Get out of obscurantism

Deputies and "brilliant scientist" Petrik continue to fight those who stir up "Clean Water" with the help of UBEP

In the previous issue, Novaya Gazeta talked about how the United Russia party, led by State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, is trying to...

In the previous issue , Novaya Gazeta talked about how the United Russia party, led by State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov, is trying to save face in the face of the increasingly loud scandal surrounding the Pure Water party project, disowning Petrik’s filters, but continuing to insist on their participation in the state program. Now - a few words about how the creators of the party project are fighting those who prevented it from becoming federal.

The RAS Commission for Combating Pseudoscience and Falsification of Scientific Research has become the loudest victim of the fight against "dissent". Gryzlov saw signs of obscurantism in her activities, which he did not fail to announce to the whole country back in January, after the head of the commission, academician Eduard Kruglyakov, spoke about the fact that Petrik’s filters, promoted by the creators of the party project, could be not only ineffective, but also dangerous for health.

The formal reason for such a categorical statement is the suspicion that the RAS is deliberately blocking new initiatives. Valery Seleznev, an LDPR deputy, managed to concretize the speaker's idea: the commission, they say, blocks all initiatives that do not come from members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, rots young scientists and slows down the modernization announced by President Medvedev. As a result, the Duma Committee on Science and the Anti-Corruption Commission received protocol orders to check the commission. The State Duma rejected the order - according to Seleznev himself - for purely technical reasons. In the near future, the deputy will again submit the document to the lower house of parliament.

Two other cases are related to the Water Supply and Sewerage magazine and its editor-in-chief Sergey Finaev. In the June issue of this publication, for the first time, reports were published on pilot tests of Petrik filters, which were conducted by the St. Petersburg Vodokanal, they testified to the possible unsafety of the product and the absence of some of the properties declared by the manufacturer. St. Petersburg Vodokanal, which, despite research, supports the installation of these filters, filed a lawsuit against the publication, citing the fact that the reports - made, by the way, at public expense ("Vodokanal" is a state unitary enterprise) and containing information of public importance - are their intellectual property. Now the case is in the Moscow Arbitration Court.

And last week, representatives of the St. Petersburg UBEP came to Sergei Finaev. Viktor Petrik accused his opponent of extortion... 10 million rubles.

“We really talked with Petrik,” says Finaev. - In preparing the June issue, we applied for materials to the "Golden Formula" (the company that produces Petrik's filters. - Z. B.). Before publication, the articles of this company were sent so that they could read and, if they wanted, give their answer to them. The Golden Formula replied: "Publish what you want." When the issue was already printed, but not yet on sale, Petrik called me and offered to get rid of the circulation. Finaev offered him to buy the circulation for an almost astronomical sum of 1,000 rubles. for the number. Petrik did not call again. The issue went on sale: with reports on pilot tests of filters and an article on the failure of powdered nanoporous filters.

However, they are unlikely to help the reputation of the party project or its creators - the scandal that received such a response cannot be hushed up by claims against domestic scientists and initiation of criminal cases against journalists.

Comments

Eduard Kruglyakov, Head of the RAS Commission for Combating Pseudoscience and Falsification of Scientific Research:

— The Commission for Combating Pseudoscience is a public organization. Identifying fake projects and informing the public about it through the media is what we can do. To prohibit something is not in our competence.

In addition, we have nothing to do with young scientists - all the competitions that are organized for them are held through the Ministry of Science. In the case of our “clients”, as a rule, we are not talking about modest grants, but about huge public money, as in the case of Viktor Petrik.

As for the corruption component... Let them dig if they want. We are not going to make excuses - we simply do not have time for this. Now all the forces are focused on preparing conclusions about Petrik's inventions, which we plan to publish in 2-3 weeks.

Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto chaired one of the meetings at the Pure Water international forum for an hour and a half. Is this not obscurantism? And where should one look for it in this case: in the academy or outside it?

A representative of the press service of Boris Gryzlov, who introduced himself as Timur:

- Is Boris Vyacheslavovich really going to revoke his registered patent together with Petrik for a method of purifying water from radioactive contamination?

It's not even worth commenting. No one will react to this - Gryzlov has too much work to be distracted by patents. The state program has been submitted to the government for consideration, everything is fine. However, the media continue to voice crazy numbers. It is clear that there is a corresponding order for this and the people who write it are working out.