According to a series of recent surveys among the general population, most US citizens seem to be unable to pass even the most basic science literacy test, a trend that has got experts very concerned. Because individuals lack this ability, they may find it very difficult to interpret scientific articles, and some may even misconstrue presented pieces of evidence and turn them into something they are not, like in the case of global warming. As people miss even the most basic background in science, they cannot actually emit an informed opinion, and the trend is growing with each passing year, experts note.

The California Academy of Sciences (CAS) has commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct the new research, which has revealed that only 53 percent of US adults know how long it takes Earth to revolve once around the Sun, while just some 60 percent are aware of the fact that the earliest humans and the dinosaurs didn't actually live at the same time, and that they were separated by millions of years and two extinction events.

Only 47 percent of all respondents are in the know of how much of our planet's surface is covered by oceans, with scientists considering the answer to this question correct if questionnaire responders stated anything between 65 and 75 percent. What's even more concerning is the fact that only 21 percent of the people who have replied to these three questions have got all the answers right. The new investigation comes amidst growing pressure on the scientific community to promote innovation in the increasing economic downturn, where science is considered to be the only way out.

“There has never been a greater need for investment in scientific research and education. Many of the most pressing issues of our time – from global climate change to resource management and disease – can only be addressed with the help of science,” Dr. Gregory Farrington, the executive director at CAS, warns. Billions of dollars are being handed out by the federal government, but this money will only provide a temporary solution, and, if things remain the same as far as science goes, they will have been spent for nothing. The effects of the current lack of education will start making themselves visible within the next one or two decades.

The only thing that gives a little ray of hope in the current study is that 80 percent of all those who have responded to the questions believe that science is, indeed, the way to get out of the crisis. These individuals have also placed their confidence with the scientific community, saying that education in this direction is “absolutely essential” or “very important.”