In the latest poll conducted by the NSF to assess Americans' knowledge of basic scientific concepts, the results of two key questions were left off the final report; questions regarding knowledge of the theories of evolution and the big bang. Click the link below to read the full article from ScienceInsider.
As I was searching the web for more information on Americans' knowledge of science (or shameful lack thereof), I also found this short 12 question quiz. It had some fairly good items, including some requiring knowledge of current events in science, but interestingly enough, it also contained no questions about evolution or the big bang. However, it did have one question about stem cells, so maybe they weren't trying to deliberately avoid questions perceived to be controversial to some groups.
Not to toot my own horn, but when I took the quiz, I got a perfect score, which placed me in the top 10% of scores for people taking the quiz (the statistical accuracy of this figure is a bit odd, but....ok). To put this in a clearer perspective, my 11-year-old son also took the quiz, and got 9 out of 12 correct--which placed him in the top third of respondents. In other words, of over 1000 individual adults who took a very basic science quiz, 2/3 knew less than a sixth grader, whose primary interest is NOT in science--unless you consider the evolution of Pokemon a field of science.
What does this say about our nation's future prospects in the fields of science and technology? Already, it seems we import our scientists just as surely as we import our material possessions.
The link below will take you directly to the quiz and allow you to compare yourself to a 6th grader, high schooler, college attendee, and/or graduate.
Quote of the Day:
"Living creatures arose from the moist element as it was evaporated by the sun. Man was like another animal, namely a fish."
--Anaximander (c. 610-546 BCE)
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