The ever-valuable Andy Revkin has another interesting ocean story today. It's about the rugby scrum of science and in particular the report and rebuttal that plankton are declining on a global scale.Juicy stuff. Oh, about the plankton. They're probably not declining or at least that's not been proven yet.
The plankton stuff is interesting, but far better is his apt metaphor for science:
A new finding or theory is like a lamb shank lowered into a piranha pool. Competing teams nibble away until only the sturdy bone is left. A rugby scrum forms over the ball and strangely lumbers up or down a field even as heaps of burly players fight epically for the advantage. It’s a journey, with the state of knowledge held in dynamic tension, either crystallizing or dissolving depending on new sources of data or new ways of thinking. What’s your favorite description of the scientific process?
Juicy stuff. Oh, about the plankton. They're probably not declining or at least that's not been proven yet.
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