Claim that science is becoming less disruptive challenged after years-long publication delay

Phys · Aug 12, 2026 · 666 words · By Free University

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What to know about Claim that science is becoming less disruptive challenged after years-long publication delay

Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Brussel and KU Leuven have challenged a 2023 Nature study claiming a decline in scientific innovation, attributing the findings to database artifacts and a software bug. The article notes a significant delay in the publication of this critique by Nature, during which the original findings influenced policy and news. The original authors have issued a reply defending their results.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Claim that science is becoming less disruptive challenged after years-long publication delay Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor A widely cited Nature cover article from 2023 claimed that scientific innovation has significantly declined in…

Why it matters

This finding was based on a citation analysis of large sets of metadata concerning scientific papers and patents.

Common ground

Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and KU Leuven have found that incomplete reference data account for most of the alleged decline in scientific disruption.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Claim that science is becoming less disruptive challenged after years-long publication delay?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Michael Park et al, Reply to: Dataset artefacts can partially drive the measured decline in disruption, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10788-x?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-08-science-disruptive-years-delay.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 6

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

schedule Pending 1

schedule

Claim 1: “Michael Park et al, Reply to: Dataset artefacts can partially drive the measured decline in disruption, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10788-x”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 2: “The original claim that science was becoming less disruptive has appeared in more than 300 news stories worldwide.”

SINGLE SOURCE

A web search result from 'Research VUB' explicitly states: 'The original claim that science was becoming less disruptive has appeared in more than 300 n [news stories]'. Only one source confirms this number.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Research VUB - Science not becoming less disruptive after all. The effect of the hidden outliers on the reported decline of disruptive science and technology.The original claim that science was becomi…
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-science-disruptive-years-delay…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Are scientific breakthroughs becoming rarer? This podcast episode summarizes a major article by David Matthews in Nature (2025) that investigates whether science is becoming less disruptive — and why.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/faraidoon-haghdoost_sciencepo…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Hitting the spot. People do not just say they enjoy expensive things more than cheap ones.A new paper takes aim at the claim that science has become less disruptive.
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2008/01/17/…

help

Claim 3: “Vincent Holst et al, Dataset artefacts can partially drive the measured decline in disruption, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10787-y”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific publication, author, or DOI.

info

Claim 4: “When the references from a publication are not listed in the database, the method the authors used wrongly labels that publication as maximally disruptive.”

SINGLE SOURCE

A web search result explicitly states: 'When the references from a publication are not listed in the database, the method the authors used wrongly labels that publication as maximally disruptive.' However, only one source snippet provides this specific detail.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2023 (MMXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2023rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 23rd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and Israel, fought as part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflicts. The war began on 7 October 2023, when the Palestinian mi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Creator is a 2023 American science fiction action film produced and directed by Gareth Edwards, who co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Weitz. It stars John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watana…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creator_(2023_film)

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “In the study's largest dataset, the artifacts account for 93% of the reported decline between 1945 and 2010.”

SINGLE SOURCE

A web search result explicitly quotes Holst stating: 'In the study’s largest dataset, the artefacts account for 93% of the reported decline between 1945 [and 2010]'. Only one source provides this specific statistic.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — A diversity index is a method of measuring how many different types (e.g. species) there are in a dataset (e.g. a community). Diversity indices are statistical representations of different aspects of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — While the word religion is difficult to define and understand, one standard model of religion that is used in religious studies courses defines it as [a] system of symbols which acts to establish pow…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions_and_spiritua…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The winter of 2010–11 brought heavy snowfalls, record low temperatures, travel chaos and school disruption to the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. It included the United Kingdom's coldest Decembe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_2010–11_in_the_Briti…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 6: “Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and KU Leuven have found that incomplete reference data account for most of the alleged decline in scientific disruption.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence for claim 3 and 4 mentions a Belgian study and 'Holst' regarding database errors and the decline of disruption, there is no specific evidence in the provided text explicitly naming Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and KU Leuven as the researchers for this specific finding, although VUB is mentioned in a general context in other evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joeri Rogelj (born 1980) is a Belgian climate scientist working on solutions to climate change. He explores how societies can transform towards sustainable futures. He is a professor in Climate Scienc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joeri_Rogelj

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Catholic University of Leuven was one of Belgium's major universities. It split along linguistic lines after a period of civil unrest in 1967–68 commonly known as the Leuven Affair (Affaire de Lou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_of_the_Catholic_Universi…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Dutch: [ˈvrɛiə ʔynivɛrsiˈtɛid ˈbrʏsəl] ; lit. 'Free University of Brussels'; abbreviated VUB) is a Dutch-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has four …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrije_Universiteit_Brussel

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 7: “The Belgian researchers submitted their critique to Nature in October 2023. It took the journal 32 months to accept it.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for claim 6 mentions a 2023 study on PFAS and unrelated sports/horror movie content. There is no evidence regarding a critique submitted to Nature in October 2023 or a 32-month acceptance period.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2023 study from Belgian researchers found PFAS.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19440049.2023.2…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Complete coverage of the Steinstossen Stone Throw, Event 4 from the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio (March 4, 2023). Inspired by a traditional strength challenge in Switzerland, this c…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP5-zDQHKtU

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Здесь мы не в безопасности.2025.Драма, Ужасы. 1:32:00.12K просмотров. Оставшийся в живых.2023.Ужасы.
https://ok.ru/video/7553422068477

verified

Claim 8: “A widely cited Nature cover article from 2023 claimed that scientific innovation has significantly declined in recent decades.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for claim 0 consists of general Wikipedia entries about the year 2023 and unrelated entities named 'Nature' (a K-pop group, a vitamin brand, and the publishing group). No evidence was provided confirming a specific 2023 Nature cover article about the decline of scientific innovation.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Springer Nature is a German-British academic publishing company created by the May 2015 merger of Springer Science+Business Media and Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave M…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_Nature

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nature (Korean: 네이처; stylized in all caps) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2018 by n.CH Entertainment. The group consisted of nine members: Sohee, Saebom, Aurora, Lu, Chaebin, Haru, Loha, Ucha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_(group)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nature Made is an American dietary supplement and vitamin brand founded in 1971 by Barry Pressman and Henry Burdick. Nature Made began operating as a brand of Pharmavite as of this date. Parent compan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_Made

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 9: “The Belgian team traced this disparity to a bug in the visualization software.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for claim 2 discusses Formula 1, data center water consumption, and general data visualization. There is no mention of a bug in visualization software related to a Nature article.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 10: “During those years, the original paper was cited more than 1,000 additional times and used in at least 16 policy documents.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for claim 7 discusses Palworld, Autodesk Revit, and an AI research paper. There is no mention of citation counts or policy documents related to the original 2023 paper.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jul 16 2026. How to get the Long Blue Ponytail Hair in Palworld 1.0. Visit thepalprofessor.com for more guides and tips! … ...more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUuhVAeW8Bw

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — To apply the content files: Download the desired content pack to a local location Launch the content pack executable from the saved local location Important Notes: The content packs are intended to in…
https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/tsar…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — View a PDF of the paper titled Attention Is All You Need, by Ashish Vaswani and 7 other authors.Experiments on two machine translation tasks show these models to be superior in quality while being mor…
https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762

help

Claim 11: “A peer-reviewed Reply by the authors of the original study was published alongside the critique in the same issue of Nature.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.