Inventor claims breakthroughs come to him under self-induced hypnosis
By Jeremy Hsu Posted 03.05.2010 at 12:36 pm 8 Comments

Kremlin from Above What are these leaders thinking? Russia's scientists want to know ITAR-TASS

Russian leaders have occasionally demonstrated a weakness for pseudoscience during the nation's history. Now Russian scientists have rallied to expose Viktor Petrik, a modern-day inventor whose supposed innovations -- realized under self-hypnosis -- have won over the Kremlin. Petrik's ideas include a way to produce silicon for computer chips from fertilizer and a filter that can turn radioactive waste into safe, drinkable water, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The war of words has escalated in recent weeks. One physicist on the pseudoscience commission of Russia's Academy of Sciences called Petrik the "master of bluff," and said that months of investigation had concluded the inventor's ideas are either scientifically impossible or plagiarized from others. Articles critical of Petrik have also appeared recently in the national press.

Controversy spiked last spring when the Academy of Sciences appeared to nominally endorse 11 of Petrik's discoveries at an event chaired by Boris Gryzlov -- the speaker of Russia's parliament and a seemingly tireless champion of Petrik. The Academy eventually ordered the investigation into Petrik's work, after accusations of bowing to official pressure.

Petrik holds a psychology degree and said that he studied some physics without attaining a degree. The inventor's checkered history also includes a 1980s stint in prison for smuggling antique furniture. He learned his self-hypnosis method from an uncle.

Yet Petrik has received endorsements and contracts from top Russian officials, including Vladimir Putin before becoming prime minister, and major Russian companies. His most well-known products are household water filters that supposedly incorporate nanotechnology -- a false claim, according to a member of the pseudoscience commission.

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Tags

Science, Jeremy Hsu, innovators, inventors, pseudoscience, russia, russians, scientists, viktor petrik
Still, that invention won a 2007 competition sponsored by United Russia, and has spurred certain regional governments to install the filters in schools, homes and hospitals.

If scientific proof (or lack thereof) can't convince, then Russian scientists also point to their nation's history of falling for charlatan scientists such as Trofim Lysenko, who tried to please Stalin by overturning Darwin and claiming that acquired characteristics could be inherited. Then there was N.Y. Marr, described as a madman and megalomaniac by his fellow linguists, who proclaimed that all the languages of the world descend from a single proto-language that consisted of four words: sal, ber, yon, and rosh.

[via Wall Street Journal]

8 Comments

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Meshca
03/05/10 at 12:59 pm

Some news from Russia.. nice. You know what they say, bad publicity is good publicity.

]rant[
IMO
This is a little off-topic but, I can't wait until the day Russia and America will set aside their cocky-ness and superiority complex to work together in the field of science more then they are now. Unfortunately, the day politics seize to influence science is the day the world will be united under religion..
/rant.

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Shmel
03/05/10 at 1:55 pm

Unfortunately, science in Russia today is managed by ignorant, superstitious people. When communists were in power such people were kept in jail for а good reason.

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javaman888
03/05/10 at 2:50 pm

To Shmel: I disagree with you. It is not managed by ignorant people at all, and this whole article looks like it is a publicity stunt by itself - every society has its share or cuckoos and there is no proof that "ignorant Kremlin managers" are in any way shape of form even know about this dude. No one ignorant would be able to hold such huge country together for any period of time. Get your facts straight.

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trireme
03/05/10 at 3:53 pm

I think the reason Russia gets so many cuckoos is because they have such a large and robust scientific community. Some small percentage of scientists are bound to be quacks, and Russia has lots of scientists to begin with.

As for politicians supporting Petrik, politicians love big dramatic things, so they will always be tempted by scientists who know how to put on a show.

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Shmel
03/05/10 at 3:58 pm

javaman888

Here are sad facts.

Mr. Petrik is a charlatan. His activity is promoted by a chairman of Russian parliament and a chairman of ruling party Mr. Gryzlov, because Mr. Gryzlov is ignorant and dumb like a chock.

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Meshca
03/05/10 at 6:12 pm

To add to trireme, Russia has only recently started to..how to put it.. 'govern'? things. The ethics and morals that deal with safety/redundancy/worksmanship/etc that America has in its science community Russia also has, it's just not enforced that much.

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irinash
03/06/10 at 4:41 pm

You know, I have to tell you, I really enjoy this blog and the insight from everyone who participates. I find it to be refreshing and very informative. I wish there were more blogs like it...Thanks!

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nonsquid
03/07/10 at 10:08 am

Give this man the Nobel Peace Prize! He has done more that Al Gore or Obama put together.

Pop culture Science is really what most people care about. Fluff stuff like "The man who is allergic to radio waves", now there is some real science. I hope they didn't use a digital camera to take his picture.


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