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Science is a process of
protocols

Inference
Generate, analyze, experiment
Quality
Verify, replicate, trust
Engagement
Connect, share, discover
Coordination
Credit, fund, recognize
Preservation
Archive, access, persist

built upon a
technical substrate

and configured to enable
knowledge generation
and stewardship.

The modern scientific system
emerged from several distinct eras

as technology advanced,
enabling different expression of
each of the five protocols

resulting in the institutional
configuration we recognize today.

The institutional configuration
has transformed the world

However, it emerged
from a different era

It is under increasing stress

It doesn't have to carry
science alone

Two additional unique systems
have already emerged

each expressing the same
five protocols in unique configurations

on increasingly
divergent infrastructure

Corporate
Industry, startups, R&D
Speed, profit, secrecy
Proprietary databases,
walled platforms, patent systems
Institutional
Universities, agencies, labs
Credit, prestige, reputation
Paywalled journals,
citation databases
Benefactor
Foundations, donors, grants
Impact, openness, equity
Preprints, open repos,
GitHub, FAIR data