The invitation couldn't be more explicit: "Do you need a piece of information? No problem, all you have to do is submit it to us, and we'll take care of writing the corresponding article". Such is the claim of "Scientists of America", a very French site by the way.
But what exactly is it? Scientists of America draws its inspiration from scientific literature and popular works to produce hoaxes that can be used to sustain a living-room conversation. Mystification obliges, and the most serious explanation in the world is why people with blue eyes like German films, or that the ideal age difference between a man and a woman is eleven years, or that 95.6% of dictatorships could disappear thanks to better art education. Internet users are spoilt for choice, with topics ranging from acoustics and cooking to anthropology and technology. In all, there are some fifty sections to choose from!
To benefit from "Scientist of America's" wise counsel and try to impress the gallery, all you have to do is go to the site's private area, where you can create an account and place orders. The fee is five euros per subject, a symbolic sum that "prevents us from being swamped with requests", as we are told in all seriousness.
The creator of "Scientists of America" is Jean-Noël Lafargue, lecturer at Paris VIII and Wikipedia administrator. The idea of creating the site came to him from a joke he liked to repeat, often amusing himself by telling more or less absurd stories in all seriousness.
"Scientists of America
A brief history of Scientists of America
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