The ability to observe the actual establishes the limitations of predictive technology, thus giving an objective measure of reliability.

Which is exactly what the Astronomers have done here:

First, several groups of astronomers developed methodologies based on the Hubble expansion to estimate the age of the Universe. There value was about 14 billion years, plus or minus a billion or so.

This is then used as the basis of a prediction: the prediction is that a completely different methodology (one that does NOT rely on measuring the expansion of the Universe, or things related thereto) for measuring the age of the Universe should give the same result.

The experiment conducted by the Canadian scientists (when they weren't busy at "curling practice" at the local ice arena) was to see if this prediction is correct.

The result: it IS correct!

[snip] In fact, I'd just as soon fund wymyn's studies as quantum physics.