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Study debunks Japanese belief in link between deep-sea fish, quakes

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Was it necessary to publicly debunk this his belief?

It was disappointing to find no correlation

Some superstitions are great for a culture.

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

That long held belief is no less accurate than when scientists said “There will be a major earthquake in Japan sometime in the next 10 years.” Japan has had a level 7 or higher earthquake every 4 or 5 years. Almost a level 8 or higher every 10 years.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Earthquake prediction of any kind has always proven to be impossible and will remain so indefinitely. It is all guess work. Therefore, one might as well use a superstition to predict them because it’s no more credible than the technological predictions. The early warning system in place at present has failed to predict any of the major quakes and has given hundreds of false predictions. From my experience, a lot of the early warnings go off during the quake. There was a strong quake in the east coast last week that was not predicted by the early warning system. As a result, I will make my own prediction based on history. Japan will have more strong earthquakes in the future.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Well ! Well ! Well ! That's one big " mystery " of the universe debunked !! Next !!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

> A long-held belief in Japan that sightings of deep-sea fish foretell major earthquakes is simply a superstition, according to a research team from two universities.

I don't think that any "research" was necessary to debunk this myth. Only stupid people would believe it. Were those so called researchers paid to do that? Seriously.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Some superstitions are great for a culture.

actually no, it just spreads false truths making people believe in things that have no rational logic, and we know all the problems that can cause, what next, the earth is flat and at the center of the universe

6 ( +8 / -2 )

You'd have to question the quality of data sets used for this 'debunk'. I can't see how fisherman, beachgoers would have accurately recorded deep sea fish surfacing to such an extent tgat it can be compared with earthquakes data. Then you'd have to ponder whether the fish location coincides with quake location etc.

Obviously, it's nice to have funds for research.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

actually no, it just spreads false truths making people believe in things that have no rational logic, and we know all the problems that can cause, what next, the earth is flat and at the center of the universe

Agreed. Like the nonsense about cold weather causing stomachaches/diarrhea.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@Sh1mon M4sada

Except that the authors didn't set out to 'debunk' the myth; they probably wanted to do the opposite.

"It was disappointing to find no correlation..."

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Now, do a study on the myth that leaving the electric fan on overnight is fatal to humans due to too much air

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Inconclusive report to determine either can or can not. Just researching articles is not sufficient proof as it doesn't take in other variables. Recommend more in depth research vs news articles.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

We do hear of rise and fall in well water levels connected to tectonic stresses, and reports of fish and animals behaving strangely shortly before earthquake events.

Perhaps they could add these to their fact or fiction mythbusting list of future projects.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Some superstitions are great for a culture.

Personally I like to believe as many true things as possible and as few false things as possible.

Nonsense like this leads to people making bad decisions (like choosing a partner based on blood type).

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Why was it even necessary to "research" this topic? It is nonsense, as are all superstitions.

Superstitions are by definition nonsense, but how do you determine whether something is a superstition in the first place rather than useful folk observations that are actually linked to fact?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Superstitions are by definition nonsense, but how do you determine whether something is a superstition in the first place rather than useful folk observations that are actually linked to fact?

Scientific Research!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I don't think that any "research" was necessary to debunk this myth. Only stupid people would believe it. Were those so called researchers paid to do that? Seriously.

Not necessarily stupid. Undersea volcanic or seismic activity might cause deep sea fish to appear near the surface.

The research was conducted not to debunk the myth but to see if there was any natural phenomenon behind it.

当研究グループは、この言い伝えが事実であれば深海魚の出現は防災にとって有益な情報になり得る可能性があるとの仮説のもと、本研究を開始しました。

https://www.u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp/news/20190626-1/

The study itself was published in English:

『Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America』(DOI:10.1785/0120190014)(June 18, 2019)

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I've never heard of such belief. I believe the existence of clouds which thought to appear before the earthquake occurs, and it's called "jishingumo." I'm not in geology, but some of my predictions based on that type of cloud were right, so I hope this investigation method is studied more in the future.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

OK, this call for.... They're just Fishing for ideas on how to predict a Big Earthquake ...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Perhaps its time to do what Weather Computers are doing at present, and come up with a Model for Magma movements (possibly traceable by Magnetic abnormalities) and correlation to Earthquakes ? We can track Tornadoes and hurricanes these days ... so why not the potential causes of Earthquakes ? (If you don't knock the shelf - then nothing falls off it...unless the mountings give-way... ).

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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