Mendel's Pink Sheets
February 22, 2010
One of our readers managed to unearth an unbelievable bit of scientific history and we are able to provide it to you thanks to his generosity. With no further delay we present….
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All credit, and my gratitude for the LOLz goes to Donn Young who describes the source of his re-creation as follows:
Long ago and far away [like the 1970’s], I read an article in the old Journal of Irreproducible Results [JIR] that had a copy of Gregor Mendel’s pink sheets. I have no idea who the author(s) was and I can no longer find the issue [or much else], but have this rewrite I put together using the 90’s review criteria. I’d hand it out [on pink paper] to junior faculty as encouragement in the face of an unscored application – but hey, Mendel didn’t have to worry about tenure.
Donn Young
Research Scientist and Director of Biostatistics [retired]
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
DrugMonkey 
February 22, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Obviously, he must send in the A1 and try to “peas” the nasty reviewers.
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February 22, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Thank you Donn Young and DM…love it! 😀
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February 23, 2010 at 9:01 am
Unfortunately, the American Taxpayer expecting big tangible progress from the science they are funding doesn’t find the lack of real progress satirized by the Mendel critique amusing.
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February 23, 2010 at 9:37 am
The two of you made me laugh out loud this morning.
Whimple- I suppose the American tax payer doesn’t understand that lack of progress in terms of one application doesn’t mean you won’t eventually end up being the foundation of a given field.
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February 23, 2010 at 9:49 am
Yes, you’re right drdrA. Even though they triaged his -A0, I’m sure Mendel’s -A1 will get a fundable score. 😛
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February 23, 2010 at 10:17 am
Sorry DM, this kind of humor is beneath the level most scientists today demand for relief from the hardships of doing scientific research ( http://scienceblogs.com/isisthescientist/2010/02/the_science_game_thats_sweepin.php ). It may also explain the demise of the JIR.
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February 23, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Disappointing. I was expecting 2 more critiques and 10 more minutes of rolling on the floor laughing.
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February 23, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Imagine the (hypothetical since he wasn’t trying to do it) one Roentgen would have gotten for xrays.
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February 23, 2010 at 7:48 pm
He probably would have gotten dinged for his “lack of mechanistic insight”.
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February 23, 2010 at 9:44 pm
@anonymous 6 – JIR has been (for many years) extant as AIR – Annals of Improbably Research, edited by the inestimable Marc Abrahams. They also sponsor the IgNobel awards. That you find this beneath you is more of a reflection on you than on the humor of this journal.
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