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Yes, but not to the degree of your anecdote. You observed the background cycles of insect population variation. No person is in a position to observe the next
by mjburgess 8y ago
Yes, but not to the degree of your anecdote. You observed the background cycles of insect population variation.
No person is in a position to observe the next effect of population decreases across many such cycles.
- ceejayoz 8y ago> You observed the background cycles of insect population variation. They openly described their statement as an anecdote. Meanwhile, you're making a pretty conclusive statement here, without any apparent evidence for it. How do you know their observed reduction in insect population is "background cycle" and not the global reductions scientists have been empirically observing?
- lisper 8y agoJust for the record, I also asked several locals if they noticed fewer insects. They all said yes, that the change had been dramatic over the last few years.
- mjburgess 8y agoBecause no person can conclusively observe statistical effects, of this kind, in this way. It's really hard to conclude "the insect population is dropping" by being one person in one environment once. Even by being multiple people, even over time. That's why science exists. And it's really difficult (eg., cf., the replication crisis).
- ceejayoz 8y agoThe poster simply indicated they'd experienced an anecdotal situation that matches closely with the scientifically observed declines. You have to really misread the comment you replied to in order to claim it stated it was "conclusively observing statistical effects".