Communicating science to the public
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There is a general problem of how to communicate science to non-scientists.
Why should scientists care?
- We have some sort of obligation to make science accessible to non-scientists?
- Government makes public policy partially on the basis of scientific research. So if non-scientists in government ignore/misunderstand science, then public policy is adversely affected.
- Public perceptions of science can influence government spending priorities in science. In some cases, negative public perceptions can even destroy scientific fields.
Recent articles
- Slashdot post on Bad Science in the Press
- Guardian article on science in the mainstream press (from Slashdot post)
- PLoS Medicine article on Why Most Published Research Findings Are False (from Guardian article)
