Just when I thought that the dust was settling on the possible physics hoax, things are stirred up again. The discussion on the Ars Technica forum as well as in sci.physics.research seemed to be trending toward the consensus that the papers by Igor and Grichka Bogdanov are indeed nonsense. There's a lot hand-wringing over the peer review process, especially in the highly specialized fields such as quantum gravity and string theory. One of the Bogdanov papers was published in Annals of Physics, another in Classical and Quantum Gravity, both of which are generally well-respected and respectable physics journals. If their peer review process lets hoaxes through, then no publication is safe. Moreover, the Bogdanovs seem to have gotten Ph. D.'s in physics based on the work presented in the papers. This would also be a massive failure of the academic process and it would be sure to destroy the career of their advisor. So if this is a hoax, it's a pretty big deal.

Now the two brothers at the center of the controversy have responded to the allegations of a hoax and they vehemently deny that it is a one. They claim their work is valid, real research. Still, the evidence seems to be pointing to a hoax, since the Bogdanovs have been involved in plagiarism and tried to get Ph.D.'s on the quick in the following trial. According to Jacques Distler, the papers are complete nonsense. Interesting that if this nonsense, it should be coming from France, the country of silly post-modern vacuity. Has it really infected physics too?

I still don't know what to make of this. I hope their work is real, because as an erstwhile physicist myself I would be greatly saddened that even the supposedly hard science has now sunk to the level of the liberal arts with shoddy peer review. But since I am not even remotely competent to judge the work on its merits, I have no option but to wait for the scientific process to do its work and ferret out the truth. The work could be real, but wrong. There is no shame in that as long as it is not outrageously and obviously wrong as some people are claiming that it is. They could be kooky hecklers from the fringe. They could be misunderstood purveyors of a new insight.

I absolutely detest not knowing things. All I can do is wait.