I personally know two people who complained about fabrications, and both had to restart their careers, no longer pursuing research.

I've heard stories from others, such as when a fabrication was known to students in a lab, and of some playing along with it anyway.

We routinely hear on HN of fabrications discovered in journal publications.

Exactly how bad is the problem? What's the prevalence, scale, and impact?

What are the causes, and how does society address the problem?