  A key decision in scientific work is whether to build on novel or
well-established ideas. Because exploiting new ideas is often harder than more
conventional science, novel work can be especially dependent on interactions
with colleagues, the training environment, and ready access to potential
collaborators. Location may thus influence the tendency to pursue work that is
close to the edge of the scientific frontier in the sense that it builds on
recent ideas. We calculate for each nation its position relative to the edge of
the scientific frontier by measuring its propensity to build on relatively new
ideas in biomedical research. Text analysis of 20+ million publications shows
that the United States and South Korea have the highest tendencies for novel
science. China has become a leader in favoring newer ideas when working with
basic science ideas and research tools, but is still slow to adopt new clinical
ideas. Many locations remain far behind the leaders in terms of their tendency
to work with novel ideas, indicating that the world is far from flat in this
regard.
