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Plain Language in the Sciences

A recent National Science Foundation study shows that:

Fewer than 50% of adults understand that the Earth orbits the sun yearly.
Only 21% of adults can define DNA.
Only 9% of adults know what a molecule is.
One in 7 adults—25 million people—cannot locate the US on an unlabeled map.
A third of Americans believe in astrology—and do not understand that astrology is not scientific.

Articles

Scientists Need Plain Language, by Lily Whiteman.
Worlds Apart: How the Distance Between Science and Journalism Threatens America’s Future.

Organizations

The International Network on Public Communication of Science.
NASA’s bibliography of books, articles, and websites on the public understanding of science, communicating science, and science education.
The Merck Manual, an excellent example of effective science communication.