[haccount]

We don't need a shadowy cabal when the reflexive action of everyone involved or at the sidelines always rushing out of the woodworks to defend the first-mover established theory. Such as the ongoing thread.

Regarding your issues 1) applied to dark matter, reworked, patched, repatched. Still completely fails and are subject to more ongoing maintenance than a Boeing aircraft. 2) all other theories categorically rejected in a paragraph, while giving dark matter infinite retakes as in 1) is clearly a strong bias towards supporting the party line, not of science.

[cthalupa]

No scientist is saying these alternative theories can't also go back to the drawing board and be reworked until they also explain things.

But if dark matter is 90% of the way there why would we bother with something that is 20% of the way there? Cosmologists and all sorts of physicists will still take to the time to read papers on MOND variation #2754 to see if it's actually making any headway. The problem is, it never really is. Maybe that'll change someday. Scientists are certainly giving it the chance to.

Dark matter is already held to a higher standard than all these other theories. Why should we lower the bar for them?