[cinquemb]

>Well, there was that whole dotcom boom and a lot of things changed for computers & the internet which led to researchers being able to share more information, use more powerful computer techniques, etc.

In my experience working with/contracting for neuro labs, a lot of researchers don't really know how to fully leverage the technology that's available, and often rely upon proprietary tools they have limited knowledge of, which doesn't bode well for being able explore for themselves.

The few that I have met that can push the limits of current technology are working in labs ran by the above…

I'm not sure how it is in other fields, but in convos from some other commentators on HN over the past years, makes me think this is not just in neuroscience.

Maybe the problem is that the skills needed to explore the solution space and communicate it effectively have gone up because the complexity it has added to the process without research labs/academia addressing the gap sufficiently? I don't think this is a problem with just labs or academia though, not many people in general have the skills to be able to leverage technology to it's fullest for even the most banal tasks.

[Natsu]

I think it's one of those things where a few point shift in the average of the distribution really changes some numbers near the edges of it, though.