Americans behind the world in grasp of genetics, evolution

[anitram]

Article from Live Science. Original study published in Science.

Among the findings:

A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower.

Among the factors contributing to America's low score are poor understanding of biology, especially genetics, the politicization of science and the literal interpretation of the Bible by a small but vocal group of American Christians, the researchers say.

“American Protestantism is more fundamentalist than anybody except perhaps the Islamic fundamentalist, which is why Turkey and we are so close,” said study co-author Jon Miller of Michigan State University.

...

Of the other countries surveyed, only Turkey ranked lower, with about 25 percent of the population accepting evolution and 75 percent rejecting it. In Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and France, 80 percent or more of adults accepted evolution; in Japan, 78 percent of adults did.

...

The researchers also compared 10 independent variables—including religious belief, political ideology and understanding of concepts from genetics, or “genetic literacy”—between adults in America and nine European countries to determine whether these factors could predict attitudes toward evolution.

...

The researchers also single out the poor grasp of biological concepts, especially genetics, by American adults as an important contributor to the country's low confidence in evolution.

“The more you understand about genetics, the more you understand about the unity of life and the relationship humans have to other forms of life,” Miller said.

The current study also analyzed the results from a 10-country survey in which adults were tested with 10 true or false statements about basic concepts from genetics. One of the statements was "All plants and animals have DNA." Americans had a median score of 4. (The correct answer is "yes.")

 

[INDY500]

Evolution. Try science in general. Or mathematics, history or geography for that matter.
How many Americans could even find Turkey on a globe?

We can name the Seven Dwarfs however.

 

[martha]

If the survey takers had had too many people from Kansas in the mix, the results would have been even worse!

 

[Tania]

Any deity worthy of a graven image can cobble up a working universe complete with fake fossils in under a week - hey, if you're not omnipotent, there's no real point in being a god. But to start with a big ball of elementary particles and end up with the duckbill platypus without constant twiddling requires a degree of subtlety and the ability to Think Things Through: exactly the qualities I'm looking for when I'm shopping for a Supreme Being.

 

[Angela Harlem]

hey tania, how come god shrunk the beaver from the size of a bear to the size they are now?

 

[Tania]

Used the wrong washing setting

 

[JCR]

re: anitram's initial post.



And we're surprised that so many people voted for Bush?

 

[A_Wanderer]

Going to be your loss, where you fail skilled foreigners are sure to fill the gap

 

[melon]

Evolution. Try science in general. Or mathematics, history or geography for that matter.

There's a general climate of anti-education in this country. After all, it's about as much of an election-year slur as calling someone a "liberal."

Melon

 

[melon]

Any deity worthy of a graven image can cobble up a working universe complete with fake fossils in under a week - hey, if you're not omnipotent, there's no real point in being a god. But to start with a big ball of elementary particles and end up with the duckbill platypus without constant twiddling requires a degree of subtlety and the ability to Think Things Through: exactly the qualities I'm looking for when I'm shopping for a Supreme Being.

That's fine and all, but education isn't about shopping and deciding what you want to believe is true. Education is about observable changes that can be objectively proven to the best of our ability.

I think, personally, that any deity that expends a lot of effort to create billions of years of fake history to deceive people is a cruel god unworthy of worship. He commands us not to lie, but then goes ahead and does it Himself?

As such, when it comes to faith in God, I don't share those views of yours. But that's for another thread.

Melon

 

[A_Wanderer]

America is not alone in this regard

An Opinionpanel Research survey conducted in July this year found that more than 30% of UK university students believe in creationism or intelligent design. This raw detail is gasp-inducing enough in its own right, as indication of the effect of the propagandised resurgence of the fairy-tales that once served mankind's intellectual infancy and are now reasserting a grip on too many. But it is even more troubling as a symptom of a wider corrosion, the spread of a more virulent cancer of unreason, which is affecting not just the mental culture of our own country but the fate of the world itself.

link

And the Answers in Genesis imbecile Ken Ham is an Australian

 

[Irvine511]

you're all such elitists.

ALL ideas must be given equal weight; not just ideas supported by facts and evidence.

 

[martha]

you're all such elitists.

ALL ideas must be given equal weight; not just ideas supported by facts and evidence.

 

[Angela Harlem]

That's fine and all, but education isn't about shopping and deciding what you want to believe is true. Education is about observable changes that can be objectively proven to the best of our ability.

I think, personally, that any deity that expends a lot of effort to create billions of years of fake history to deceive people is a cruel god unworthy of worship. He commands us not to lie, but then goes ahead and does it Himself?

As such, when it comes to faith in God, I don't share those views of yours. But that's for another thread.

Melon

Actually, I reckon Tania knows more about science than this entire forum combined, given her um...education, ironically. But nevermind carry on!

 

[verte76]

I'm surprised that that few people in Turkey believe in evolution. Turks aren't very strict Muslims, generally speaking. Hell, it's easier to buy alcoholic beverages in that Muslim country than it is in the U.S.

 

[anitram]

I'm surprised that that few people in Turkey believe in evolution. Turks aren't very strict Muslims, generally speaking. Hell, it's easier to buy alcoholic beverages in that Muslim country than it is in the U.S.

It could be a matter of their educational system, though. I'm not familiar what they teach in their schools or how widespread religious schools are, but it could be that's contributing to the low ranking?

 

[A_Wanderer]

you're all such elitists.

ALL ideas must be given equal weight; not just ideas supported by facts and evidence.

That sounds more like Derrida, the believers just claim that their right and science is wrong.

 

[melon]

Actually, I reckon Tania knows more about science than this entire forum combined, given her um...education, ironically. But nevermind carry on!

I missed a joke, didn't I?

Melon

 

[Tania]

I missed a joke, didn't I?

Melon

 

[Angela Harlem]

But she doesn't like telling people, oddly enough!

I missed a joke, didn't I?

Melon

She's secretly an uber nerd

 

[Tania]

Re: But she doesn't like telling people, oddly enough!

She's secretly an uber nerd

I swear madam, there is a tuna in the mail with your name on it...








*Heads back to the frontier...*

 

[Angela Harlem]

Ha! I sent you a James Blunt spoof in return!

 

[JCR]

I submit the last five posts in this thread as further evidence that in a-merica, we believe in devolution (or is it de-evolution?)

Feor me, evolution's a given. It's the theories on the Universe I'm curious about...currently, I'm diggin' the string theories...hmmmn, but which one?

 

[MadelynIris]

If it wasn't for the fact that we captured the aliens first, we'd be way behind in technology too!

 

[Tania]

JCR