Does water’s boiling point change with altitude? Americans aren’t sure
Only 34% of Americans correctly answered a question about the difference (if any) between boiling water in Los Angeles and Denver. So what's the right answer, and why?
A Look at What the Public Knows and Does Not Know About Science
A new Pew Research Center survey finds that most Americans can answer basic questions about several scientific terms and concepts, such as the layers of the Earth and the elements needed to make nuclear energy.
How Scientists Engage the Public and Why It Matters
At the AAAS 2015 Annual Meeting, Lee Rainie discussed new findings about how scientists use a variety of methods to bring their work to the general public.
How Scientists Engage the Public
Most scientists (87%) believe it is important to participate in public policy debates. Almost half use social media to discuss or follow science, and nearly a quarter blog about science and research.
Public’s Knowledge of Science and Technology
Report About eight-in-ten Americans (83%) identify ultraviolet as the type of radiation that sunscreen protects against. Nearly as many (77%) know that the main concern about the overuse of antibiotics is that it can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, only about half (51%) of the public knows that “fracking” is a process that extracts natural […]
Bloggers Debate Global Warming and Scientific Ethics
In the blogosphere last week, scientist Peter Gleick’s admission that he used a false identity to obtain global warming-related documents topped the news.
Japan and Global Warming Top the Bloggers’ Agenda
Bloggers last week continued to follow the troubling news coming out of Japan and returned to a familiar topic—global warming—in stark contrast to the mainstream media’s attention to Beltway budget battles. Google’s new video initiative was No. 1 on Twitter while soccer-related violence was the top YouTube news clip.
Global Warming Heats Up the Blogosphere
News of scientists’ plans to more actively warn of global warming dangers generated a big response from bloggers last week. And on YouTube, the continuing Philip DeFranco phenomenon illustrates the online platform’s power to turn regular folks into video stars.
With New Hope for Containment, the Gulf Spill Leads
After several weeks of decreasing coverage, the Gulf oil saga spiked upward last week amid news of possible success in stopping the flow. Coverage of a bill to regulate the financial sector, infighting among Democrats, violence and progress in Afghanistan and the death of a baseball mogul rounded out the roster of top stories.
Global Warming Debate Rages on in Social Media
Last week, bloggers gave more attention to the subject of global warming than at any time this year. And while skeptics continued to focus on “Climate-gate,” defenders were more vocal than in previous weeks. On Twitter, the growing Tiger Woods scandal earned the most attention. And on YouTube, a feisty exchange between the White House press secretary and a reporter was the most viewed news video.
