I don't think this is new, though perhaps getting more prominent? The number of times a medical (ergot poisoning!) or social scientist claims to have explained the witch hunting goes back to the beginning of time... As does the fact that their claims get endless media coverage and no scrutiny...
Agreed, the post indeed states ´more´ of such cases, as you say it´s not new.
Did interdisciplinary solidarity ever exist? I've been in academia 30+ years and have yet to see this chimera.
Exactly, hence why I expect to see even more interdisciplinary infighting in the future :)
Since its inception, the university has been a place of specialization that, at least in its research function, emphasized depth over breadth. Solidarity is not going to arise out of such an arrangement.