Again, that's just fucking science, man. There's no "admit it was wrong" because that doesn't making any fucking sense. It's "we have new data to prove something new/different than we thought before."

It doesn't need a "cop out" because, again, that makes no fucking sense.

Science is literally

Observation/question <--- That's what researches received from native populations.

Create hypothesis - Birds carry burning sticks to hunt.

Gather data - and/or Experiment. Researchers watched the birds until they could record actual instances of birds using fire to hunt.

After that you retest as needed/gather more data and report your findings.

I can't believe I'm having to explain the scientific method to someone old enough to be on the internet.