You’re spot on that this is excellent pop sci writing. However, I’d argue that this is the right level of technical detail for a layman. Just consider how much

You’re spot on that this is excellent pop sci writing. However, I’d argue that this is the right level of technical detail for a layman. Just consider how much denser a typical academic paper is. This strikes a great balance in citing lots of research and offering accessibile summaries of that research. This keeps the reader from getting lost in jargon and references, but gives them the opportunity to dig in if they wish. I think that science writing in this vein is much more likely to catch the public’s attention that the shallow science articles we typically see. It doesn’t insult the reader’s intelligence, rather it invites it.