Any credible theory must be consistent with all relevant data. Subjective reports and opinions, even expert opinions, have limited value in a search for facts. Often, opinions are acceptable expedients to filling informational gaps. Whether scientific data are facts depends on the currentness of the data, on experimental design and on the degree of compliance with that design. If the study proceeds without a clear-cut definition, the resulting count could include creatures the researcher had not intended to be tallied, such as humans or protozoans.
True scientists compare theories.
Science is not an accumulation of conclusions but a process that demands resolving discrepant findings and conclusions. True scientists do not bypass peer review, because it can pinpoint blind spots in their research. He thus complicates any attempt to disprove them. Generally, he states that radioactive materials were released into the environment and that the incidence of a particular disease increased. He leaves such factors as radiation doses to his readers' imaginations.