Researchers found that aggressive messaging and framing current events as a ‘war on science’ had different effects on how liberals and conservatives felt about scientists’ credibility.
A handy source of information about questions big and small.
TheDigitalWay/pixabay
Google search histories can be used to reveal how much the public knows about climate change in countries all over the world - and how ready they are to take action to guard against its effects.
Will Bill Nye’s new show find a wider audience than Neil deGrasse Tyson’s ‘Cosmos’ did?
Vince Bucci/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images
Popular programming that focuses on science tends to not actually be all that popular. Bringing in new audiences who aren’t already up to speed on science topics is a challenge.
Science can help explain the mysteries of the universe but how do you put a dollar value on that?
Flickr/James Gilbert
Declan Fahy, American University School of Communication
A bill before congress would create a science laureate position akin to the poet laureate for poetry. But some science stars are already essentially doing the job now.
A screenshot from one of the most popular science channels on YouTube – but what makes these videos so popular?
YouTube/AsapScience
Everyone’s looking for an audience for their videos on YouTube, and there are plenty of science videos out there. But not all are popular so what makes one more interesting than another?
Average Americans don’t view science issues the same way scientists do.
Man image via www.shutterstock.com.
A new set of surveys of scientists and the public finds the two groups have widely different views about scientific issues. Conducted by the Pew Research Center in collaboration with the American Association…
No matter how strong the scientific argument and consensus among scientists there will always be people who reject the evidence. It happens on so many scientific topics, from climate change and vaccination…
Surveys on public attitudes to science regularly tell us that there are swathes of the public that simply seem to not care about science, despite our best effort to engage them. But perhaps the issue is…
Young people are harbouring misconceptions about climate change. But what can be done about it?
Thinking image www.shutterstock.com
The next generation will be the ones to feel the increasing effects of climate change. But how much do they really know about it? After all, it’s one thing to say: yes, I believe in climate change. But…
A renewed interest in citizen science could help engage the wider public in research projects.
Mount Rainier NPS
Academic discussions of citizen science are all the rage right now (see here, and here, and here). While most describe the successes of individual projects, none (to my knowledge) have taken the long view…
Many pro-science arguments rest on the belief science is simply a “very good thing”.
Raul Lazaro
Litanies about how poorly science and the science “brand” are doing have become a little too common for my liking. The most recent notable example came courtesy of the EU’s Science, it’s a girl thing campaign…
There’s knowing science, then knowing how to teach it.
B Rosen
Last week’s Health of Australian Science report, by the Chief Scientist of Australia Ian Chubb, has again highlighted the issue of declining student engagement in science in primary and secondary schools…
Scientists and politicians rely on each other – so how best to develop that relationship?
mayhem
“Our lack of ability to position our argument in the public means science has not influenced public debate as it should.” So said Australian National University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young at…
You may be home late if the entire universe is your test tube.
morgantj
THE STATE OF SCIENCE: How does science work? And how can we experiment on things that don’t fit in a lab? Dr Will Howard examines the many faces of the scientific method. As adults, our understanding of…
ASKAP sun up antennas.
Swinburne Astronomy Productions/CSIRO
Newly-minted Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt reflects on the state of Australian science. The feted astronomer is optimistic about the future and the contribution science can make to improving lives…
Peter C. Doherty picks up his Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1996.
AFP
By the time someone gets to the stage of being considered seriously for a Nobel Prize in the sciences, it’s likely they will be very well known in their own research field; their particular discovery…
Shutting down research during National Science Week is a little jarring.
same indifference/Flickr
You really have to wonder what kind of message the New South Wales Government is trying to send about its attitude to science. Was the announcement of funding cuts to research during Science Week just…