Peer reviewers examined it. Journal editors published it. Researchers cited it. Everybody apparently admired the impressive credentials while the fraudulent evidence sat there enjoying its distinguished academic career.

Congratulations to the scientific establishment on another breathtaking achievement! Twenty-one authors, 83 citations, four years in a prestigious journal, and a COVID vaccine study containing FABRICATED DATA AND FALSIFIED IMAGES.

Give these geniuses a standing fucking ovation.

The Francis Crick Institute helped produce this masterpiece of scientific credibility. Peer reviewers examined it. Journal editors published it. Researchers cited it. Everybody apparently admired the impressive credentials while the fraudulent evidence sat there enjoying its distinguished academic career.

Then came the retraction. And the real magic began.

The institute investigated research associated with its own scientists and identified doctoral student Kevin W. Ng as responsible. The other twenty authors? Cleared of malpractice!

Bravo! Twenty-one names qualified for the scientific glory, but apparently only one deserved the disgrace.

What an extraordinary division of labor.

The supervisors supervised. The reviewers reviewed. The editors edited. The authors authored. And somehow the fabricated evidence sailed through this magnificent intellectual obstacle course for four fucking years.

Even better, when Retraction Watch requested the investigative report, the institute didn’t respond.

Naturally. Why spoil such a beautiful institutional exoneration with something as vulgar as public scrutiny?

Remember, these are the sorts of prestigious institutions whose authority ordinary Americans were expected to respect during the pandemic. Question the experts and you were an ignorant asshole. Question their accountability procedures and apparently you’re supposed to admire the stationery on the clearance letter.

So congratulations, distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the scientific establishment. You’ve demonstrated a remarkable talent for distributing prestige across an entire research team while concentrating the consequences of misconduct on one doctoral student.

Twenty-one scientists were qualified to put their names on the achievement.

When the fraud surfaced, twenty suddenly had remarkably little responsibility to answer for.

Apparently, scientific glory comes with unlimited co-authorship.

Accountability comes with one fucking seat. (article below)

— Flopping Aces (@FloppingAces) October 25, 2026