Between 30 metres and 90 metres below the surface of the Caribbean Sea, an ancient sponge species that grows a hard skeleton has been quietly recording changes in the ocean temperature for hundreds of years.

Now those sponges are at the centre of a bold and controversial claim made in a leading scientific journal that, since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the planet may have already warmed by 1.7C – half a degree more than estimates used by the United Nation’s climate panel.

Several leading scientists urged caution, saying the research had “over-reached” and questioned whether such a bold claim could be made based on one sponge species from a single location.

But Prof Malcolm McCulloch of the University of Western Australia, who led the research published in the journal Nature Climate Change, said the results were robust.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] ech@lemm.ee 18 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

The scientific process requires repetition, ie "rigorous proving". One paper =\= "fact", even if no obvious fault can be found in the surface. And to be clear, the lack of repetition doesn't mean they're wrong, just that there's more to be done.