Do Americans know their science? The results are in from a new National Science Foundation survey that assessed our knowledge of basic biology, chemistry, astronomy, geology, and physics -- and they don't look promising.
The survey shows that an alarming number of Americans think astrology has a foundation in science (it doesn't). And too many of us don't know what determines a baby's sex or the correct answer to the simple true-or-false question "The universe began with a huge explosion."
Yikes.
Want to test your own science knowledge? All the questions from the survey are included below.
Questions:
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 manmade. 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?
Answers:
1. True
2. True
3. Earth around the sun
4. False
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. True
9. False
10. True
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article featured a quiz that was not functioning properly due to technical problems. The quiz has been replaced with the questions and answers above.
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