The Daily Stat: Breakthroughs No Longer Come from Very Young Scientists

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   AUTHORS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 Breakthroughs No Longer Come from Very Young Scientists The average age at which Nobel scientists and great inventors did their key work rose by an estimated 6 years over the course of the twentieth century, according to a Wall Street Journal report on research by Benjamin F. Jones of the Kellogg School. The same trend applies to the age at which inventors got their first patents. The reason: There's so much material to learn now that it takes additional years for a scientist to arrive at the point where he or she can discover new things, Jones suggests. Source: The "Eureka" Moments Happen Later Share Today's Stat: FEATURED PRODUCT Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter HBR Press Book Will your next leader be insignificant — or indispensable? Harvard Business School professor Gautam Mukunda offers an enticingly fresh look at how and when individual leaders really can make a difference. Profiling a mix of historic and modern figures — from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln to Winston Churchill and Judah Folkman — Indispensable reveals how, when, and where a single individual can save or destroy the organization they lead, and even change the course of history. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Stat: BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's Must Reads Library Set Guide to Persuasive Presentations Guide to Better Business Writing Guide to Getting the Right Work Done PREVIOUS STATS Dips in Youth Populations May Trigger Recessions All of This Company's Employees Work from Home Anti-Atheist Bias Is Based on Distrust of Nonbelievers Men Are More Economically Impulsive When They Outnumber Women Being Agreeable Hurts Earnings, Especially for Men The Biggest Risk to Life at Work: Transport Incidents Reports of the Mainframe's Death Are Greatly Exaggerated Midskilled Jobs Are Shrinking Faster than Others in U.S. Walking Gains Greater Popularity Among Americans Aversion to Taxes Goes Beyond the Costs Introducing Mobile ManageMentor Powered by the proven content of Harvard ManageMentor™ iTunes >>   Android >> UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "The Daily Stat" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2012 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)