Final answer:
An emerging idea in science is a new concept that is being tested, whereas scientific consensus represents well-established, widely accepted knowledge in the scientific community. Emerging ideas may evolve into scientific consensus after thorough validation, as seen with global warming, or they may be discarded if unsupported by evidence.
Step-by-step explanation:
An emerging idea in science, often initiated as a hypothesis, is a concept that is relatively new and not yet widely supported or verified with extensive evidence. Over time, through rigorous testing, peer review, and the accumulation of evidence, these emerging ideas may either become part of the accepted body of knowledge or be discarded.
In contrast, scientific consensus represents the collective judgment, position, and opinion of the community of scientists in a particular field of study. Consensus is achieved when the overwhelming majority of scientists agree on a certain view based on a substantial body of evidence. It signifies that the idea or theory is widely accepted and has withstood continued scrutiny and validation, like in the case of global climate change and evolution.
Examples of emerging ideas being tested and challenged over time include research on the relationship between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol, and hypotheses regarding dark energy in astronomy. These contrast established consensuses such as evolutionary theory, which is strongly supported by the scientific community and widely considered a fundamental principle of biology.