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<pedantry> Maybe only 27 percent of Americans think that more than half of human genes are identical to those of mice becuause they're not identical. They're homologous.</pedantry>
Good point Karen, but I doubt it. That assumes a much greater level of understanding.
This is where Jenny McCarthy and Suzanne Summer are listened to as scientists on their bogus unfounded tirades and Scientists can't try and cure diseases because stem cells are evil. The world is 6,000 years old and fossils are a prank, and don't even get me started on climate. I worked at a facility that did animal research and the outcry over it was awful. I told people if you really believe its wrong it goes beyond not wearing fur, you should not use any drug or medical device that ever was tested on animals... good luck with that when you get sick or something deadly. I am going to guess that you may take antibiotics and whatever else, all from animal research.
I think its beyond understanding, its having faith in the rigoruous education scientists have that well we may know something after all these years of school and work and some trust should be given to us to do our job. Nobody questions a doctor when an appendix needs taking out, we trust they know what they are doing. I am not saying blindly trusting but if you want say you need to do the foot work, or implement scientists in positions of control and regulation of these things. And if you don't trust our education then umm maybe the whole educational system is in need of reform and that should be focused on.But I just am annoyed when someone like Jenny McCarthy or whomever is taken seriously without ANY background. I don't think they are many other careers that are this distrusted. (and I mean science as whole, from evolution to climate to medecine to the hadron collider)
I am in the unique position of having been raised and educated in a pro-science environment. My parents were not sciientists, but were atuned to science and its revelations. My teachers were before the time of the education degree, so they all had math, science, arts, etc specific degress, A physics MS teacher taught physics, a math MS taught math and so on. They imparted the energy of the sciences rather than simply preparations for a sketcy amount of test questions on basic science. Evolution was a given and discussed in detail. My father was an Episcopal minister who had an undergrad degree in engineering. He definitely had problems promoting theologisms that contradicted what he knew was scientifically entirely different.
The transition is occuring and we are seeing more citizen-scientists, but not enough is being done to bring children forward at as early an age as I was and within a supportive family environment.
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