The Miami Herald – Laurie Futtermank
“Science helps satisfy our natural curiosity: why is the sky blue, how did the leopard get its spots, what is a solar eclipse? With science, we can answer these questions without resorting to magical explanations. Scientific understanding leads to technological advances, and helps us learn about enormously important topics, such as our health, the environment and natural hazards. Yet each year it seems children know less about how the natural world works and have all but lost that curiosity. Is it because kids are spending less time outdoors and getting dirty? Is it because technology has made them intrinsically less curious? Is Siri, Wikipedia or Google to blame? Is it because they are reading less and being entertained more? Or is it because they just don’t care? No matter what the reason, not knowing spells trouble for all of us. It is frightening to think that we may be cultivating a generation of kids who don’t question or ponder. A 2013 BBC.com article, “Why everyone must understand science,” references the fact that people feel excluded by science and scientific discussions. Although most people use laptops, fly in planes and use appliances in the home, they don’t know what’s behind this technology. The less people know the more they are likely to be influenced by people who may not have their best interests at heart.”(more)