Study finds researchers become less disruptive as they age, favoring incremental work

A new study published in Science reports that scientists tend to produce their most disruptive work early in their careers, but shift toward less groundbreaking research as they get older.

The analysis cites historical examples such as Albert Einstein, who made many of his transformative contributions in his youth before later focusing on defending his theories.

Sociologist Russell Funk, who first identified the pattern, says the decline in disruptive science is a robust finding, though the reasons behind it remain unclear. The trend raises concerns about the slowing pace of discovery in recent years.