Hi! 👋

This week: A chilling story about eons of evolutionary instinct taking over in the most violent of ways, turning what you thought was your cuddly best friend into a killer.

We’re also digging into the publishing crisis in science, a hobbyist detective solving Medieval-era crimes, and the ethical questions of using AI to revive dead websites. Plus, of course, the usual rundown of news bites from around the world.

Thanks so much for being here and enjoy reading!

One long read…

I’ll be honest: I had another long read lined up for this week. But then I found this and I just KNEW that I had to share it with you ASAP.

This story is wild. Writer Peter Holley must have interviewed the hell out of the people in this story to be able to describe everything in such granular detail. Every stab, every wound, every piece of torn flesh. I admit I was wincing all throughout and had to step away from the story to breathe more times than I could count.

But my goodness is it quite the story. Definitely a must-read.

This one took me an hour maybe. Including the distractions and reading breaks I had to take.

… and then some

⚛ Science is in crisis. There is a growing wave of bogus research papers being published, and the fakers aren’t even trying to be subtle about it. Some papers are so blatantly phoney that it’s so painfully clear that even some editors and peer reviewers are not only part of the scheme, but are also most likely making money off of it. There’s so much to be said about this—the pressure on scientists to publish, the often-predatory practice of scientific publishing, the paper mill industry—but they are all trumped by this: The public will have even less trust in science now. And we will all be worse off because of it.

+ The story from The Guardian pins much of the blame on China, where bogus scientific papers began (which might well be true), but the fakery doesn’t spare even the highest levels of academia, including Harvard.

+ Here’s another big one from 2022, which threatens an entire subfield of Alzheimer’s disease research.

+ And: Rat dicks. In a peer-reviewed journal. Because why not. Thanks, AI.

+ Speaking of predatory, borderline-unethical practices in scientific publishing…

🕵️‍♂️ If, like me, you’re into either a good mystery or history (or both), then this story from writer Sofia Quaglia will be right up your alley. She features scholars who have quite possibly the coolest hobby ever: Using medieval-age records and maps to solve centuries-old cold cases. The tech is cool for sure—and the article itself made me love my True Crime podcasts even more—but try not to let it distract you from the murder mystery that Sofia is telling. 😉

+ This is the Medieval Murder Map. Let’s hope similar efforts crop up in more parts of the world.

+ Speaking of True Crime, this is what I’m listening to at the moment. It’s gruesome and might get a bit too triggering for some, but the storytelling is 🤌✨ 

🤖 There’s so much that I’m disgusted/angry/scared of about the seemingly unstoppable rise of AI, but I have to admit, I didn’t see this one coming. Apparently, some very enterprising and tech-savvy (but I would say ethically stunted) people online are snapping up dead websites from shuttered publications and reviving them, filling them with AI-generated SEO-friendly garbage just for the clicks and ad dollars. Look: I’m a writer by trade. I’m a person of the Media. So even if I try my hardest to be level-minded about this, there’s really no way for me to not look at these zombie websites with loathing. But you are free to see things however you want.

+ I have grown to believe that the rise of AI is a reflection of our own laziness, and proof that we’ve all been so used to consuming blah media that it’s all we ever look for now.

Around the world

Here are some of the most important/interesting/infuriating news bits from around the world this week:

1 - There’s no way to not talk about this. Israel has pushed Palestinians to the southernmost tip of Gaza and still won’t stop the assaults.

• There is so much that’s being said (and that still needs to be said) about Israel’s blanket offensive on Palestinians, but I believe a centerpiece of it is the US being its most ardent and violent supporter, despite massive international pressure.

• The bond between the US and Israel runs deep and is driven by colonialism, militarism and cold war-era anti-communism. And money, of course.

2 - Our shared history took one look at the current state of the world and decided to smite us with the bubonic plague.

• Of course, I don’t want to be alarmist. The plague is deadly, especially if left unchecked, but it can easily be treated with widely available antibiotics.

3 - So the Superbowl happened this week. I’m neither the biggest sports fan nor am I particularly interested in mainstream cultural happenings, but Alicia Keys flubbing her first note still somehow made its way onto my feeds.

• That in itself is fine. It happens. That’s what live music is all about. But what gets me is that it apparently got scrubbed on the official YouTube video. Why??

• This Tweet thread by T. Becket Adams argues that it’s part of this larger cultural battle over who gets to decide what the truth is and what the official records will remember. Maybe not specifically for this Alicia Keys performance, but I think that’s important to keep in mind.

4 - Yet more polling news: Indonesia elects documented human rights abuser Prabowo Subianto to succeed Jokowi.

• As the strongman ascends to power, activists fear the worst for the country.

• Prabowo is the former son-in-law and lackey of late dictator Suharto, but has rebranded himself as a harmless grandpa during the past election cycle.

5 - In a weird reversal of fortunes, a crowd goes out of control and attacks a self-driving car and sets it on fire. Not sure how I feel about this.

6 - In Scotland, a Japanese macaque ran from a zoo to steal peanuts from a birdfeeder. His name is Honshu, he goes by Kingussie Kong, and I love him.

• He has been caught and returned after being tempted by some pudding that a local had left out to feed birds. My king with the sweet tooth.

• Authorities even used drones to track him down.

Thanks for reading! Please, please reach out if you have feedback, suggestions, or questions. I know some of the stories I recommend might be behind paywalls, and maybe I can help you with access to those, too!

Also, please feel free to share The Lazy Reader with friends or family who you think might want to join us in reading more.

Until next Sunday! 👋