If the world's foremost supporter of biomedical research has indeed become less open to edge science, as our analysis indicates, it bodes poorly for science. While our finding is somewhat discouraging, it is not necessarily surprising. Some existing studies have found evidence that the scientific community as a whole has been less disposed to accept the newest ideas in the 2000s than it was during 1990s. If this is true, it is an ominous signal that progress in science--and in medicine in particular--is in danger of stagnating. Also from this perspective, we consider it essential that NIH and other funding agencies recommit to supporting work that tries out new ideas. While such work is risky, it is also essential for scientific progress as it helps the most fruitful new ideas develop from a germ of an idea to transformative discoveries.
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