The Cosmological Constant $Lambda$, in different incarnations, has been with us for 100 years. Many surveys of dark energy are underway, indicating so far that the data are consistent with a dark energy equation of state of $w=-1$, i.e. a $Lambda$ term in Einsteins equation, although time variation of $w$ is not yet ruled out. The ball is now back in the theoreticians court, to explain the physical meaning of $Lambda$. We discuss sociological aspects of this field, in particular to what extent the agreement on the cold dark matter + $Lambda$ concordance model is a result of the globalization of research and over-communication.
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