Unscientific America

Never before have science and technology been so integrated with our lives. And yet so few of us understand the discoveries that shape our world.

A study released this month by the Pew Research Center asked scientists how they view media coverage of their research. About three-quarters of scientists say news reports fail to distinguish between findings that are well-founded and those that are not. And nearly half say media oversimplification of scientific findings is a major problem.

Writer Chris Mooney argues that as we face monumental problems like climate change, dwindling oil supplies, nuclear proliferation, food shortages and global pandemics, we need science more than ever. He and marine scientist Sheril Kirshenbaum teamed up to propose ways to bridge the gap and connect science to our lives. Their new book is Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future.

Chris Mooney joined us from the studios of WWFM in Princeton, New Jersey. We asked him to illustrate the rift between science and culture. He also discussed the role of science journalists, and how scientists themselves can walk across the burning bridge between the scientifically literate and those who are skeptical, and even hostile, to science.

(Photo by A Hermida via Flickr/Creative Commons)