Sarmast's big "discovery"

This is from the Telegraph article on Sarmast's supposed "discovery" of Atlantis:

Mr Sarmast said at his home in California last week: "This is going to rewrite the history books. We are set to make the biggest archaeological discovery of all time."

His research, which cost $500,000 (£312,000) and uses data collected by a Russian scientific survey vessel in 1989, was paid for by the Heritage Standard Corporation, an organisation involved in undersea surveys for oil and gas. He now intends to carry out an expedition to explore the sea bed, to find proof of his theory.

Academics would likely take a dim view of Sarmast's approach, even if his publisher's marketing people are likely applauding. Usually one publishes one's findings only after the big discovery. At least that's the way it's supposed to be done. But Sarmast has published his book before the discovery has been made. This seems a tacit admission that his hypothesis may not ultimately hold water (if you'll pardon the pun). In the meantime he stands to make some money on the circumstantial evidence.

Sarmast is by no means the first person to make money from a book before an hypothesis is confirmed. Several years ago Oleg Filatov authored a book, The Escape of Alexei: Son of Tsar Nicholas II, in which he claimed that his recently deceased father was the tsarevich. Not surprisingly, perhaps, he had not managed to undergo a DNA analysis before the book was published. Whether he ever had one done I don't know. But he certainly had no qualms about earning a bit of extra cash from his claim.

It's ironic that Pravda (which is, after all, the Russian word for "truth") would prejudge the truth of Sarmast's claim before it is verified.