"The Earth circles the sun once every year, but a startling 26% of Americans get this simple fact backward."

I need to stop being startled by how dumb people are.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-bas … 51784.html

Here are the 10 basic questions concerning science that the NSF asked Americans last year. Average score was 65%.

1. The center of the Earth is very hot. True or false?

2. The continents have been moving their location for millions of years and will continue to move. True or false?

3. Does the Earth go around the sun, or does the sun go around the Earth?

4. All radioactivity is man-made. True or false?

5. Electrons are smaller than atoms. True or false?

6. Lasers work by focusing sound waves. True or false?

7. The universe began with a huge explosion. True or false?

8. It's the father's gene that decides whether the baby is a boy or girl. True or false?

9. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria. True or false?

10. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals. True or false?

I was pretty discouraged until I looked at the international results. Now I don't feel quite so bad, but I am surprised at how low all the scores were over all. I mean... this is really basic stuff. I guess that explains a lot though.

Yeah, the results in Asia are even more saddening than the ones in the US...

80% isn't bad considering how little scientific knowledge I have.