The idea that science is done discrete tiny steps is a bit disturbing to me. It's not just doing a PhD, it's all of academia. Most Funding Agencies give away th

The idea that science is done discrete tiny steps is a bit disturbing to me. It's not just doing a PhD, it's all of academia. Most Funding Agencies give away their money in tiny chunks, for short term projects, for individuals or very small teams. And scientific publishing has moved to publishing scientific advances in tiny bits, one paper at a time. This works great for some things; but a lot of work is prohibited in this way. For example, it's almost impossible to get funding for databases or other long-term projects. Researchers that do work on long term projects constantly have to apply for new grants, always presenting their ongoing work as something completely new.