A
superseded, or
obsolete, scientific theory is a
scientific theory that mainstream
scientific consensus once commonly accepted but now no longer considers the most complete description of reality, or considers to be simply false. This label does not cover
protoscientific or
fringe science theories with limited support in the
scientific community. Also, it does not mean theories that were never widely accepted. Some theories that were only supported under specific political authorities, such as
Lysenkoism, may also be described as obsolete or superseded.