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A recent study by the National Science Board shows that one out of four Americans think that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Unfortunately, this disturbing example of scientific illiteracy is but one statistic amongst a national trend of ignorance.
According to the survey, only 38% of Americans think that our universe started with a large explosion known as the Big Bang. For over eighty years now, the Big Bang Theory has been the widely accepted explanation amongst the scientific community for how our universe was initially formed. Inexplicably however, it is only a minority of the American populace that agrees with the world’s scientists.
Sadly, the lack of apparent knowledge in regards to astronomy does not stop there. Despite the fact that there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support it, upwards of 42% of Americans believe that Astrology is scientifically backed and completely legitimate.
In other words, well over one out of every three Americans believe that the horoscopes listed in magazines such as Cosmo Girl are actually capable of predicting the future.
The scientific wisdom of America also extends into matters of biology. When asked whether or not “human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals,” only 48% of Americans answered yes.
The theory of evolution by natural selection has withstood over a century and a half of testing since Sir Charles Darwin proposed it. Regardless, less than half of America is willing to accept it as reality.
Basic scientific knowledge of medicine also seems to elude Americans as 51% of survey respondents answered that antibiotics do in fact kill viruses.
Something that does provide a glimmer of hope is the statistic that 80% of Americans think that the leaders of the scientific community are trustworthy individuals.
While the theories and finding of scientists have been slow to gain acceptance in our nation, the fact that most Americans are at least willing to place faith in those who wear lab coats for a living may eventually lead to a growing trend of scientific literacy in American society.
