Maybe they didn't even notice. It's not like the New Yorker is a science magazine or this was a science article. I didn't notice what unit of measurement was be

Maybe they didn't even notice. It's not like the New Yorker is a science magazine or this was a science article. I didn't notice what unit of measurement was being used, but that is probably because I am accustomed to thinking in feet and miles. That might be the same with the New Yorker authors and editors. It probably didn't even occur to them.