The Science of Discovery (Why do scientists so rarely make breakthroughs)

Why Are Breakthroughs So Rare?

Everything scientists do is intended to lead to discoveries. No coincidence, we reward scientists who make meaningful discoveries with things like the Nobel Prize. Clearly, discoveries are the universal holy grail of science. Yet strangely, close to 100% of scientific efforts fail to discover anything. Why? And why does no one ever mention this?

This is not to say scientists discover nothing, let alone nothing meaningful. Every life on this planet is better beca...