> So? If the article says 50/500W then I’d say that’s the best objective description of the effort level.

It is an objective description of the power they produced. NOT their effort level. Their effort level would be established via their BPM, perceived extersion, lactate levels, etc etc

The question is whether 500W counts as high intensity, and whether the results are applicable for people whose high intensity is 2 to 4 times higher than the test subjects. I have to admit that I didn't read the linked article, but previous similar ones had the low intensity reference at so low intensity it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that it didn't produce any results.

The surprise here is that it did produce results. So I’d say the lower the intensity the more interesting the result is.