Trending Scientific Theories this week
The 100 most-viewed scientific theories this week on Wikipedia. Ranked by real-world attention. Top: Fermi paradox.
100
Ranked
129,090
Total Views (this week)
1
Fermi paradox
apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence and high probability estimates for the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations
16,935
views
views
2
Big Bang
hypothetical begin of the Universe through expansion out of an infinitely small and infinitely dense state
8,485
views
views
3
flat Earth
archaic conception of the Earth's shape
6,669
views
views
4
theory of relativity
two interrelated physics theories by Albert Einstein
5,775
views
views
5
Dyson sphere
hypothetical megastructure, originally described by Freeman Dyson
5,341
views
views
6
race
nonscientific human classification system primarily based on physical appearance
4,920
views
views
7
general relativity
standard and classical physics theory of gravity and space
4,121
views
views
8
accelerationism
political philosophy that the prevailing system of capitalism should be expanded in order to generate radical social change
3,853
views
views
9
uncertainty principle
fundamental principle in quantum physics
3,504
views
views
10
special relativity
physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein
2,911
views
views
11
infrared radiation
electromagnetic radiation with longer wavelengths than those of visible light
2,403
views
views
12
Coriolis force
apparent or fictitious force on objects moving within a reference frame that rotates with respect to an inertial frame
2,196
views
views
13
Third International Theory
theory of governance proposed by Muammar Gaddafi
2,090
views
views
14
Bose–Einstein condensate
state of matter of a dilute gas of bosons cooled to temperatures very near absolute zero
2,042
views
views
15
germ theory of disease
prevailing theory about the cause of infectious diseases
1,969
views
views
16
meritocracy
political system in which capital is assigned on the basis of competence
1,949
views
views
17
Einstein field equations
field equations in general relativity
1,767
views
views
18
boson
quantum system invariant by exchange of two identical instances
1,745
views
views
19
Lamarckism
hypothesis that an organism can pass on characteristics that it has acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime to its offspring
1,636
views
views
20
heliocentrism
astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around a relatively stationary Sun at the center of the Solar System
1,626
views
views
21
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
1,577
views
views
22
trickle-down economics
economic theory
1,569
views
views
23
miasma theory
obsolete medical theory about the transmission of disease through bad air
1,546
views
views
24
big lie
gross distortion or misrepresentation of the truth
1,528
views
views
25
axial tilt
angle between the rotational axis and orbital axis of a body
1,242
views
views
26
continental drift
movement of Earth's continents relative to each other
1,229
views
views
27
spherical Earth
assertion that the Earth is (at least approximately) spherical
1,166
views
views
28
Darwinism
theory of biological evolution driven by natural selection
1,121
views
views
29
Kurgan hypothesis
theory of Indo-European origin
1,115
views
views
30
HIV/AIDS denialism
belief, contradicted by conclusive evidence, that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AID
1,097
views
views
31
insanity
abnormal mental or behavioral patterns
1,082
views
views
32
Realism
international relations theory
922
views
views
33
free energy principle
hypothesis in neuroscience proposed by Karl Friston
910
views
views
34
vitalism
discredited scientific hypothesis
904
views
views
35
phlogiston theory
superseded scientific theory about combustion
864
views
views
36
spontaneous generation
disproven theory of life arising from nonliving matter
855
views
views
37
Rényi entropy
family of diversity measures generalising Shannon entropy
833
views
views
38
Unified neutral theory of biodiversity
theory of evolutionary biology
811
views
views
39
principal–agent problem
conflict of interest when one agent makes decisions on another's behalf
771
views
views
40
Socialism in One Country
political theory by Joseph Stalin
758
views
views
41
Bose-Einstein statistics
statistical description for the behaviour of bosons
716
views
views
42
History of atomic theory
history of scientific theory that views matter as made up of atoms of chemical elements
668
views
views
43
two-nation theory
political ideology that, in the Indian subcontinent, Hindus and Muslims comprise separate nations
647
views
views
44
elite theory
theory of the state
638
views
views
45
modern evolutionary synthesis
early-20th-century scientific theory combining Darwinian evolution and Mendelian inheritance
624
views
views
46
Penrose process
theorical process wherein energy can be extracted from a rotating black hole
615
views
views
47
von Mises yield criterion
concept in continuum mechanics
608
views
views
48
costly signaling theory in evolutionary psychology
behavioral theory
607
views
views
49
menstrual synchrony
purported menstrual cycle synchronization in women who live together
602
views
views
50
Fermi–Dirac statistics
behaviour of many identical fermions, particles with half-integer spin
593
views
views
51
perturbation theory
quantum mechanics
553
views
views
52
Three Worlds Theory
Maoist interpretation and formulation of international relations
542
views
views
53
palingenetic ultranationalism
theory concerning generic fascism
540
views
views
54
Madman theory
feature of Richard Nixon's foreign policy
540
views
views
55
Turing pattern
how patterns in nature, such as stripes and spots, can arise naturally and autonomously from a homogeneous, uniform state
535
views
views
56
kinetic theory
mathematical model explaining macroscopic properties of gases in microscopic terms
528
views
views
57
foco
theory of revolution by way of guerrilla warfare
506
views
views
58
growing block universe
past and present exist while the future does not
497
views
views
59
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
496
views
views
60
Penrose diagram
two-dimensional diagram that captures the causal relations between different points in spacetime
482
views
views
61
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.
480
views
views
62
neorealism
concept in international relations
477
views
views
63
iron law of oligarchy
Political theory claiming that all organizations will eventually become oligarchic
450
views
views
64
probability axioms
axioms that are relevant to the probability theory
442
views
views
65
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
437
views
views
66
Duverger's law
principle in political science
430
views
views
67
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
411
views
views
68
domino theory
theory concerning the influence of Communism
401
views
views
69
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
400
views
views
70
Pauli effect
supposed tendency of technical equipment to fail in the presence of certain people
385
views
views
71
Aristotle's biology
theory of biology, grounded in systematic observation and collection of data, mainly zoological, embodied in Aristotle's books on the scienc
383
views
views
72
extended evolutionary synthesis
set of theoretical concepts argued to be more comprehensive than the earlier modern synthesis of evolutionary biology that took place betwee
376
views
views
73
killer ape theory
theory that war and interpersonal aggression was the driving force behind human evolution
372
views
views
74
rotating black hole
black hole with angular momentum
365
views
views
75
Bell test experiments
experiments in quantum mechanics
363
views
views
76
von Neumann entropy
type of entropy in quantum statistical mechanics
361
views
views
77
devolution
process of evolving from a complex organism to a simpler organism
344
views
views
78
pluralism
view that politics and decision making are located mostly in the framework of government, but that many non-governmental groups use their re
330
views
views
79
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
325
views
views
80
Fresnel zone
region of space involved in radio propagation between a transmitting and receiving antenna
319
views
views
81
preformationism
formerly-popular theory that organisms develop from miniature versions of themselves
318
views
views
82
post-Marxism
trend in political philosophy and social theory
312
views
views
83
heat death paradox
paradox relating to fate of universe
311
views
views
84
particle horizon
the maximum distance from which light from particles could have traveled to the observer during the age of the universe
309
views
views
85
Gallicanism
the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarchs' authority or the state's authority—over the Catholic Church is co
306
views
views
86
capability approach
economic theory
306
views
views
87
Stokes parameters
298
views
views
88
Bell state
quantum state of two qubits that exhibits maximal quantum entanglement
298
views
views
89
Jahn–Teller effect
mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking in molecular and solid-state systems
296
views
views
90
theory of tides
aspect of history
293
views
views
91
Aristotelian physics
natural sciences as described by Aristotle
292
views
views
92
orthogenesis
obsolete biological hypothesis that organisms have an innate tendency to evolve towards some goal
292
views
views
93
democratic peace theory
theory which posits that democracies are hesitant to engage in armed conflict with other identified democracies
290
views
views
94
refrigerator mother theory
discredited historical theory that autistic spectrum disorders are caused by a lack of parental emotional warmth
289
views
views
95
Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory
chemical theory defining acids and bases by transfer of protons (hydrons)
289
views
views
96
Neo-Darwinism
the current paradigm in evolutionary biology
283
views
views
97
voting paradox (Condorcet)
Marquis de Condorcet's observation regarding times when voters' collective preferences are cyclic, even when voters' individual preferences
280
views
views
98
triarchic theory of intelligence
theory of human intelligence formulated by Robert Sternberg
275
views
views
99
Dyson series
perturbative expansion of the time evolution operator in the interaction picture
270
views
views
100
isospin
quantum number related to the weak interaction
258
views
views