How am I eliding anything? My statement is that the only quantitative number in the first 2 paragraphs is the ">2%" figure.

I'm also not criticizing the study, I'm criticizing the article and your defense of it. If "you have to use the citations given to understand the broader context of the study" - then if the point of a pop sci article is to effectively communicate the salience of the paper to lay audience, then that broader context needs to be communicated too.