The best scientific theories (that later turned out to be wrong)





What's your favorite dead theory?

The Edge: Wrong Scientific Beliefs That Were Held for Long Periods of Time

*Likewise, just because some ideas have turned out to be wrong doesn't mean it's safe to assume all the scientific truths we hold today will be disproved somewhere down the line.

We've spent several hundred years now carefully collecting data about our lives, our planet, and the wider Universe. But we don't have all the information. Sometimes, new research comes in and confirms our previous picture of reality, and sometimes it doesn't. It's not random. It's often easy to see how facts are stacking up and get a good idea of likely reality even when you don't yet have all the pieces perfectly in place. But the point is: You can't generalize.

Image: The cover of Laurie Anderson's 1982 album Big Science, as photographed by kevindooley. Some rights reserved.