Scientists capture the world's deepest octopus on video. And it's adorable.

Jun 3, 2020
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I must object to the manner in which units are converted to the metric system. They appear in the style of "4.3 miles (6,957 meters)"; the Imperial units are given as at most 2-digit precision notation (as they should be, after all it doesn't matter whether an octopus dives a few feet above or below), but metric units are always listed in the highest precision possible, even when such precision is meaningless.

I'm not blaming Live Science of inventing this style. I have seen this happen ever since the Federal government was supposed to go metric in 1986; it leads to monstrosities like signs in national parks saying things like "ELEVATION 609.6m (2000ft)" or even "WATER 15.24m (50ft)". This style leads laymen to believe that the metric system is something so precise and complicated, only rocket scientists in white frocks can understand it.

In the case of the Federal government, it's not unthinkable that this was done on purpose, to deter people from converting to the metric system; but there's no reason a scientific publication would go along with this policy. How about "4.3 mile (7km)"?