinating interview throughout, which we close with our “Discoveries of the Week.”

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Joy met Nick at this year’s Peer Review Congress in Chicago, where he talked about his research around preprints and public policy. With a background in physics, science policy, and philosophy, Nick has a rich lens through which to view various aspects of his research topics, which includes dual-use technologies and gain-of-function in the life sciences. His book called Gain of Function was published earlier this year with MIT Press.

It’s a fascinating and informative discussion, he shadow-quotes Neil Peart, and we also get into “Discoveries of the Week,” which include coffee, cars, and deer.

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Emily is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Washington where she is also the Faculty Director of the Computational Linguistics Master of Science program in the School of Computer Science and Engineering and the Information School. In 2023, she was included in the inaugural Time 100 list of the most influential people in AI. 

Alex is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute and a Lecturer in the School of Information at the University of California Berkeley. She is an outspoken critic of the tech industry, a proponent of community-based uses of technology, and a highly sought-after speaker and expert. 

We discuss how AI hoodwinks people by exploiting their natural tendency to assign intelligence to things that produce language, how “science is squarely in the hype danger zone,” labor and structural issues related to AI exploitation and extraction, and so much more.

You can get a sense of their witty approach to tackling this by realizing that when they talk about “synthetic text extruding machines,” it reduces to “STEM.”

We also get their “Discoveries of the Week.”

Visit this page for information about contacting Emily.

Visit this page for information about contacting Alex.

For more information about their book, visit this page.

Our book — available for PRESALE — is here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/How-the-Internet-Disrupted-Science/Kent-Anderson/9781493094400

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

The first was in March, where he wrote about library catalogs as colonization systems with the power to make naming decisions appear neutral and inevitable by disguising bias behind what a former ALA president called “a facade of technical objectivity.”

His next post in August had to do with layoffs at OCLC justified by claims of advances in AI that could lead to efficiency. Mike noted that “the same technological advances celebrated for their efficiency are erasing the human expertise that creates the high-quality metadata these systems depend on to function.”  

As fans of human expertise, local and disciplinary control, and skepticism about tech claims, we wanted to bring him on for a conversation.

The interview does not disappoint, as it echoes concerns from earlier interviews about how academia is being appropriated for rents and extractive processes by tech companies without support for the kind of skepticism and support of human expertise we’d expect from universities.

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible
• Subscribe on YouTube

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Seth and Kent got to know one another through some projects and mutual concerns about scientific publishing, and this year they published a piece with another editor in marine science outlining their concerns about unreviewed preprints. Today we talk about some of the challenges the editorial team at CORR wrestles with on a daily basis, some of the stances the orthopaedic journals have taken collectively, and some of the more recent challenges AI has posed for them.

Show Notes

Preprint paper by Leopold, Browman, and Anderson: https://journal.trialanderror.org/pub/preprinting-responsibility/release/1

Paper about CORR wrestling with AI LTEs: https://journals.lww.com/clinorthop/fulltext/2025/10000/editorial__ai_assisted_letters_to_the_editor_scope.1.aspx

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Today, Big Tech is releasing products that are leading to clear consumer harms, yet remain idolized and immunized. Why is this? Is there a quasi-religious aspect to technology and its offshoots we need to recognize? How does this dovetail with re-emerging religious fundamentalism in general? And where does it leave science?

We discuss these topics and share our ”Discoveries of the Week.”

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

The Annals and the ACP have been at the center of a couple of controversies stirred up by the MAHA crowd. You’ll hear how word reached the Annals team that RFK, Jr., wanted a paper about vaccines and autism retracted. (Hint: RFK, Jr., looks bad, the Annals comes out smelling like a rose.) And you’ll hear more about that BMC Environmental Health paper, and why its methodology is suspect, how its author still involved in the legal case where his evidence was disallowed by a judge, and more.

We also discuss the use of AI in medical science, point-of-care systems, and physician training and practice — including how it’s affecting patient interactions.

At its heart, it is an interview about the power of expertise, the importance of good journals within scientific communities, the role of editorial care and collaborations, and how we collectively get science done right. Unlike what some would have you believe, it’s not easy.

We hope you enjoy the interview.

Show Notes

Dr. Andrea Love’s coverage of the Tylenol paper’s disreputable background: https://news.immunologic.org/p/the-tylenolautism-pseudoscience-pipeline

The paper in question: https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0 

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

We also share our “Discoveries of the Week,” including a rediscovery of a classic technique for teaching. (Hint: It still works.)

Show Notes

Predatory Data book: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/predatory-data/paper?ref=the-geyser.com

Interview with Olivia Guest and Iris van Rooij: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-6amys-196264a

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Platypus Pups video: https://youtu.be/ZEl5RJiiLbk

“Disrupted Science” t-shirt: https://crowdmade.com/collections/petty-larceny-merch/products/petty-larceny-disrupted-science-t-shirt-black

Show Notes [Due to a technical problem, this week is audio-only]

Peer Review Week: https://peerreviewweek.net/

Silverchair AI thoughts: https://www.silverchair.com/news/the-coming-inflection-point/

Elsevier announcement: https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/redefining-research-elsevier-announces-next-generation-ai-powered-researcher-solution

Cactus Communications announcement: https://cactusglobal.com/media-center/paperpal-ai-that-brings-out-the-best-in-you/

Interview with Olivia Guest and Iris van Rooij: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-6amys-196264a

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Show Notes

"AI Slop and the Destruction of Knowledge": https://irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/ai-slop-and-the-destruction-of-knowledge/

"Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia": https://zenodo.org/records/17065099

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Show Notes

The MDPI withdrawal: https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202507.2155/v1

The MAHA Substack complaint: https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-mdpi-censors-one-of-the

In this episode, we explore how CZI LLC was set up, how Meta got its name (hint: they acquired the brand via a science AI acquisition), and discuss the implications of having billionaires with shifting political ideologies involved in funding scientific initiatives.

Show Notes

Krumholz Is an Officer of openRxiv — https://www.the-geyser.com/krumholz-is-officer-of-openrxiv/

Editor Becomes a MAHA Darling — https://www.the-geyser.com/editor-becomes-a-maha-darling/

What Is CZI Really Up To? — https://www.the-geyser.com/what-is-czi-really-up-to/ 

Chicago bird collision monitors — https://www.birdmonitors.net/

Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

It turns out, the Silicon Valley desire to have science become predictable, end death, and create endless wealth for a few is really driving a lot of this, from Peter Thiel to RFK Jr. to O’Neill. 

Show Notes

Interview with Demetre Daskalakis: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-c-d-c-s-vaccine-chief-on-why-quitting-was-his-only-option/id1200361736?i=1000724015879 

Insilico.com: https://insilico.com/ 

Provoke the Truth (pod music) — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Show Notes

Jessica Knurick post: https://drjessicaknurick.substack.com/p/trust-the-science-doesnt-mean-what

Comet Plus: https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-comet-plus

"Scholarly Kitchen" guest post by Mike Olson: https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/08/26/guest-post-beyond-classification-the-human-cost-of-library-and-information-labor-under-digital-capitalism/

Clay Shirky on the return of the Blue Books: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/opinion/culture/ai-chatgpt-college-cheating-medieval.html

Pygmy sea horses: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/science/evolution-genetics-seahorses.html

Video of pygmy sea horses (NatGeo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4q3sBuCkRQ

Better bee food to thwart colony collapse: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250822073807.htm

See our book cover: https://www.the-geyser.com/how-the-internet-disrupted-science/ 

Provoke the Truth (pod music) — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Contact us: DISRUPTEDSCIENCE@GMAIL.COM 

Jason Steinhauer is a “public historian” working at the intersection of history, tech, media and politics. He writes and speaks about how social media, tech, and A.I. are shaping our history, politics, democracy, and future. His 2021 book, “History, Disrupted,” touches on many of the same issues we discuss in our forthcoming book about expertise, gatekeepers, the sharing of knowledge, and how information incentives work.

Link to his book: https://www.amazon.com/History_-Disrupted_-How-Social-Media-and-the-World-Wide-Web-Have-Changed-the-Past/dp/3030851168/

Link to his newsletter: https://jasonsteinhauer.substack.com/

Link to his page: https://www.jasonsteinhauer.com/ 

Link to the FT story about Sam Altman’s desecration of the kitchen: https://www.ft.com/content/b1804820-c74b-4d37-b112-1df882629541 

Provoke the Truth (pod music) — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Contact us: DISRUPTEDSCIENCE@GMAIL.COM 

Also, we discuss the related issue of why paper mills and others exist and are flooding the literature.

PNAS paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2420092122

NYTimes coverage: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/science/04hs-science-papers-fraud-research-paper-mills.html

Provoke the Truth (pod music) — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Contact us: DISRUPTEDSCIENCE@GMAIL.COM 

Our "Discoveries of the Week" involve music, books, and delight.

Show Notes

"Gaslight" preprints — https://www.the-geyser.com/now-its-gaslight-preprints/

Ed Zitron's newsletter — https://www.wheresyoured.at/

Ed Zitron's podcast — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-offline/id1730587238

Hum "manifesto" — https://blog.hum.works/posts/the-alchemist-future 

Katina review of AI tools — https://katinamagazine.org/content/article/reviews/2025/deep-dive-into-three-ai-academic-search-tools 

Our Cactus Communications interview — https://allthingsscicomm.buzzsprout.com/1933426/episodes/17561515-rethinking-science-communication-beyond-technology-trends 

Joy's "Discovery of the Week" — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOigILEBilo 

Kent's "Discovery of the Week" — https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Myth-Curious-History-Dangerous/dp/B0DX9W74SZ/ 

Provoke the Truth (pod music) — https://provokethetruth.net/ 

Related posts:

https://www.the-geyser.com/scientific-pubs-epstein-file/

https://www.the-geyser.com/sci-pubs-epstein-files-part-2/

https://www.the-geyser.com/fascism-comes-to-the-farm/

• Sleuths and Dirty Laundry
• Peer Review Congress Agenda
• YLE Praising NIH Caps
• AUP "Mass Resignation"
• Update on "Gaslight Journals"
• Rick Tackles CC
• Adam Becker's New Book and Kara Swisher Interview

ALSO, "Discoveries of the Week" that will chill you out and make you feel alive!

Link to the third thumb.