i think the ivory tower argument is related but somewhat separate. i think in the cdc case, you have scientists of status who feel compelled to justify their st

i think the ivory tower argument is related but somewhat separate. i think in the cdc case, you have scientists of status who feel compelled to justify their status and in doing so they skipped over simpler solutions. in the OP case, you have people chasing status perhaps at the detriment to their stated goal. i think there may also be a flavor of this in the vaccine race. there are tried and proven vaccine technologies but it seems most of the attention is going to the more experimental (and difficult to deliver!) approach that has potential nobel prizes and wall st upside tied to it.