&gt; Science is cooperative. We all want to find the truth.<p>You&#x27;d think so, but no. Scientists want to get funded, and getting their work invalidated like this is a problem. So is making enemies among those that will review your articles in the near future.<p>That&#x27;s why contradictions are usually softened and hidden behind praises of unrelated parts of the work - they&#x27;re all in it together and they need to cooperate in order to keep getting grants. You&#x27;ll usually find honest criticism in informal conversations, not published for all to see.