In science, what is a fact?

In science, “fact” can only mean “confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.” I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.
-- Stephen Jay Gould

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An example: Human apes share an ancestor with chimpanzee apes. This is one of the strongest facts of science.

It's a fact that makes Muslim terrorists and Christian bible-thumpers cry.