The hotter the field, the more partisans it attracts. But, also, the hotter the field, the more money it attracts. This money gives “scientists” a strong motivation to shade the truth.
No doubt, but there is an even more fundamental problem--journals typically are reluctant to publish negative results. If you are a professor seeking tenure, publications are the coin of the realm even more than grant dollars. It is simple enough to violate a few assumptions of inferential staistics, squeeze out "significance" and then proceed to the peremptory "Further research is needed."
Add in a dose of Lysenkoization and leftwing advocacy and pretty soon you have...the sociology department.