Probably the vast majority of studies are correct and a few misinterpret artefacts, and then a journalist uses an evocative word like "teeming" without knowing

Probably the vast majority of studies are correct and a few misinterpret artefacts, and then a journalist uses an evocative word like "teeming" without knowing that what they're saying doesn't pass the sniff test. Same reason these papers languish for years and don't pass peer review in rigorous journals