Here are ten scientific theories, once commonly accepted, that are no longer valid. What will be the next to drop?
Stolen from Brian Keating at this tweet: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating/status/1661151985914236928
1. Geocentrism:
Geocentrism: The belief that the Earth is at the center of the universe, with all celestial bodies revolving around it. 3.
2. hlogiston theory:
2. Phlogiston theory: The theory that fire is caused by the release of an element called phlogiston.
3. Luminiferous aether:
3. Luminiferous aether: The concept of a hypothetical medium through which light waves were believed to propagate.
4. Caloric theory:
4. Caloric theory: The idea that heat is a fluid-like substance called caloric that flows from hot to cold bodies.
5. . Ptolemaic system:
. Ptolemaic system: A geocentric model of the solar system proposed by Claudius Ptolemy, which included epicycles to explain the motion of planets.
6. Vitalism:
Vitalism: The belief in a vital force or life energy that distinguishes living organisms from inanimate matter.
7. Steady-state theory:
Steady-state theory: A cosmological model suggesting that the universe is continuously creating matter to maintain a constant density as it expands.
8. Spontaneous generation:
Spontaneous generation: The belief that living organisms can arise from non-living matter.
9. Miasmatic theory of disease:
Miasmatic theory of disease:The theory that mental faculties and personality traits can be determined by studying the shape and bumps on the skull.
10. Miasmatic theory of disease:
Miasmatic theory of disease: The idea that diseases, particularly infectious ones, are caused by noxious or foul-smelling gases or "miasmas."
BTW I think #9 is Phrenology