Trust the Dark Science?

Ask Pluto how that went for him

My Google science news page is full of discoveries. Every day, Scientists have discovered something that changes everything. This is either a function of the incessant, restless spirit of modern science continuously interrogating every assumption, or writers who need clickybaity headlines honed to game the search engines.

“Scientists have discovered an ancient insect that challenges everything we know.” Wow! Really? What? Did some white-coated fellow with wild grey hair burst into the lab shouting Forget everything! Burn the books! Jurassic dragonflies had a complex pheromones-based language, opposable thumbs, and complex tool-based agriculture! No. The story discusses a bug they found in amber in 2008. Turns out it had a triple-jointed mandible.

Here’s another:

Okay, that’s not too sensational; they could have gone with “New discovery hints at a trailer park at the center of the universe.”