They're wasted because it becomes this game where one side claims the other side didn't do it right, and the other side claims it's not described in sufficient detail, it takes years to actually disprove something if the other side is persistent. It's not a one and done, it's a huge time sink that drains energy from researchers. You try to replicate something, you fail, that's not a publication, that's just nothing. For a phd student in a lab, that can derail your career plans if you it breaks the timeline of working toward your thesis. It's hugely damaging on an individual level. Not to mention the frustration and cynicism that comes with spending months to work, spending tens of thousands of dollars, on some bullshit that someone made up. Nobody learned or gained anything really from the Schön scandal[^1]. It just sucks all around. Not to mention it ups the pressure on scientists when fakes build a publication record, leading to a vicious cycle where the pressure makes it more likely that folks bend the truth a little bit.

[^1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6n_scandal