Bogdanov affair

[[File:Présentation équipe DMBC, 10 septembre 2016 - 6.jpg|thumb|right|The Bogdanoff twins in 2016]]
{{pseudoscience}}
{{cquote|“They were at best wrong, and most likely just throwing around words with no calculations or proofs to back them up.”|||Lee Smolin<ref name=Butler>[https://www.nature.com/articles/420005b.pdf Theses spark twin dilemma for physicists] Butler, Declan. ''Nature'', 2002.</ref>}}
{{cquote|Nonsense in the morning may make sense in the evening or the following day.|||The Bogdanovs writing in defense of their [[bullshit]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210308120445/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/09/arts/are-they-geniuses-b-jokers-french-physicists-cosmic-theory-creates-big-bang-its.html?pagewanted=all Are They a) Geniuses or b) Jokers?; French Physicists' Cosmic Theory Creates a Big Bang of Its Own] by Dennis Overbye (Nov. 9, 2002) ''The New York Times''.</ref>}}

The '''Bogdanov affair''' (alternatively spelled as '''Bogdanoff''') was a controversy in academia centered around the [[physics]] papers written by the {{wpl|Bogdanoff twins||,}} two French TV personalities. The papers, which claimed to explain what happened before the [[Big Bang]], had earlier passed [[peer review]] and been published in [[Scientific journal|reputable journals]], but upon receiving further scrutiny were accused of being [[Bullshit|nonsensical]] by many academics, and people began to question whether the entire thing was a deliberate [[hoax]].<ref name=Muir>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160413013324/https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg17623690-500-twins-raise-ruckus/ Twins raise ruckus]. Muir, Hazel. ''The New Scientist'', 2002, via Wayback.</ref><ref name=Baez/> The twins maintained their seriousness.

==The Bogdanoff twins==
Identical twins {{wpl|Igor and Grichka Bogdanoff||,}} {{lived|1949|2021/2022}} were French TV personalities known for presenting science-themed programs. Academically, they studied [[Math|applied mathematics]] in the 1970s. Grichka received a doctorate in mathematics in 1999 and Igor recieved one in theoretical physics in 2002.<ref>[https://theses.hal.science/tel-00001503v2 Etat topologique de l'espace-temps à l'échelle zéro] by Igor Bogdanoff (2002) Université de Bourgogne.</ref><ref>[https://theses.hal.science/tel-00001502 ''Fluctuations quantiques de la signature de la métrique à l'échelle de Planck''] by Grichka Bogdanoff (1999) Université de Bourgogne.</ref> They were also known for their extreme physical appearance later in life, with extremely heightened cheekbones and [[botox]] injections. The twins also had a history of grand, unsupported claims about themselves, including scoring a supposed 190 [[IQ]] in childhood testing,<ref name=nyt>{{a|https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/07/world/europe/grichka-and-igor-bogdanoff-dead.html|Grichka and Igor Bogdanoff, Twins in an Uneasy Spotlight, Die at 72}}, Clay Risen, ''The New York Times'', January 7, 2022</ref> and royal ancestry. Online legend also has it that they've contacted aliens, and that the [[Rothschild family|Rothschild]]s used to bow to them.{{nofact}}

Prior to the eponymous affair, the Bogdanoff twins had been accused of [[plagiarism]] by physicist {{wpl|Trinh Xuan Thuan||.}} The twins' book, ''Dieu et la Science'',<ref>''Dieu et la Science: vers le métaréalisme'' by (1991) Grasset. ISBN 2246424119.</ref> was a bestseller, and attempted to blend physics and [[Catholicism]]. Thuan said they had plagiarized his work ''La Mélodie secrète'',<ref>''La Mélodie secrète… Et l'Homme créa l'Univers'' by Xuan Thuan Trinh (1988) Fayard. ISBN 2213022194.</ref><ref>''The Secret Melody: And Man Created the Universe'' by Trinh Xuan Thuan (1995) Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195073703.</ref><ref name=Baez>[https://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/bogdanov.html The Bogdanoff Affair] by John Baez (October 22, 2010) ''University of California, Riverside''.</ref> and the twins claimed in turn that he had plagiarized someone else; the case was settled out of court. This did, however, bring attention to the twins, since the book [[credentialism|claimed they had physics doctorates]] when they did not yet have PhDs.<ref name=Muir />

In 2005 the twins became professors at Megatrend University, a [[Serbia]]n private university surrounded by scandals and accused of being a [[diploma mill]].<ref name=nyt /> Indeed, the presence of the twins became one of the scandals bringing the institution its negative reputation.<ref>[https://www.arabnews.com/news/593141 Bogus academic claims tarnish Serbia’s ivory tower], Agence France-Presse, ''Arab News'', June 28, 2014</ref>

They openly opposed [[Anti-vaccination movement|vaccination]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], and they both died of COVID around the New Years Day of 2022.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/04/entertainment/igor-bogdanoff-dies-covid-intl-scli/index.html French TV star Igor Bogdanoff dies of Covid, days after twin brother] by Joseph Ataman & Dalal Mawad (12:44 PM EST, Tue January 4, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref>

==The affair==
In 2002, gossip began to spread, and scrutinizing eyes looked more carefully at the twins' work. It became clear that most physicists who tried to read their papers walked away utterly baffled. The topics included topological field theory, [[Quantum mechanics|quantum fluctuations]], and the [[Big Bang]]. The papers were loaded with both errors and constant [[Technobabble|buzzwords]] and did not seem to coalesce into any coherent theory.<ref name=Baez/> The papers that the physicists brought into question had titles such as ''Topological field theory of the initial singularity of spacetime''<ref>[https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0264-9381/18/21/301 Topological field theory of the initial singularity of spacetime] by Grichka Bogdanov & Igor Bogdanov (2001) ''Classical and Quantum Gravity'' 18:4341 doi:10.1088/0264-9381/18/21/301.</ref> and ''Spacetime Metric and the KMS Condition at the Planck Scale''.<ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003491601962128 Spacetime Metric and the KMS Condition at the Planck Scale] by Igor Bogdanoff & Grichka Bogdanoff (2002) ''Annals of Physics'' 296(1):90-97. doi:10.1006/aphy.2001.6212.</ref><ref name=Baez/> Perhaps needless to say, this is pretty complicated theoretical research that most people won't be able to make heads or tails of; but the problem was that their peers often couldn't either. For example, a particularly excessive section from Igor's paper reads:
{{Blockquote|We draw from the above that whatever the orientation, the plane of oscillation of Foucault's pendulum is necessarily aligned with the initial singularity marking the origin of physical space S<sup>3</sup>, that of Euclidean space E<sup>4</sup> (described by the family of instantons I<sup>beta</sup> of whatever radius beta), and, finally, that of Lorentzian space-time M<sub>4</sub>.<ref name=Baez/>}}

Physicists started to question whether the papers were [[Argument by gibberish|intentionally incoherent]], and was compared to the [[Alan Sokal|Sokal Affair]].<ref>[https://www.theregister.com/2002/11/01/physics_hoaxers_discover_quantum_bogosity/ Physics Hoaxers discover Quantum Bogosity] by Andrew Orlowski (1 Nov 2002 // 21:32 UTC) ''The Register''.</ref> The twins fervently denied any of this being a [[hoax]], and their advisor seconded this denial. They claimed their mathematics were merely "unconventional".<ref name=Muir /> Depends on who you ask if that speaks worse to their character.

In the aftermath, the twins published a pseudoscientific popular science book titled ''Avant Le Big Bang'' (''Before the Big Bang'') based on the same ideas, which sold well, though was criticized for having elementary mathematical and other scientific inaccuracies. The twins [[quote-mined]] and mistranslated critical feedback and presented critics as supporting their work in the book.<ref name="schreiber">{{cite web | author = Schreiber, Urs | title = Sigh | website = The String Coffee Table | date = 2004-06-07 | url = http://golem.ph.utexas.edu/string/archives/000377.html | access-date = 2019-07-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/blog/archives/000034.html |title=Bogdanovs Redux |last=Woit |first=Peter |website=Not Even Wrong |date=2004-06-05 |access-date=2019-07-21}}</ref>

The affair caused some reflection concerning the peer review process, the nature of [[celebrity]] in academia, and the overall legibility of [[quantum physics]] as a field of research.<ref name=Butler />

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==See also==
*[[Fun:Quantum bogodynamics]] – Also quantum, also bogus; not named after the Bogdanoffs, but possibly explaining something about their success.
*[[Sokal affair]] – Famous physics-related scandal that brought scrutiny on academic philosophy journals and debate about postmodernism.
*[[Style over substance]]
*[[Arkadiusz Jadczyk]] – Physicist who supported the Bogdanoffs, but also helped expose their lack of understanding in conversing with them.

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:COVID-19 denialists]]
[[Category:Hoaxes]]
[[Category:Mathematicians]]
[[Category:Physicists]]
[[Category:Plagiarists]]
[[Category:Pseudomathematics]]
[[Category:Pseudophysics]]

Categories: Anti-vaccination movement, COVID-19 denialists, Hoaxes, Mathematicians, Physicists, Plagiarists, Pseudomathematics, Pseudophysics