Corrections are a crucial part of science. Corrections are places where text (in Consider the Platypus, in this case) is straight-up inaccurate and needs to be replaced with text that is accurate.
Clarifications are a crucial part of science communication. Clarifications are places where the text requires more elaboration. Science is tricky, but publishing a book is fast and harsh. Sometimes cool/interesting/important/helpful details get left behind. Including some clarifications on the Consider the Platypus website helps us put those details back in.
“Correctifications” are a thing that I (Maggie, the author of Consider the Platypus) made up to refer to those in-between conundrums: places where my book might make a claim that needs further explanation due to disagreements in the field, or a poor of choice of words on my part, in the original text. Science isn’t black-and-white. Correctifications come in handy in the grey area.
Updates are facts and details that weren’t available to me (Maggie, the author) at the time the book was published. Because science is ever-changing! There’s more cool stuff to learn all the time! (It’s overwhelming. In a good way.)
Throughout this website, all correctifactions, updates, etc. will appear in context, in the same animal section of the website in which they appear in the book. They’ll also show up here! So you can find them at-a-glance.
Find a mistake? Have a question? Email the author!
Remember: science is self-correcting. And the “self” of science = anyone who wants to participate in science + other folks who want participate in science.