The ideas of lines of research being suppressed is a rich topic in science fiction novels. Usually hidden aliens or secret factions on Earth actively steer scientists away from certain topics, usually that will lead to break throughs in star drives or weapon-of-mass-destruction designs.
> Usually hidden aliens or secret factions on Earth actively steer scientists away from certain topics, usually that will lead to break throughs in star drives or weapon-of-mass-destruction designs.
What about if SETI@home had been programmed by aliens, so we all thought we were looking for them, but the code would never find them? :)
Ther eality of research suppression is much more mundane, and illustrated well in "The Trouble with Physics" by Smolin. Basically with the way the tenure and granting systems work the only way to get a degree and a job is to work on whatever the leading scientists decide is correct, which is most often their own ideas. At that point anyone who wants to try another approach will be unable to get funding, because all the "leading" scientists don't think it is worth pursuing, and you won't be able to get letters of recommendation and endorsement as a Post-Doc because you aren't doing things that make your tenured boss look good.
I actively reject conspiracy theories on the premise that they’re conspiracy theories. However, I can’t deny that this one is interesting. What if this is actually happening?
Obviously the easiest way to provoke thought within the skeptic is to ask, “If it is within the realm of possibilities for the human race to invent a driver allowing interstellar travel, why shouldn’t an extraterrestrial race also be capable of it?”
I would assume someone would counter with the fact that extraterrestrial life hasn’t been discovered. A question to often revisited. For all we know extraterrestrial life surrounds their inhabited planets with strict ingress and egress policies.
I don't think what the OP is suggesting is necessarily a conspiracy. Institutions are wary of people who risk their credibility with claims that catch a lot of attention but may prove to be false. There's some incentive to make claims that capture a lot of attention and the field doesn't want to lose credibility.
If you think about how some scientists responded to speculation about Oumuamua you can see how they were nervous about speculation that could be sensationalized.
