People outside of scientific disciplines expect that science is going to give them an answer. And when anything comes out that is not 100% certain, they blame science. Or if it's a rule of thumb (like the 6 feet thing) that isn't 100% certain, they then blame it for being overly certain.
People within scientific disciplines understand that everything comes with uncertainty, and that the best you can do in any endeavor is to try to give a good answer within the bounds of uncertainty.
As the old one goes...
A mathematician, physicist, and engineer are all brought into a room. At the opposite end of the room is a gorgeous naked lady. They're told that every 30 seconds, they can cross half the distance to the woman and if they ever reach her, they can have sex with her.
The mathematician immediately gives up, claiming that he knows theoretically he'll never reach the lady.
The physicist, after two minutes and copious measurements, does the same, knowing that based on empirical data he will never reach the lady.
The engineer, every 30 seconds, keeps moving forward. Keeps moving forward. Keeps moving forward.
The mathematician and the physicist are incredulous, they ask him "don't you realize that you'll never reach her???"
The engineer replies, "Oh, I know that, but I realize that in about 5 minutes I'll be close enough for all practical purposes."