Much of the general perception of scientific progress is built around the concept of brilliant minds making transformative discoveries that forever enrich the fabric of society. Smaller, incremental steps are sometimes considered of little consequence. Furthermore, the innovative, societal trajectory-altering discoveries are largely considered to be the birth-right of universities and higher institutions, while progress in industry is generally considered as incremental advances developed upon the ideas of academic giants. In this article, I wish to reexamine these impressions. While seemingly of academic interest only, these perceptions are at the root of decisions regarding scientific policy-making and funding worldwide, and therefore deserve some attention.
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