Paper Monitor
A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.
There have been many acts with a dubious ethical underpinning in the history of medical research.
It is often said that Louis Pasteur would never have got away with some of his work if he was around today.
But today's papers report . It arises from a smudgy brown picture that has been produced using an MRI scanner.
The Daily Telegraph reports: "The picture is a still from a moving image that was created by monitoring the brain activity of volunteers as they watched a film trailer featuring the Hollywood actor Steve Martin."
The film in question is Pink Panther 2. A film of which the LA Times said: "There's a sort of desperation at work here." And of which USA Today said: "Remember when Martin was funny?" And those were some of the kinder remarks.
The brown smudge is said to resemble Steve Martin, but Paper Monitor sees more of Edvard Munch's Scream in it, which somehow seems strangely appropriate.
Friday is a big day for reviews of the week's new cultural offerings.
Paper Monitor can't help but notice that there is an extraordinary consensus over the brilliance of Nicholas Winding Refn's Drive, a new film starring Ryan Gosling.
Everyone from Sun to the Times to the Daily Mail are mad about this film. The Daily Star gives it 10/10. The Daily Mirror gives it five out of five.
Only Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian and Sukhdev Sandhu in the Telegraph beg to differ, having the temerity to challenge the wave of praise. They still both give it three out of five stars.
Paper Monitor would of course be happy with a three-star review.