It's Peer Review Week — but what does that mean anymore? We examine the focus on AI in this year's event, dissect how the definition of "peer review" has shifted from audience-focused selection and refinement to author-focused speed and scale as science has been platformed and adopted a tech-influenced mindset.
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/
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September 12, 2025 — Safeguarding Science from AI: An Interview with Olivia Guest and Iris van Rooij
In this special episode, we speak with two authors of the position paper, "Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia," Olivia Guest and Iris van Rooij, and discuss how academics and scientists need to probe the claims of so-called AI systems, their compatibility with scientific and academic endeavors, and the personal responsibilities academics, researchers, and teachers retain despite these new toys.
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/
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September 11, 2025 — News Update: MDPI Pulls a MAHA Preprint
A July 2025 preprint on Preprints.org (MDPI) gets withdrawn, and the caterwauling about censorship begins. This episode helps you get your bearings, we hope.
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
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September 10, 2025 — What Is the Zuck Really Doing in Science?
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is widely reported as a philanthropy. In fact, it is an LLC operated by the holding company the family uses, sells assets off after acquisition, and is platforming biomedical preprints and other scientific information for its own purposes. It has effectively acquired bioRxiv and medRxiv, operating them in a new entity, openRxiv Corp.
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/
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September 2, 2025 — Private Wealth NOT Public Health
In this episode, we dive deeper into the background of Jim O’Neill, the interim acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the heels of the messy firing of the Senate-approved Director (and actual scientist) Susan Monarez.
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/
From the authors of the forthcoming book ”How the Internet Disrupted Science” comes this view of science from where the action is — the scientific claims and publishing space. Hosted by Kent Anderson and Joy Moore, listeners receive analyses of current events, updates about the book, and opinions on various topics of interest.
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