More on "Ida"

Q: Are there lessons to be learned about making over-bold claims in documentaries before research has been published?

ES: Absolutely. Documentaries are extremely important for public understanding of science, so scientists and the media need to work together to make sure that they have their facts straight, and that they are portraying a balanced view of the evidence. I think that the most responsible approach would be to create documentaries well after publication of scientific results, so that other members of the scientific community have a chance to weigh in on the issue with the data in hand, and provide alternative viewpoints if they do exist.