02.01]in the 1800s, john dalton's atomic theory was that atoms are indivisible. later, subatomic particles such as neutrons, electrons, and protons were discovered. what happened to the indivisible part of dalton's atomic theory, and why? the theory remained unchanged because dalton was correct regarding all other statements within the accepted scientific theory. dalton's theory remained intact, and the new evidence was ultimately discarded because new data must fit within the current accepted theory. the indivisible part of the theory was voted upon by the scientific community because validity is based on the majority of scientific opinions. the indivisible part of the theory was discarded after the subatomic particles discovery because consensus of data must exist for theories to be valid.