Indholdsfortegnelse for 88.1 Jan-Mar 2017 i AQ: Australian Quarterly

As early as February 2016, climate scientists were making evidence-based predictions that 2016 would become the hottest year in the observational record. Their predictions played out with dire consequences. An aerial survey of the Great Barrier Reef in April 2016 estimated that over 90% of the coral had experienced bleaching. A rapidresponse scientific analysis determined that the catastrophic die-back event would not have been possible without climate change increasing sea surface temperatures that are strongly associated with bleaching. For Australia, this was just one element of a period of persistent heat. Following the comparatively cool and wet years of 2010 and 2011, when Australia was under the influence of a La Niña episode, an unprecedented period of heat began. During this extreme period, hundreds of Australian temperature records were broken.…

It’s not that people don’t trust scientists. They often rate highly on surveys of “the most trusted professions” around the world.1 However, for many issues, this doesn’t translate into trust in the science. A recent survey of scientists and the public by the Pew Research Centre in the US2 illustrates the divide. While most scientists (88%) say GM food is safe, only 37% of the public agree. The theory of evolution, almost unanimously supported amongst scientists (98%), is only accepted by 65% of the public. 87% of scientists believe climate change is due to human activity, compared to only half of the public. Interestingly, a large portion of the public (37%) did not believe that there was scientific agreement on climate change. Similar divides existed for vaccines, pesticides and multiple…

Trust Me, I’m a Scientist 1 Limited MORI. Ipsos MORI Veracity Index. London, UK 2015. 2 survey A. Survey of U.S. adults Aug. 15-25, 2014. . Sept. 11-Oct. 13, 2014. 3 L eviston Z, Greenhill M, Walker I. Australians attitudes to climate change and adaptation: 2010-2014. CSIRO, Australia 2015. 4 Allum N, Sturgis P, Tabourazi D, et al. Science knowledge and attitudes across cultures: A meta-analysis. Public Understanding of Science 2008;17:35–54. 5 Kraft P, Lodge M, Taber C. Why People “Don’t Trust the Evidence”: Motivated Reasoning and Scientific Beliefs. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 2015; March 658:121-33. 6 Nickerson R. Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of General Psychology 1998;2:175-220. 7 Patterson M. "Direct marketing in postmodernity: neo-tribes and direct communications.…

Theoretical physicist Brian Greene has spent his life understanding the gravity of the smallest questions of our Universe. A world leader in superstring theory, Prof Greene is the Director of the Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics at Colombia University. He is also is one of the most prominent voices in modern science. He frequents television shows such as David Letterman and Stephen Colbert, where he explains complex physics with relatively simple demonstrations and fast-paced wit. Others might be familiar with his more scripted appearances on the U.S. comedy series The Big Bang Theory, his TED talk, and his hosting of the series The Fabric of the Cosmos. On top of this, Prof Greene is the author of four highly acclaimed books – including a children’s book on Einstein’s…