Butler hit the nail on the head, at least as far as these editorials are concerned: It is happily admitted that they are idle chatter. Which has its place.
Now, is a large proportion of the data presented in biological sciences literature likewise mere burbling? Probably not. In recent times it has become neither the conveyance of ideas nor idle chatter, but the communication of information.
It wasn't always like this. Until recently, say the last 20 years, the limited tools at the disposal of biologists have afforded only a ...