Note on: Considering the Case for Biodiversity Cycles: Reexamining the Evidence for Periodicity in the Fossil Record, by Lieberman and Melott, arXiv preprint 0704.2896

TL;DR

This paper critiques a recent preprint by Lieberman and Melott, arguing that their claims about periodicity in the fossil record are unfounded due to misinterpretations and methodological errors, particularly regarding detrending practices.

Contribution

The paper clarifies misunderstandings in the debate over fossil record periodicity and emphasizes the importance of proper data analysis methods.

Findings

Lieberman and Melott's preprint is baseless due to misinterpretation.

Detrending in paleontological data is arbitrary, not universal.

Misprints in figures can lead to significant misunderstandings.

Abstract

Lieberman and Melott built their recent arXiv preprint 0704.2896 on my published paper and (a preprint of) a subsequent comment by Liebermans associate Cornette. But had this group waited for the Cornette comment to actually appear in print together with the expected Reply, they would have learned that his comment exposes Cornettes confusion that likely was due to journal misprint of my figure. Thus 0704.2896 is baseless. Despite receiving the extended Reply with Errata, these authors still fail to recognize that detrending of paleontological records-which they erroneously promote as a must-is an arbitrary rather than a universal operation.