Dissecting diffusion: Tracing the plurality of factors that shape knowledge diffusion

•We examine diffusion of recombinant DNA (rDNA) & polymerase chain reaction (PCR).•We document diffusion of foundational biotechnologies with a plurality of metrics.•We find PCR outpaces rDNA and explore a plurality of factors affecting divergence.•We show that reliance on a single diffusion metric or factor is insufficient.•Diffusion scholars should include a broader framework and set of metrics.