The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Editor in Chief, Dr. Gerald Weissmann, M.D. said "As it turns out, one of these bat species lives out its long life in Florida. Since bats are rodents with wings, this chemical clue as to why bats beat out mice in the aging game should point scientists to the source of this elusive fountain." [emphasis mine, to highlight the particularly egregious part of his statement].

Now everyone knows that Medical Doctors are smarter than the rest of us, but if Dr. Weissmann had been actually paying attention in undergraduate Zoology (or, if perhaps he'd been reading his own Journal), he might have a better understanding of phylogeny, especially since mice are a standard model for medical experimentation. Bats, are not "rodents with wings." In fact, bats aren't even close to rodents.

According to the standard (generally accepted) "Tree of Life," primates (lemurs, monkeys, chimps, and humans) are much closer to bats (Chiroptera) than to rodents (Rodentia).



The lesson here: people, especially highly educated specialists, can't keep from putting their feet in their mouths. And when they think their positions raise them to a position of expertise outside their own fields, we should be careful before just accepting what they spout.

(Other great examples of this: Politicians, Al Gore, any Hollywood star[or starlet], newscasters, and C-level executives)