Actually it’s great. Sure it’s annoying when people take things too far. But society sorely lacks for interest in science and in general things that make us all better off. I say bring on the enthusiasm and just remind people of the importance of being polite and kind towards one another or at least not mean.
A huge win would be this signaling interest in things that make the world better. Basic research and such rely on public funding and we’d all be better off with more funding going to address such problems than the other places funds go.
When it becomes a spectator sport, it's not longer interest in science, it's just wanting to be part of an in-group. Science includes rationality and that's sorely lacking in most of the discourse around LK-99. The average commentary has as much in common with science as the recent unfounded and unsupported hype around UAPs.
It’s not about reaching everyone. It’s about not turning people off and attracting the otherwise predisposed. It only takes one sour comment to make the fud spread.
I would've thought HN would be the last place where rational skepticism and trust in the scientific method would be confused for "FUD" (a term which has apparently lost all meaning).
A huge win would be this signaling interest in things that make the world better. Basic research and such rely on public funding and we’d all be better off with more funding going to address such problems than the other places funds go.