Todd, thanks for the clarification. I have always wondered how one measure the half-life of something without taking measurement point that is at least comparable to its half-life. In my mind, it's like having a plot with x-axis spanning millions of year, with data point only spanning the last couple of hours, and try to measure the slope of this line and extrapolate it all the way to y-axis. I would like to see the actual plot of such measurement and its error estimation.

But it looks like from your explanation the R0 is an even greater uncertainy. What do you think of the RATE experiments that many site referenced? Are they being accepted as legitimate challenge, or are they just being laughed-off as old-wives' tale?

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Polo
Layman, Chinese Evangelical Church/Independent
San Diego

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. (Romans 11:36)