the cynical in me says that many scientists choose to forgo research that would disprove some semi-established research in the fears that their work might get h

the cynical in me says that many scientists choose to forgo research that would disprove some semi-established research in the fears that their work might get heavily scrutinized as well. I think you 're talking about "great scientists" which are extreme outliers. Scientists often enjoy that mythical appreciation, but the truth is a lot more pedestrian - there are 7.8 million researchers , 0.1% of the world's population.