Phys.org  December 29, 2022 The conditions for the emergence of a leading regional scientific environment are poorly understood. The existence of a critical mass of scientists is often assumed. An international team of researchers (Austria, the Netherlands, South Africa, USA – Santa Fe Institute) used a unique dataset of global scientific activity and researcher mobility over several decades to show empirical evidence in three scientific areas (semiconductor research, embryonic stem cells, and Internet research) that the process of scientific knowledge accumulation was remarkably general and applied to practically all regions. Scale-free growth patterns suggested that regions that move early into […]