It is sad to me that much of Asia went straight to the "publish or perish" phase of science. There once was an era when science was about pushing the edge of our understanding of nature rather than just pushing the edge of what is publishable for promotion. In the west that goal has been slowly lost (like many things it became infotainment), and some still strive for new knowledge. It's not that good research doesn't go on, it's just very product/engineering focused and business profit dominated. The majority of academic stuff everywhere that is not immediately verified is enshittified to varying degrees.

So this article still gives me both hope that it is real, and sadness that it probably isn't.