"Conjecture" so-called, is certainly a part of the scientific process -- it's the root source of first hypotheses and if confirmed, theories.
In other words: without early conjecture, you'll get no eventual hypotheses & theories.
Olog-hai: "It is only anti-science people that try to disguise conjecture as science."
That issue, of course, is not whether "conjecture" is ever legitimate, but whether it has been properly identified as such, and only used as appropriate -- i.e., in a summary of potential implications.
This thread's article is a media news report on scientific results, one written to interest general readers, not duplicate a scientific paper.
Conjecture part of the scientific process? It can be, but only when on solid scientific ground first.
Popperist thinking has really hurt science due to his/its rejection of inductivism. Francis Bacon had the right approach.