Replicate Fifth‑Force Claims Before Hype

Extraordinary claims about a new fundamental force must be validated by independent experiments, cross‑checked systematics, and theoretical consistency before they enter headlines or policy debates. The public conversation should treat early anomalies as hypotheses, not settled discoveries, and funding/attention should follow reproducibility milestones. — Establishing replication thresholds for headline‑grabbing physics claims would protect public trust, guide funding, and prevent misallocation of political and media attention.