Robert Morein wrote:

Because soft science relies so much on observation, without any overarching
theory to back it up, it is prone to error and reversal. For example, for a
hundred years, it was believed that neuronal replacement did not occur in
the adult mammalian brain. Within the past three years, this has become
known to be completely false. And the ear is an extension of the nervous
system.

Actually, people knew this over a decade ago - by witnessing such things as
people who had half of their brain missing and seeing it re-wire itself
into the non-dead portions.

Of course, like most things in life, widespread acceptance takes about
a decade or two to happen.