A scientist's career depends on their reputation. For them to have the best opportunities, they need everyone to have the highest respect for the quality of the

A scientist's career depends on their reputation. For them to have the best opportunities, they need everyone to have the highest respect for the quality of their work. If they damage their reputation, it could ruin everything they've spent decades working toward. Of course they care about science itself, but there's a limit to what risks they'll be willing to take when it affects them personally. For people with a relatively low reputation (or no reputation, i.e. unknown), taking a risk is not a bad move. They have less opportunity, and there's a chance the risk might pay off and boost their reputation. For people whose reputation is already good, the risk is less worth it. They don't stand to gain as much, and they could lose a lot. So they're less likely to do it.