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Knowing when to stop

Nature Astronomy volume 5, pages 855–856 (2021)Cite this article

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When do we stop an ongoing science project to make room for something new? Decision-making is a complex process, ranging from budgetary considerations and tension between ongoing projects, to progress assessments and allowance for novel science developments.

We make numerous decisions in everyday life on when to conclude or stop a process. Some are easier than others. When to cross the road? How to choose a spouse? How many candidates to shortlist for a job? And the focus of this Comment: when do we terminate costly science projects, notably in cosmology, to open windows to new research directions?

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, London, UK

    Ofer Lahav

  2. Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (IAP), Paris, France

    Joseph Silk

Authors
  1. Ofer Lahav
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  2. Joseph Silk
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Correspondence to Ofer Lahav or Joseph Silk.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Lahav, O., Silk, J. Knowing when to stop. Nat Astron 5, 855–856 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-021-01460-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-021-01460-7

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