Journal Retracts Two 1940s Papers by Max Planck

The journal Naturwissenschaften, currently known as The Science of Nature, has retracted two papers authored by pioneering quantum physicist Max Planck, dating back to the 1940s. This action is unusual, as Planck, a recipient of the 1918 Nobel Prize in Physics, has historically been recognized for his scientific integrity. The journal typically marks retracted papers with a "RETRACTED" notice but has instead completely removed these two articles, leaving only a brief explanation stating they were "withdrawn due to article violation.”

The discovery was made by science historians Yves Gingras from the University of Quebec in Montreal and Mahdi Khelfaoui from the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières. Gingras encountered Planck's name on a list of Nobel laureates with retracted papers on the blog Retraction Watch and subsequently collaborated with Khelfaoui to investigate the reason behind the retraction. Their findings have been detailed in a preprint document shared on the physics arXiv.

Max Planck's significant contributions to physics include his discovery of quanta, a foundational concept in quantum mechanics. The complete removal of his papers, rather than a standard retraction notice, suggests a more serious issue prompting the journal's decision. The specific nature of the "article violation" has not been publicly detailed by the journal beyond this general statement. The investigation by Gingras and Khelfaoui aims to shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of these historical scientific works.