What might lead a person to challenge a scientific theory?

Answer 1

This is my rather informal answer, so take it with a grain of salt: Theories are rejected/ignored when they do not have a good backing or implications that they might be correct, and are conclusively rejected when experimental data disagrees with them. Theories are considered when they seem plausible, and if all experimental data agrees with them, they are accepted.

Answer 2

Theories are supported based upon data collected from observations of the world around and experiments run by the scientist.

It does not be come fact until it can be prove that the theory will operate in every possible instance or scenario.

Answer 3

When an idea is supported by much evidence. But this is only part of the story. Any idea that can be supported by observable evidence is, even if just in theory, able to be refuted by observable evidence. So when evidence comes along that refutes an idea, the idea has to be reconsidered, and possibly thrown out altogether. So in a real sense the word 'true' in science means the same as 'not yet refuted'. The best scientists are able to be skeptical about everything.

Answer 4

A scientist may reject a scientific theory if the theory is not provable by empirical methods. They may also reject a theory if the scientific method was flawed.

Answer 5

Scientists are people of curiosity. They create experiments and duplicate them to prove theories to be correct or not correct.

Answer 6

Because the theory might not be right and it probably hasn't been tested...

Answer 7

Data which disproves the theory.

Answer 8

it is too old