I agree. Even if someone wants to swim against the current and use Python instead of R in these context, it is very hard to do and get publication quality resul

I agree. Even if someone wants to swim against the current and use Python instead of R in these context, it is very hard to do and get publication quality results unless you have plenty of time and really know what you are doing. Since scientists are busy people, it makes sense to just follow the crowd and use R, which is a shame.