RT NewsThe nation that put the first man on the Moon is failing to make the grade today when it comes to basic knowledge of the solar system and other fundamental scientific insight.
That’s according to a new survey which concludes that while most Americans have a world of information at their fingertips, and show tremendous enthusiasm for new technology, they also lack fundamental knowledge of basic science.
Out of a total of nine questions on subjects related to physical and biological sciences, the average score in the survey was a narrowly passing 6.5 correct answers, according to a survey of 2,200 Americans conducted by the National Science Foundation. The result was announced at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held Friday.
For example, only 74 percent correctly answered that the Earth revolved around the Sun.
In 1543, the astronomer Nicolas Copernicus shattered the long-held view that Earth was the center of the universe when he put forth a heliocentric model of the universe where all planetary objects, including the Earth, revolved around the Sun.
Meanwhile, fewer than half (48 percent) of study participants were aware that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals, the celebrated scientific nostrum first demonstrated by British naturalist Charles Darwin in his 1859 book, “On the Origin of Species.”
That is despite the United States’ apparent fondness for so-called “informal science education.” The survey has revealed that almost 60 percent of Americans have visited at some point a zoo, natural history museum or a science and technology museum.
According to the test, more than 90 percent of Americans are of the opinion that scientists are “helping to solve challenging problems” and are “dedicated people who work for the good of humanity.”
Also, nearly 90 percent said the benefits of science outweigh any of its potential dangers, and about the same number expressed interest in learning about medical discoveries.
“It’s important for Americans to maintain a high regard for science and scientists,” according to John Besley, an associate professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Advertising and Public Relations. “It can help ensure funding and help attract future scientists.”
The full findings of the survey, which is conducted every two years, will be included in a National Science Foundation report to President Barack Obama and lawmakers in Congress.
The question of academic quality has become a hot political issue as a number of international tests show Americans falling behind.
A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that Americans scored far below average and higher than only two of 12 other developed comparison countries, Italy and Spain.
The US’s failure to keep academic pace with the rest of the world, which could have serious implications for the country’s future economic performance, has led to many questioning the quality of the public school system in general and teachers in particular.
The National Council of Teacher Quality recently called America’s teacher preparation programs “an industry of mediocrity,” ranking just 10 percent of more than 1,200 of them as high quality, while most have low or no academic standards for entry.
Critics also point to the fact that American school districts rely heavily on property taxes for their funding, which means schools in affluent areas get more cash than those in middle and poor ones. Tax money to fill the void fails to make ends meet in school districts where poverty levels are greatest.
wow. That’s a surprise. (not)
Why was I so sure when I saw the title that this was going to be another Dice production, though?
Haha! You read my mind on both points, #1.
OK I’m British, a non theist and I accept evolution so maybe I don’t see the issue from the right angle. but I wonder why some people get so worked up about results like this. So long as the earth keeps going around the sun, as it has for about 4 billion years, there is no need for anyone not in a specialised field to know this. Any general knowledge factoid could serve just as well as a benchmark.
A few months ago I asked a ‘liberal’ friend who was active in a threat about someone called Casey Anthony who this person is. An insane mass attack came my way, how could anyone be so ignorant at to not know. Why should I or any individual not directly involved with Casey Anthony know. The closest start to our solar system, procima centuri is about four years away, wonder how many of my attackers knew that.
See what I mean, what one person thinks is worth knowing is irrelevant to another.
Considering that people think we won our Independence from China, this doesn’t surprise me.
I guess IQ’s Really have Dropped Sharply as Mark Koernke likes to say….
I bet even less of them know that the suns rays make objects spin and that if an object stops going around the sun it will dive into the sun.
I thought the sun revolved around israhell. lol
No, but Israhell is going to be glowing as brightly as the sun someday soon, hopefully, if Putin ever makes good on his threat to turn them into a “glass ashtray”, Nottoobitter. (love that phrase from him, use it often).
I missed that one. That man is a rising star.
That was a while back, but it raised my estimation of him quite a few notches.
Not many world leaders have the cajones for that kind of a statement to Israhell. Unfortunately, I can’t find a transcript of that speech anywhere, for some reason. 🙁
And I bet even less know that C-A-T really DOESN’T spell “Dog”. 😉
(see the movie, “Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise”)
I believe this is true and not some Mark Dice nonsense. I had a neighbor, a doctor no less in homeopathic medicine, who believed a lot of unusual doctrines as well as being in the Christian Identity movement (hated blacks and Jews and Catholics), and yes, this is the same guy who tried to convince me that the Earth was the center of the entire universe and handed me a book to read called “The Earth is Not Moving” and I forget the author, a geocentrist who used Tycho Brahe’s (incorrect) findings from the 13th or 14th century that the sun went around the earth, as well as dissing Johannes Kepler just because supposedly his mother was a witch. Also used the Biblical “Joshua’s Long Day” as “proof” that the geocentrists were right. I thought on all this for a bit but it didn’t take me long to realize geocentrism is BS. So, yes, I think quite a few Americans DO think the sun goes around the earth…supposedly a million or so copies of this book have been sold. And even stranger, not a few Americans also think the world is FLAT!
I never claimed it was from Dice, DL, only that the title was very Dice-y sounding. It’s from Russia Today, as clearly shown.
Some of us prefer to believe the biblical geocentric point of view. I have learned that the heliocentric model that we were all taught to believe in the public fool system supports the evolutionary theory to which I absolutely reject.
An interesting point to make about the geocentric (geocentricity) model is that NASA used this model (the biblical model) when it does any type of launch into outer space. Anytime they have attempted to use the heliocentric (heliocentricity) model the launch never made it to its target.
The geocentric model teaches that the earth is stationary and that the sun and all the planets revolve around the earth but that the planets also go around the sun in the same manor as we have always been taught. BUT the important thing to notice is that the earth is the center of Gods creation and not the sun. The heliocentric model validates sun and Satan worship rather than focusing on humans as being the head of Gods creation.
I believe the geocentric point of view first and for most because my King James Bible teaches it. There are over 280 verses of scripture in support of this teaching. But with careful study I found it to be correct and once again the bible is proven to be without error.
Sorry in advance for any spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.
If anyone wants more information on geocentricity please email me.
akjb1611only@gmail.com
spot on akjb1611
Thx paul! 🙂