December 17, 2025 — Scientific Publishing’s Double Bubble

For a variety of reasons we explore in the podcast, the OA bubble is not arriving in the AI era as something as all-encompassing or healthy as imagined — in fact, it appears to be deflating and is certainly dirtier than expected. It also does not possess sufficient surface tension to repel elements of the AI bubble from mixing in — OA papers with OA citations and text are often found, and many more are suspected to exist throughout preprint servers, predatory publishers, and opportunistic Gold OA publishers. The increasingly conjoined bubbles may share a fate in some manner, one we speculate about. There are also some common business aspects — funding that dries up, circular financing operations, and bad actors aplenty. Will both bubbles pop in spectacular fashion? Will they slowly deflate? Will one pop, leaving the other unharmed? Or are there another scenarios? In any event, both bubbles appear incongruous with scientific discovery. Where do we go from here? We finish with our “Discoveries of the Week.” Article on the New York Times’ “Connections” game. Subscribe to our podcast Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Amazon Music/Audible Subscribe on YouTube Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/