Science is supposed to be self-correcting, we're told. But when towers of belief are built on assumptions later shown to be false, the consequences can be monumental.
The much-hyped proof of cosmic inflation a few months ago has been discredited, revealing more about how science is done in the media age than about reality.
Alan Guth concocted inflation theory in 1980 to avoid evidence for a 10,000-year-old universe. For his wild, evidence-free speculation, he may win a Nobel Prize.