Exactly: “We have this weird substance that produces an effect like nothing we’ve ever seen before, but since it doesn’t match anything we ever seen before, maybe it isn’t real?”
Or: “Dang, our most obvious explanation didn’t work, I guess it doesn’t exist.”
If it’s a unique effect, maybe it’s a unique mechanism? Something we haven’t seen before? Maybe look for something new, not something old.
Exactly: “We have this weird substance that produces an effect like nothing we’ve ever seen before, but since it doesn’t match anything we ever seen before, maybe it isn’t real?”
Or: “Dang, our most obvious explanation didn’t work, I guess it doesn’t exist.”
If it’s a unique effect, maybe it’s a unique mechanism? Something we haven’t seen before? Maybe look for something new, not something old.