A coalition of 17 scientific societies and science teachers, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Institute of Physics, and the National Science Teachers Association, has called on the scientific community to become more involved in the promotion of science education, including evolution. According to an article in the January 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal, the introduction of 'non-science,' such as creationism and intelligent design, into science education will undermine the fundamentals of science education. Some of these fundamentals include using the scientific method, understanding how to reach scientific consensus, and distinguishing between scientific and nonscientific explanations of natural phenomena.
The article is based on a national survey of 1,000 likely US voters. Survey respondents were queried on their attitudes toward science and scientists, their views on evolutionary science in the context of education, and their opinions regarding the means through which the scientific community can effectively bolster support for teaching evolution and related subjects.
The survey revealed that respondents favoured teaching evolution over creationism or intelligent design. The survey also revealed that respondents were more interested in hearing about evolution from scientists, science teachers, and clergy than Supreme Court Justices, celebrities, or school board members. Also, it found that there is a relationship between people's understanding of science and their support for teaching evolution.
The FASEB Journal is published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), and is consistently ranked among the top three biology journals. With over 80,000 members from 21 nonprofit societies, FASEB claims to be the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the US.
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