Trending Scientific Theories this month
The 100 most-viewed scientific theories this month on Wikipedia. Ranked by real-world attention. Top: Fermi paradox.
100
Ranked
206,970
Total Views (this month)
1
Fermi paradox
apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence and high probability estimates for the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations
14,888
views
views
2
Big Bang
hypothetical begin of the Universe through expansion out of an infinitely small and infinitely dense state
14,330
views
views
3
flat Earth
archaic conception of the Earth's shape
12,247
views
views
4
theory of relativity
two interrelated physics theories by Albert Einstein
9,925
views
views
5
race
nonscientific human classification system primarily based on physical appearance
9,045
views
views
6
Dyson sphere
hypothetical megastructure, originally described by Freeman Dyson
8,966
views
views
7
general relativity
standard and classical physics theory of gravity and space
7,040
views
views
8
accelerationism
political philosophy that the prevailing system of capitalism should be expanded in order to generate radical social change
6,812
views
views
9
uncertainty principle
fundamental principle in quantum physics
6,351
views
views
10
special relativity
physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein
4,921
views
views
11
infrared radiation
electromagnetic radiation with longer wavelengths than those of visible light
4,000
views
views
12
Coriolis force
apparent or fictitious force on objects moving within a reference frame that rotates with respect to an inertial frame
3,821
views
views
13
meritocracy
political system in which capital is assigned on the basis of competence
3,622
views
views
14
Bose–Einstein condensate
state of matter of a dilute gas of bosons cooled to temperatures very near absolute zero
3,607
views
views
15
germ theory of disease
prevailing theory about the cause of infectious diseases
3,251
views
views
16
Einstein field equations
field equations in general relativity
2,937
views
views
17
boson
quantum system invariant by exchange of two identical instances
2,876
views
views
18
trickle-down economics
economic theory
2,761
views
views
19
heliocentrism
astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around a relatively stationary Sun at the center of the Solar System
2,690
views
views
20
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
a political theory attributed to Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
2,659
views
views
21
miasma theory
obsolete medical theory about the transmission of disease through bad air
2,652
views
views
22
Third International Theory
theory of governance proposed by Muammar Gaddafi
2,617
views
views
23
big lie
gross distortion or misrepresentation of the truth
2,451
views
views
24
Lamarckism
hypothesis that an organism can pass on characteristics that it has acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime to its offspring
2,416
views
views
25
Kurgan hypothesis
theory of Indo-European origin
2,241
views
views
26
spherical Earth
assertion that the Earth is (at least approximately) spherical
2,133
views
views
27
axial tilt
angle between the rotational axis and orbital axis of a body
2,111
views
views
28
Darwinism
theory of biological evolution driven by natural selection
1,972
views
views
29
continental drift
movement of Earth's continents relative to each other
1,906
views
views
30
HIV/AIDS denialism
belief, contradicted by conclusive evidence, that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AID
1,834
views
views
31
insanity
abnormal mental or behavioral patterns
1,764
views
views
32
free energy principle
hypothesis in neuroscience proposed by Karl Friston
1,705
views
views
33
Realism
international relations theory
1,629
views
views
34
Rényi entropy
family of diversity measures generalising Shannon entropy
1,578
views
views
35
vitalism
discredited scientific hypothesis
1,527
views
views
36
spontaneous generation
disproven theory of life arising from nonliving matter
1,432
views
views
37
phlogiston theory
superseded scientific theory about combustion
1,391
views
views
38
Penrose process
theorical process wherein energy can be extracted from a rotating black hole
1,344
views
views
39
Socialism in One Country
political theory by Joseph Stalin
1,333
views
views
40
principal–agent problem
conflict of interest when one agent makes decisions on another's behalf
1,249
views
views
41
two-nation theory
political ideology that, in the Indian subcontinent, Hindus and Muslims comprise separate nations
1,212
views
views
42
von Mises yield criterion
concept in continuum mechanics
1,200
views
views
43
Bose-Einstein statistics
statistical description for the behaviour of bosons
1,193
views
views
44
elite theory
theory of the state
1,188
views
views
45
History of atomic theory
history of scientific theory that views matter as made up of atoms of chemical elements
1,149
views
views
46
Fermi–Dirac statistics
behaviour of many identical fermions, particles with half-integer spin
1,083
views
views
47
Turing pattern
how patterns in nature, such as stripes and spots, can arise naturally and autonomously from a homogeneous, uniform state
1,053
views
views
48
perturbation theory
quantum mechanics
1,002
views
views
49
kinetic theory
mathematical model explaining macroscopic properties of gases in microscopic terms
982
views
views
50
cell theory
scientific theory that living organisms are made up of cells, that they are the basic structural/organizational unit of all organisms, and t
979
views
views
51
palingenetic ultranationalism
theory concerning generic fascism
963
views
views
52
menstrual synchrony
purported menstrual cycle synchronization in women who live together
942
views
views
53
Three Worlds Theory
Maoist interpretation and formulation of international relations
935
views
views
54
modern evolutionary synthesis
early-20th-century scientific theory combining Darwinian evolution and Mendelian inheritance
896
views
views
55
growing block universe
past and present exist while the future does not
865
views
views
56
iron law of oligarchy
Political theory claiming that all organizations will eventually become oligarchic
859
views
views
57
Unified neutral theory of biodiversity
theory of evolutionary biology
822
views
views
58
foco
theory of revolution by way of guerrilla warfare
815
views
views
59
bricolage
construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or a work created by such a process.
799
views
views
60
neorealism
concept in international relations
794
views
views
61
Penrose diagram
two-dimensional diagram that captures the causal relations between different points in spacetime
781
views
views
62
probability axioms
axioms that are relevant to the probability theory
778
views
views
63
Aristotle's biology
theory of biology, grounded in systematic observation and collection of data, mainly zoological, embodied in Aristotle's books on the scienc
764
views
views
64
Dirac sea
ground state of a fermionic field; thought of as a "sea" of negative-energy states that have been all filled in, thus rendering the vaccum s
707
views
views
65
Kelvin–Helmholtz instability
fluid instability that occurs when there is velocity shear in a single continuous fluid or a velocity difference across the interface betwee
698
views
views
66
withering away of the state
concept coined by Engels that, with the realization of socialism, the state will become obsolete and disappear as the society will govern it
693
views
views
67
Madman theory
feature of Richard Nixon's foreign policy
685
views
views
68
killer ape theory
theory that war and interpersonal aggression was the driving force behind human evolution
677
views
views
69
domino theory
theory concerning the influence of Communism
655
views
views
70
Bell state
quantum state of two qubits that exhibits maximal quantum entanglement
650
views
views
71
Duverger's law
principle in political science
648
views
views
72
Pauli effect
supposed tendency of technical equipment to fail in the presence of certain people
646
views
views
73
Bell test experiments
experiments in quantum mechanics
635
views
views
74
Fresnel zone
region of space involved in radio propagation between a transmitting and receiving antenna
630
views
views
75
Stokes parameters
623
views
views
76
post-Marxism
trend in political philosophy and social theory
594
views
views
77
rotating black hole
black hole with angular momentum
590
views
views
78
flood geology
attempt to interpret and reconcile geological features of the Earth in accordance with a literal belief in the global flood described in Gen
587
views
views
79
von Neumann entropy
type of entropy in quantum statistical mechanics
585
views
views
80
devolution
process of evolving from a complex organism to a simpler organism
581
views
views
81
capability approach
economic theory
566
views
views
82
BKL singularity
general relativity model near the beginning of the universe
562
views
views
83
Gallicanism
the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarchs' authority or the state's authority—over the Catholic Church is co
544
views
views
84
costly signaling theory in evolutionary psychology
behavioral theory
537
views
views
85
heat death paradox
paradox relating to fate of universe
536
views
views
86
Jahn–Teller effect
mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking in molecular and solid-state systems
534
views
views
87
refrigerator mother theory
discredited historical theory that autistic spectrum disorders are caused by a lack of parental emotional warmth
531
views
views
88
Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory
chemical theory defining acids and bases by transfer of protons (hydrons)
524
views
views
89
Aristotelian physics
natural sciences as described by Aristotle
514
views
views
90
democratic peace theory
theory which posits that democracies are hesitant to engage in armed conflict with other identified democracies
491
views
views
91
pluralism
view that politics and decision making are located mostly in the framework of government, but that many non-governmental groups use their re
485
views
views
92
orthogenesis
obsolete biological hypothesis that organisms have an innate tendency to evolve towards some goal
483
views
views
93
theory of tides
aspect of history
477
views
views
94
Neo-Darwinism
the current paradigm in evolutionary biology
477
views
views
95
particle horizon
the maximum distance from which light from particles could have traveled to the observer during the age of the universe
471
views
views
96
voting paradox (Condorcet)
Marquis de Condorcet's observation regarding times when voters' collective preferences are cyclic, even when voters' individual preferences
468
views
views
97
Fresnel diffraction
diffraction
467
views
views
98
preformationism
formerly-popular theory that organisms develop from miniature versions of themselves
460
views
views
99
caloric theory
obsolete scientific theory of heat flow
441
views
views
100
Stokes flow
fluid flow where advective inertial forces are small compared with viscous forces
430
views
views