we're ...literally touching ghosts...
In my day, no scientist would have used such language.
Scientists have used such language for a long time. Einstein said, "God does not play dice with the universe." Carl Sagan said, "For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love."
And, finally, from Marie Curie, "A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales."