Why science is becoming less innovative
Weekly edition
Current topics
Current topics
World
World
Business & economics
Business & economics
Opinion
Opinion
In depth
In depth
Culture, history & society
Culture, history & society
Our A-to-Zs
Our A-to-Zs
undefined undefined
Subscribe to The Economist<br>Unlock unlimited access to all our award-winning journalism, subscriber-only podcasts and newsletters
Subscribe to The Economist<br>Unlock unlimited access to all our award-winning journalism, subscriber-only podcasts and newsletters
Subscribe
Graphic detail | Silver lining<br>Why science is becoming less innovative<br>A huge study suggests ageing scientists are part of the problem<br>Share
May 25th 2026|2 min read
AN INFLUENTIAL STUDY in 2023 found that science was becoming less transformative, producing fewer breakthroughs and more incremental advances. A new paper suggests a reason why. Analysing the careers of 12.5m scientists, Haochuan Cui and Yiling Lin, both of the University of Pittsburgh, along with co-authors, find that scientists become less likely to produce disruptive work as they age. Younger researchers are more likely to overturn established ideas or open entirely new lines of inquiry. Older ones still produce novel work, but increasingly build on existing theories rather than challenge them. That may give younger countries an edge over older ones.
ShareReuse this content
More from Graphic detail
FIFA’s exorbitant World Cup tickets could backfire<br>Why it is hard to monetise football’s atmosphere
Russia is starting to lose ground in Ukraine<br>Our tracker suggests it has suffered its first sustained net loss since October 2023
Mapping the Iran war’s trade disruption<br>Petrol prices are rising. So are those of plastics and pistachios
By one measure, America’s allies now outspend it on defence<br>Our annual ranking of military budgets shows the biggest shift since 2001
Labour faces a drubbing in England’s local elections<br>The party could lose more than half of the council seats it is defending
The war in Iran has sent American inflation sharply higher<br>Our predictive index has reached a sizzling 3.6%
Get The Economist app on iOS or Android
The Economist
The Economist
The Economist Group
The Economist Group
Contact
Contact
Careers
Careers
To enhance your experience and ensure our website runs smoothly, we use cookies and similar technologies.<br>Manage cookies