Or just evidence that there were none in this case. If a bunch of scientists and astronomers directed their best instruments at finding a teacup orbiting the s

Or just evidence that there were none in this case. If a bunch of scientists and astronomers directed their best instruments at finding a teacup orbiting the sun somewhere between Earth and Mercury because a small number of people insisted it was there, but never locate it, the more reasonable conclusion wouldn't be that we're not good at finding orbiting teacups. It would be that assertions of its existence were based on bad reasoning.