1970 is not a Stone Age, and civilization didn't collapse since then. Why would it impossible to have data? Also, does it mean if a study in 1970 made a mistake

1970 is not a Stone Age, and civilization didn't collapse since then. Why would it impossible to have data? Also, does it mean if a study in 1970 made a mistake, we're now doomed to carry on with this mistake forever? And if not, how would we discover it if not by trying to replicate/re-analyze data?