I think, that's because they are too focused trying to bring together 2 things that don't fit. Apparently they aren't smart enough to take a couple of steps back, and start over. That is not something that is encouraged in the scientific community. Failure is rarely getting any attention, and even frowned upon, only success is relevant. Yeah, I agree, that's just amazing and terribly wrong.
EDIT: I mean, who does revisit long established facts everybody just agrees upon, without checking, because they are long established?
In fundamental physics, that's literally what it's all about. We know some of our assumptions must be wrong, because we know the theories we have conflict. That's been perfectly clear since the time of Einstein and Bohr. One thing that has been hugely helpful has been data such as from the big particle colliders, but that data is getting harder and harder to get as the required energies have gone through the roof.
The thing is there is no shortage of theories, or whole classes of theories, the problem is getting the data we need to verify and refine them.
Lol the arrogance in this comment. “The hundreds/thousands of people who work on theoretical physics are just too dumb to step back and take a look at the big picture.”
I don't think it's arrogance, I think you have far too much faith in large groups of people.
Of the 4.4 million software developers in the US, most of them produce really bad code and have a lot of wrong ideas about development and don't think twice about what they're doing.
Same with the medical field - rife with dysfunction and malpractice.
Pretty much all fields work like this as far as I can tell. It sometimes takes hundreds of years for new correct ideas to be actually accepted and integrated into the mainstream knowledge/practice in any given field. Most people have giant egos and are resistant to change.
EDIT: I mean, who does revisit long established facts everybody just agrees upon, without checking, because they are long established?