IF YOU are a scientist and you want to avoid controversy, don’t sideline colleagues who hold unorthodox views. Otherwise you’ll drive them into the arms of the media and make them your enemies.
So says a study that has looked at how researchers in the UK and Sweden treat peers whose ideas are not mainstream. According to the survey, scientists in Sweden try to include unconventional thinkers, whereas in the UK they try to exclude mavericks to ensure they do not gain scientific legitimacy. But that comes at a cost, says Lena Eriksson of the University of Cardiff’s School of…
