There are a few items you can reach without having the technology to make them, most of them revolve around plastics. So should technologies, especially at this point in development be "checks" that the player has the capability to either get the technology researched (Like the techs that require purple science also have Alien Technology as a pre-requisite) or to craft the item(s) the technology provides (the reported bug).
Examples of items you can reach without being able to craft them
Feel free to post more examples if you can find any.Edit: Wrong research, also some minor touching up.