4 ms·

I think they were aware of how it looked, as well as the most likely explanation. However, if you have results you cannot explain, you show it to your peers so

I think they were aware of how it looked, as well as the most likely explanation. However, if you have results you cannot explain, you show it to your peers so they can find the error, or confirm the discovery. They never went public and said "we made a discovery". They went public and said "this is what we did, this is what we got".

fusiongyro 14y ago
I question their ability to perform science if they have to rely on their peers to find problems in their own equipment. When my car breaks down, I go to a mechanic to have it fixed, but when my software fails, I don't publish it and ask the community to figure out why it doesn't work.
- ThePherocity 14y ago
  I question your understanding of how science works. Actually, I question your ability to program also. I often go out to the community to find out if there are other issues, or maybe something simple that I forgot. Using your peers for help is not a weakness, it's a strength.
  - fusiongyro 14y ago
    Science is about performing experiments and replicating them, not about debugging hardware. A friend of mine famously complained that his computer was broken because his C programs weren't compiling. He had misspelled "include." The "community" didn't need to step up and help him. He needed to learn how to use his tools.
    - ThePherocity 14y ago
      Well, I wasn't sure before, but you've removed all doubt.
      - fusiongyro 14y ago
        You know, I'm not a scientist, so it's quite possible I've misunderstood the situation here. But if nothing else, what I'm saying is exactly what you can expect the average person with some education—albeit not a scientist—to think, based on a casual knowledge of physics (the role of the speed of light, etc.) reading these headlines. I don't think I've been particularly discourteous to you, but if I have, I apologize. It would be more helpful in the future to show me what I haven't seen rather than simply insult me.
- mtgx 14y ago
  Open Science.
- DanBC 14y ago
  Programmers do ask the community to find and fix bugs. See, for example, Google offering bounties on Chrome exploits, or the Tarsnap bug bounties. (http://www.tarsnap.com/bugbounty.html http://www.tarsnap.com/bugbounty.html) Are you suggesting these are bad things? The scientists had weird results. They checked everything; they wrote up the results; they released the results cautiously, asking other people to check for errors. They are not to blame for the appalling state of scientific reporting in mainstream media.

fusiongyro 14y ago

I question their ability to perform science if they have to rely on their peers to find problems in their own equipment. When my car breaks down, I go to a mechanic to have it fixed, but when my software fails, I don't publish it and ask the community to figure out why it doesn't work.

ThePherocity 14y ago
I question your understanding of how science works. Actually, I question your ability to program also. I often go out to the community to find out if there are other issues, or maybe something simple that I forgot. Using your peers for help is not a weakness, it's a strength.
- fusiongyro 14y ago
  Science is about performing experiments and replicating them, not about debugging hardware. A friend of mine famously complained that his computer was broken because his C programs weren't compiling. He had misspelled "include." The "community" didn't need to step up and help him. He needed to learn how to use his tools.
  - ThePherocity 14y ago
    Well, I wasn't sure before, but you've removed all doubt.
    - fusiongyro 14y ago
      You know, I'm not a scientist, so it's quite possible I've misunderstood the situation here. But if nothing else, what I'm saying is exactly what you can expect the average person with some education—albeit not a scientist—to think, based on a casual knowledge of physics (the role of the speed of light, etc.) reading these headlines. I don't think I've been particularly discourteous to you, but if I have, I apologize. It would be more helpful in the future to show me what I haven't seen rather than simply insult me.
mtgx 14y ago
Open Science.
DanBC 14y ago
Programmers do ask the community to find and fix bugs. See, for example, Google offering bounties on Chrome exploits, or the Tarsnap bug bounties. (http://www.tarsnap.com/bugbounty.html http://www.tarsnap.com/bugbounty.html) Are you suggesting these are bad things? The scientists had weird results. They checked everything; they wrote up the results; they released the results cautiously, asking other people to check for errors. They are not to blame for the appalling state of scientific reporting in mainstream media.