Regarding the apparent non-scaling benefits of history: what you call the “most charitable” explanation seems to me the most likely. Thousands of people work at places like CERN and spend 20 years contributing to a single paper, doing things that simply could not be done by a small team. Models of problem-solving on “NK Space” type fitness landscapes also support this interpretation: fitness improvements become increasingly hard to find over time. As you’ve noted elsewhere, it’s easier to pluck low-hanging fruit.
Regarding the apparent non-scaling benefits of history: what you call the “most charitable” explanation seems to me the most likely. Thousands of people work at places like CERN and spend 20 years contributing to a single paper, doing things that simply could not be done by a small team. Models of problem-solving on “NK Space” type fitness landscapes also support this interpretation: fitness improvements become increasingly hard to find over time. As you’ve noted elsewhere, it’s easier to pluck low-hanging fruit.