Wow! Did you hear about the scientific journal article that definitively rules out the idea that global warming is caused by human activity?
Carbon dioxide production by benthic bacteria: the death of manmade global warming theory? Journal of Geoclimatic Studies (2007) 13:3. 223-231.
Here’s a link to see it in full.
If the site has disappeared from the web, then try this cached version (though the figures are not visible).
The journal’s home page has/had a nice editorial about why this journal chose this article as the only one it has ever made available in full for free online.
If you check out the researchers’ names and departments. You’ll realize that the article is a well-crafted fake.
If its too-perfect graphs and its absurd equation didn’t tip you off, then perhaps a look at its references ought to. My personal favorite:
Tibbold, WR and JD Rawsthorne (1998). Miocene, Pliocene and Plasticine fossil records for eukaryotic mass on the West African continental shelf. Journal of Submarine Research 18:5. 196-203.
Plasticine, indeed!
The hoax apparently tripped up some climate-change denialists (including, I am told Sen. Inhofe and Rush Limbaugh, though I am not certain of that as fact) who trumpeted the news, then quickly removed all records from their web sites. If you Google the article name, you will find many of these postings, which fortunately were cached so you can see the original version. (Click the “cached” link at the end of the Google listing.)
For those of us who value critical thinking in political debates that include scientific topics, this prank was a terrific way to expose the people who allow their political bent to trump their scientific judgment.
The people who pulled this off certainly worked hard to make it just believable enough to trigger reflexive reaction, and just absurd enough to tip off those who think before they speak or write.
Well done, pranksters. I can’t wait to see what you have in mind for April Fool’s Day!
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