Science and Public Thoughts on Important Topics

The first article you will read in this activity from National  Geographic lists several reasons why people have become more distrustful  of science and the reported findings from research. The author points  out many very human fallibilities that scientists and the general public  may wish to recognize and overcome as best we can. The article also  addresses the “science communication problem,” which is now a hot topic  for research.  

First:

• Read the National Geographic article by Achenbach titled “The Age of Disbelief (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.”
• Explore the interactive page Major Gaps Between the Public, Scientists on Key Issues (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. 
• Read Study Reveals Wide Gaps in Opinion Between Scientists and General Public (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
  

After carefully reading the National Geographic article, the PBS  News Hour page, and visiting the interactive web page by the PEW  Research Center, please respond to the following two questions in your  initial post:

1. Select one of the reasons given by Achenbach in the National  Geographic article regarding why the public is distrustful or dismissive  of scientific findings. Identify clearly which reason you will be  discussing, then restate this reason in your own words. 
2. Give an example of this type of faulty reasoning from your own  experiences or from some popular publication, website, or information  source.