[kijin]

True, there's always been bad science.

The increase in retractions can mean either that (1) there's more bad science now than there was before, or (2) we've got better at spotting bad science. Without further evidence, it's difficult to tell which one is the case. Perhaps it's a mix of both.

[eli_gottlieb]

I'd go with (1), caused by funding pressure. If your career can't survive when you do good science, you'll do bad science.