Popular Misconceptions II: Science in the Media

Bad Science

The way I see it, a lot of the confusion and mistrust of science among the general public comes from  the way it's reported on in the media.

Science is Hard... But Don't Turn Off your Brain!

I've learned something interesting recently.

According to the Canadian Council of Academies, out of 35 nations whose statistics were available, we rank first in the world in science literacy. Excitement! For the briefest moment, I was proud of my nation. Then I kept reading: we're first in the world, at 42%. Meaning, 42% of Canadians understand enough about science that we can properly decipher a science-related news article, and that makes us the most scientifically-literate nation on the planet.