Science really does advance one funeral at a time, study suggests

‘A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.’ German theoretical physicist Max Planck famously said this and it turns out that he was right, according to a new study. The paper investigates how the premature death of a star scientist working in the life sciences affects the literature. It finds that collaborators of star researchers publish fewer papers in the field after their prominent colleague’s death, while the field sees a boost in studies by non-collaborators.