Dear Gefilte,
I’m trying to say that there is a lot more nuance to a statement from chazal than just it’s conclusions. That chazal used the science of their day, as well as a great Chacham can be on the wrong side of the evidence, is not a question to me. It would take a lot more than that, to negate a single statement of any two-bit-talmid chacham. When a statement is preserved for centuries, it is worth putting in the effort to uncover what ever insight can be gleaned, even when the reality of it is in conflict with known phenomena.