Via Matthew Yglesias, I’m thrilled to see that the Associated Press sent blind climate data to four independent statisticians to see if there has been a cooling trend in recent years. (Answer: No.)

The next step is to consult with statistical experts on a whole variety of other topics, including whether three off-year elections can tell us anything meaningful about President Obama’s political standing, whether a single poll can provide convincing evidence of a shift in public opinion, and whether trend stories based on a handful of anecdotes (i.e. “chubby is hip”) have any basis in fact. I can’t wait!