If you are intelligent enough, you can deduce the laws of the universe from a surprisingly small amount of data. In the vein of your example, there is the story of Darwin deducing the existence of a moth with a long proboscis after seeing an orchid with a particular shape, and proving to be right. Perhaps papers from pre-2010 don't have the right models, but maybe they have enough information and data for a sufficiently intelligent being to piece together from them whatever is missing?
If you are intelligent enough, you can deduce the laws of the universe from a surprisingly small amount of data. In the vein of your example, there is the story of Darwin deducing the existence of a moth with a long proboscis after seeing an orchid with a particular shape, and proving to be right. Perhaps papers from pre-2010 don't have the right models, but maybe they have enough information and data for a sufficiently intelligent being to piece together from them whatever is missing?