Question

A scientist hypothesized that one species of dinosaur was the ancestor of a later species of dinosaur. She then found fossil evidence in several places that this was so. Why can't her hypothesis become a scientific theory at this point?
Answer

A scientific theory explains a wide range of phenomena, and this does not.

She needs to test her hypothesis further before it can become a theory.

The hypothesis cannot become a scientific theory until it is published in a scientific journal.

Too much evidence has accumulated supporting her hypothesis for it to be called a theory.