In 1923 leading American zoologist Theophilus Painter declared that humans had 24 pairs of chromosomes.
His conclusion was based on poor data and conflicting observations, but he didn't know that.
From the 1920s to the 1950s the 24 pairs belief was the "scientific consensus", even after other counts found the correct number of 23 pairs.
The 24 pairs belief and consensus was created confirmation bias among researchers -- they expected to detect 24 pairs, and almost always did so.
Many scientists preferred to believe his 24 pairs count over actual evidence.
Textbooks from the time carried photographs showing 23 pairs of chromosomes, yet the caption would say there were 24.
Scientists who obtained the accurate number of 23 would modify or discard their data to agree with Painter’s count of 24.
A 'scientific consensus' (majority belief) is often wrong, from slightly wrong to completely wrong.
Although a consensus is usually wrong, it could take 100 years or more to discover that.
If every scientific consensus was correct today, we would have no need for scientists, because all branches of science would be "settled".
"Settled" is what smarmy leftists currently claim about climate science.
If they were right that "climate science is settled" (not even close to being right), then governments should fire all the climate scientists who play computer games and make wrong climate forecasts (almost all are on government payrolls).
“Acknowledge the complexity of the world and resist the impression that you easily understand it. It’s a basic fact of life that many things ‘everybody knows’ turn out to be wrong.” Jim Rogers