A few weeks ago a postdoc in my lab logged on to Amazon to buy the lab an extra copy of Peter Lawrence’s The Making of a Fly – a classic work in developmental biology that we – and most other Drosophila developmental biologists – consult regularly. The book, published in 1992, is out of print. But Amazon listed 17 copies for sale: 15 used from $35.54, and 2 new from $1,730,045.91 (+$3.99 shipping).

…Amazingly, when I reloaded the page the next day, both prices had gone UP! Each was now nearly $2.8 million. …

Explanation here. Short answer: “when algorithms go wild”.

Hat tip to the always reliable James Choi.