Anti-GMOers, Comic Book Characters, and the Séralini Study

In September of 2012 a French scientist by the name of Gilles-Éric Séralini had published a study that claimed evidence of a link between the consumption of genetically modified maize and developing cancerous tumors. The study was peer-reviewed and it spread throughout the news like wildfire.

To make an annoyingly long story short, however, it was exposed that Séralini and his team had only selected a few reporters to cover the publication, so long as they agree, through written consent, that they wouldn’t consult other experts on the matter before publication. The reason for this was obvious though after it was finally published – the scientific community responded in opposition to the study’s claimed results.

Fast forward a year and a few months later, Séralini’s study has now been officially retracted by the publishing company Elsevier B.V.’s journal, Food and Chemical Toxicology. As a result, while the vast majority of scientists applauded the publishing company’s retraction of a clear example of pure pseudoscience, Séralini and his merry band of idiots responded in opposition, calling for a boycott of Elsevier.

At this very moment, the dubiously named webpage Institute of Science in Society is carrying around the “Open Letter on Retraction and Pledge to Boycott Elsevier,” with a list of “scientists” and non-scientists below it, pledging their allegiance to the anti-GMOer crusade, demanding that the retraction of Séralini’s study be reversed.

What’s interesting, however, is a couple of the listed “scientists” who pledged support in the petition. The first one being a supposed U.S. PhD scientist of Gamma Radiation, named Bruce Banner. Yes, that Bruce Banner.

Then if you go down a ways to #169, you’ll come across a Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, who claims to hold a MD in Psychiatry and works at Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane in Gotham City, NJ. Yes, that Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel.

That’s certainly one hell of a list, they’ve got there! Who knew the anti-GMOers could enlist such powerful *coughcoughfictionalcough* scientists to help combat against the evil Monsanto-led agenda of tinkering with the building blocks of life. *holding back laughter*

Jokes aside, it’s quite amazing at just how easily manipulative the anti-GMO movement can be. While it’s certainly humorous in catching these pseudoscientists in the act, it’s also worrisome that so many people within the anti-GMO movement not only are fooled by such nonsense, but then never question said movement when exposed before their very eyes.

It’s a good thing they didn’t enlist the Hulk though. They won’t like him when he’s angry.

UPDATE: A couple others have been spotted. #51 is of a Edward Douglas, claiming a PhD in Molecular Genetics, who’s located in a research center on Noble’s Island. For those confused, Noble’s Island was first introduced in the science fiction novel The Island of Doctor Moreau, whereas Edward Douglas was first introduced in the 1996 film adaption to the novel.

#110 is one of my favorites, honestly. It’s listed as Cave Johnson, developer of Quantum Tunneling, and founder of Aperture Science. If you don’t know who this is, then I’d highly recommend playing the very enjoyable video games Portal and Portal 2.

UPDATE #2: It appears the list is continuously being updated with new names. So don’t take my numbering as being absolute. Simply search for the names and they should still be there, just listed differently now.

UPDATE #3: It now appears that the anti-GMOers finally caught on their own gullibility and deleted all the names listed which were of fictional “scientists”. They released a short statement on their page, stating that it was a “cyber-attack by a group on Facebook called GMO LOL.” Seeing as how I’m a member of the GMOLOL Facebook group, I can definitely say that we weren’t the perpetrators of the “attack”, but the ones who exposed it and showed how easily gullible these nitwits really are.