The Age of Misinformation: Fake Science and Irrational Beliefs
Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona whose research has been supported by $20 million in NASA and National Science Foundation (NSF) grants. The recipient of eleven teaching awards, he is a past Vice President of the American Astronomical Society, as well as a winner of their career Education Prize. He’s also been NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Carnegie Council’s Arizona Professor of the Year, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. Professor Impey is the author of two textbooks, a novel called Shadow World, and nine popular science books, including Beyond: Our Future in Space.
Overview
For science and scientists, it is the best of times and the worst of times. Scientific progress is rapid and scientists are held in high esteem by the general public, but scientific literacy is low and most people have only a vague idea about how science works. Worse, a substantial fraction of the public is skeptical on issues where the scientific consensus is emphatic: global climate change, evolution, and even the age of the Earth. We are awash in misinformation, and the problem is exacerbated by its rapid spread via social media. In science, the problem manifests as susceptibility to pseudoscience, superstition, and conspiracy theories. The onus is on scientists and educators to get out in public, communicate clearly, and tell the many compelling stories of discovery that breathe life into science.