Albert Einstein first hypothesized that a large object, such as a planet, bends the space around it. This hypothesis became part of the theory of relativity, which is about how objects affect the space and time around them.

A hypothesis becomes part of a scientific theory when evidence supports it. Einstein’s hypothesis was that a large object bends the space around it, so the relevant development would be experimental evidence supporting that idea. Other scientists asking the same question or raising related questions would not, by themselves, establish the hypothesis.

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