Once upon a time, when there were many fewer academic journals than there are now, a scientist or team would submit a paper on their research, and then scientists in the same general area with no connection to the authors would then review the paper before it was accepted for publishing.

Today, science journalism is a cutthroat industry, and we have artificial intelligence to help create shortcuts. A paper published in the journal Frontiers drew peer review from the public for its AI-generated images. The authors disclose that the illustrations were generated by the program Midjourney, but they are so inaccurate and badly labelled as to be completely useless. Science integrity consultant Elisabeth Bik described the image above as "a bunch of pizzas with pink salami and blue tomatoes." But the real show-stopper is an image of a rat with the world's largest penis and four testes. Now, science illustrations will often enlarge an important inset, but will indicate this somehow. This rat's parts are labeled with words like iollotte sserotgomar, testtomcels, dissilced, and dck. The testtomcels label points to the rat's hind leg. But at least the word Rat is spelled correctly.   

A commenter who knows more about molecular biology than I do says the text appears to be AI-generated in places, too. Twitter is having a good time with the paper.

really, the only thing i'd take issue with here is the unclear labeling of the diƨlocttal stem ells.

— Paranoid Delusion Mocker, Professional Gangstalker (@legs_snail) February 15, 2024

One day after Bik posted her article, Frontiers has retracted the paper. A document of the original is still available. -via Metafilter

(Image source: Frontiers)

The 1988 movie Beetlejuice revolves around Barbara and Adam Maitland, who are killed in an auto accident early in the film, but continue to live in the house they love. Being ghosts, they cannot stop the sale of their home to a new family, so they try to scare them away. If you didn't know the movie already, you might think that makes them the villains in the story, but no, that belongs to the chaotic Beetlejuice who they enlist to help them out. But one fan theory suggests we look elsewhere for the real villain.

Before the accident, the Maitlands are visited by pushy realtor Jane Butterfield, who could make a large commission selling their home. The couple aren't interested in selling the house. But then they immediately die, making the real estate deal possible. What if Jane had engineered the accident? It was ostensibly caused by a stray dog in the street, but Jane could have led him there. Was it murder? It may seem silly at first, but why include the realtor in the film before the death otherwise? A deleted alternate ending brings Jane back, and lends more credence to her importance in the story. This theory could open up possibilities for the as-yet-unknown plot for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the 2024 sequel opening in September. Read about this theory at Screen Rant. -via Mental Floss

Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe. Its farmers raise and export a huge chunk of the world's wheat, barley, and other grains. But in 1932 and '33, Stalin decided to show Ukrainians who was boss and suppress those who would oppose the authority of the Soviet Union. The collectivization and modernization of agriculture was going on throughout the USSR, and all areas that were once abundant resources were harmed when experienced farmers were replaced by government policies and unreasonable goals. Bad weather made things worse. Still, Ukraine suffered so much more that many countries consider the Holodomor an act of genocide. And it was kept secret from the outside world for decades.

Tom Blank of Weird History makes no attempt at humor in this video, because it's a truly tragic story. He does allow a little sarcasm when appropriate. You can learn more about the Holodomor at Wikipedia. Beware, the details are gory and heartbreaking.

Casimir Zeglen left his Polish monastery in 1890 and immigrated to the US to lead a Polish Catholic congregation in Chicago. He was shocked when the mayor of Chicago was assassinated by gunshot in 1893. So shocked, in fact, that he went all in on developing a way to protect public figures from such attacks that could be worn unnoticed underneath a regular shirt, namely, a bulletproof vest. After two years of research with other materials, Zeglen learned that silk had an extraordinary strength, enough to slow or even stop a bullet. Zeglen began learning about the art of silk weaving and developed new methods to make it as strong as needed for his lifesaving vest. He received two patents for his innovation in 1896.

But despite the vest's effectiveness, Zeglen ran into problems. His business partner betrayed him. His funding, spent on research, ran out when it came time to manufacture the product. And then the real problem with a silk bulletproof vest came to light- it was biodegradable. Still, Zeglen's research paved the way for bulletproof materials we have now. Read the story of Zeglen's bulletproof vest at Amusing Planet.

In ancient times, a solar eclipse caused people to believe the world was ending. We know better now, but animals can act like they feel the same way. Some begin to act anxious, or run away, or start acting like it's nighttime when the sun goes dark, which only makes sense. Other behaviors are not so easily explained. Tortoises who start mating could be the wisest of the bunch, because, well, if the world really were ending, what would you do? But then again, how much attention do we pay to these animal behaviors when there's no eclipse?

The next solar eclipse will be on Monday, April 8, which will be seen in the parts of the US. Those places are already battening the hatches for the hordes of tourists who will be rolling in to see it. Learn more about the April eclipse at NASA. They've got some cool visuals. -via Laughing Squid

FUN FACT: For my demoreel I used the song: Firehouse Five Plus Two - I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire

The Firehouse Five Plus Two was a Dixieland jazz band, formed in 1949 by Ward Kimball, consisting of members of the Walt Disney Studios animation department. pic.twitter.com/uL0uv5ezLq

— javier Pedreño (@j_pedreno) March 28, 2021

In the 1940s, Disney Animator Ward Kimball and a few friends from work discovered they shared a love for jazz. They started a band and played together, sometimes at work during lunch. They went through a few names and finally settled on The Firehouse Five Plus Two (because there were seven of them at the time). The band was asked to play at parties, and then found paid gigs, and before you know it, they were recording artists. Walt Disney didn't mind the side hustle, and was proud of the band, even using them on some Disney productions. That is, until Kimball started getting a bit too much admiration for his music, and the band had a falling out with Walt. The Firehouse Five Plus Two recorded 13 albums up into the 1970s.

Cabel Sasser tells us the story of The Firehouse Five Plus Two, and then how he came into the possession of a collection of acetate records of their early practice sessions from the 1940s. He had the records digitally copied, because they were quite fragile. The songs show us how the group worked out new tunes, labeled the recordings with different rude band names that were never meant to be seen, and marked them with "please destroy." These songs are shared on Sasser's site, but the very last one is a rare treasure. It contains a song that was long in the making, but the sequence was deleted from the 1950 Disney movie Cinderella.

Go on, hit play. And as you listen, take a moment to let it sink in that you’re one of the first people to hear this music in nearly 75 years.

You'll also learn the story behind the deleted scene. Even if you don't care about Dixieland jazz, you'll enjoy reading about this piece of musical history. -via Kottke

We've known for a long time that ultraviolet light kills viruses, but we never used it because ultraviolet light is what gives us skin cancer when we spend too much time in the sun. In other words, it's dangerous. Oh, not the small black lights we use to see groovy posters or check for bloodstains; those have very little power and are quite safe compared to the sun. We wear sunscreen to protect us from UV-A and UV-B rays from the sun, but there's also UV-C, which has a narrow point in the spectrum that doesn't cause cancer called far-UV. Strangely, this discovery was made in 2020, which is when we were pretty desperate to kill viruses. So why aren't we using far-UV everywhere to kill viruses? Because there are other questions about its safety and efficacy, not to mention the cost-benefit ratio. There's still a lot to learn about far-UV, but the very idea is exciting. -via Digg

For about a hundred years, from the late 15th to the late 16th century, codpieces were high fashion. The original codpiece was a part of a suit of armor, and it was seriously for protection. But off the battlefield, this piece of clothing had an innocent and even modest start. Men commonly wore a tunic and hose, with the hose being two separate socks that were tied to the tunic. In the late 15th century, style dictated that the tunics or doublets got shorter and shorter, and the codpiece was developed to cover a man's genitalia when his fashionable clothing no longer would.

But men quickly saw an opportunity, in that a codpiece can be enhanced. That scrap of fabric could be any size, and stuffed with fabric or straw, it changed from an item of modesty to an attention-grabbing accessory. Some even used their codpiece as a pocket to store handy items, while also inflating the size of the codpiece. Henry VIII was a fan of the codpiece, since it was important for a monarch to flaunt his virility despite his trouble producing an heir. And you know the king is a fashion influencer, no matter how scandalized the clergy was. Meanwhile, everyday folks laughed at codpieces with jokes about compensating. Read about the codpiece fad and how it eventually died out at BBC Future. Get ready for plenty of double entendres. -via Metafilter

(Image credit: Hans Holbein the Younger)

The custom of writing love letters has fallen from an art form to a few scribbled words inside a Valentine's Day card, thanks to instant communication. Once upon a time, a well-written letter could make someone fall in love with you, and even better, letters sometimes survive the ravages of time so that we can all enjoy them. The letters that our nation's leaders wrote are particularly interesting because we know the public facing president, who can be very different from the private man seeking to impress a lady. Dorothy Hoobler and Thomas Hoobler have written a book called Are You Prepared for the Storm of Love Making?: Letters of Love and Lust from the White House. The title comes from a letter Woodrow Wilson wrote to his wife.

In an excerpt, we find that Lyndon Johnson met Lady Bird in Texas in September of 1934, and when he returned to Washington where he was serving in Congress, he wrote her every day until she agreed to marry him, which happened in November of that year. U.S. Grant's wife Julia had to instruct him on how to write an acceptable letter. And Martha Washington had all her letters from George burned before she died, but a few somehow escaped that fate. Read about the love letters some US presidents sent at Literary Hub.  -via Damn Interesting

Four Italian guitar players, Matteo Brenci, Emanuele Grafitti, Enrico Maria Milanesi, and Andrea Vittori, all from different musical backgrounds, got together and formed a band called 40 Fingers. They don't need any other instruments, because in each song, they split the parts into percussion, bass, melody, and vocals, and play as an orchestra. In this performance, they bring us eight Michael Jackson songs in a medley, or rather, six Michael Jackson songs, plus a Jackson 5 song, and that one from USA for Africa. You have to admit they make beautiful music. If Michael Jackson is not your thing, their website and YouTube channel are full of pop covers, medleys, show tunes, and full concerts that will tickle your fancy. -via Laughing Squid

Fearing a crisis of too many mouths to feed, the government of China instituted the one child policy in 1980. For 35 years, citizens were told that limiting your family to only one child was best, and many came to believe it. Others were subject to forced abortions, fines, and loss of jobs and homes for violating the policy. Gradually, as the effects of the policy were realized, the rules were refined in some areas to allow a family with one girl to try once again for a boy. Then in 2015, the policy was changed to two children. Now the Chinese government is encouraging young women to have three children. But it's not working.

For one thing, there are fewer women reaching childbearing age every year, thanks to the original policy. And the current childbearing-age cohort grew up in one-child homes, believing that was best, as the government told them. Economic reforms led to more young people moving to the cities for better jobs, and the cost of living discourages having any children at all. The population crisis was averted, but now China is facing the prospect of too few young people to support a large population of aging grandparents. The country's population began to drop in 2022, and in 2023 there were half a million fewer births than the year before. The same trend is seen in other countries, but in less stark numbers due to the erstwhile policy. How did all this happen? The original policy was a reaction to demographic projections by a missile scientist who used rocket trajectory numbers in his calculations. Maybe sociologists should have been consulted. Read the history of the one child policy and how China is feeling the fallout today.  -via Damn Interesting

Get ready for a slight case of cognitive dissonance as the Caped Crusader strolls down the corridor of the Death Star. It's the dark side vs. the Dark Knight! What's even more amazing is that in this story, Superman with all his powers is being held hostage, and Batman, with only his money, science, and gadgets, must rescue him. We know that Batman has everything he needs in his utility belt, but we never imagined one of those things was a lightsaber! Who will prevail, Batman and his amazing gear, or Vader with his Force powers?

To really cement the crossover, they should have enlisted Mark Hamill. He could have played both Luke Skywalker and The Joker.

The confrontation is neither AI nor animation, but an old-fashioned fan film that's very well produced. We can thank Batinthesun. This is actually a recent edit and re-upload of a longer video from the Super Power Beat Down series. You can see the original episode here, and the alternative ending version here that gave us this cut, which includes an opening crawl with some exposition, although it's not necessary to enjoy the video.  -via Born in Space

The Uros people live on floating islands on Lake Titicaca, high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. They have always maintained that they are an ancient and distinct people who have always lived on the shores of -or in- Lake Titicaca. Outsiders are split about this claim. Some consider the Uros indistinguishable from other indigenous South Americans such as the Quechua and Aymara, and think that the people who live there now are staying because they benefit from the lake's resources and the tourist trade. They've even been accused of fabricating their history and customs as a performance. The government of Peru has been planning to turn the area into a national reserve, so the question is important to the people who live there now and demand the right to continue living in their ancestral home.

That's where DNA tests come in. A team of geneticists traveled to Lake Titicaca and had a time convincing the Uros to give swabs of DNA for testing. Julio Vilca, mayor of the floating islands, convinced others that this was the way to prove their lineage and history, and was the first to take the swab. Read about the Uros people of Laka Titicaca and what the genetic tests revealed at Big Think.

(Image credit: BENNY GROSS.1)

It has long been known the J.R.R. Tolkien did not like Disney, since the day he saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with his close friend C.S. Lewis in 1938. But let's set the record straight. First, he didn't hate Walt Disney, the man. Tolkien wasn't that kind of person. But he hated the way The Walt Disney Company changed traditional folklore to appeal to the maximum possible numbers of American children, dumbing them down, so to speak. Second, he felt this way long before he saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Tolkien was an old-fashioned writer even for his time, and he had massive respect for classic fairy tales that went back hundreds of years, if not more. He also had his own particular vision of storytelling as a whole. You know that, but when you contrast it with the way Disney, as a company, works, you can see that the twain would never meet.

In 1531, Francisco Pizarro led 168 Spanish soldiers and two dozen horses inside the city of Cajamarca, then the capital of the Inca Empire, in what is now Peru. The Inca, with a huge army, did not see them as much of a threat, but they didn't know the deadly superiority of steel swords. The monarch of the empire, Atahualpa, was captured and confined to a room in his royal complex. With no way out and his empire at stake, Atahualpa began to offer treasure for his release.

Once he realized what the Spanish were really after, Atahualpa said he would give them enough gold to fill the room he was in up to the point he could reach (which was designated as a red line on the wall), plus enough silver to fill the room twice. The Spanish were very open to the idea, but made sure the gold and silver artworks were crushed and even melted down to maximize the take. The "ransom room" was 22 feet long and 17 feet wide, and the red line was more than eight feet up. It took two months to bring that much gold and silver to the room. The ransom ended up being 6,000 kilograms (13,227 pounds) of gold and twice as much silver, which would be worth almost half a billion dollars today.

How did that turn out for Atahualpa? You can imagine, but it would be better to read the story at Amusing Planet. The Inca Empire is gone, but the ransom room is still there, preserved for posterity.