While I’ve nothing to say about these research scientists in particular, knowing precisely nothing about them, it wouldn’t be the first time that so-called ‘bonafide’ research scientists made a statistical boo-boo, even one structural to the research thesis than any sort of math error.

Given the widely-reported extent of p-hacking in the biomedical literature over the decades, I’m surprised anyone would float an avid ‘but how could research scientists ever be wrong’ default reflex.