School's out
On December 20, a federal judge declared the teaching of intelligent design in Pennsylvania's Dover Area School District unconstitutional. Advocates of science education welcomed this blow to the introduction of religion into the classroom. But there are few reasons to celebrate, as the problems that led to the trial in the first place are far from over. In the US, science is struggling to thrive in a hostile atmosphere fueled by the scientific illiteracy of many Americans. Changing this state of affairs will require more direct involvement of the scientific community in shaping the future of science education.
Encyclopedia Britannica defines scientific literacy as the ability to understand basic science terms and general topics and thereby participate in scientific discussion and debate. In today's world, not a day goes by without substantial media coverage of all kinds of scientific issues: bird flu, cloning and drug safety, for example. People must make sense of the direct-to-consumer drug advertising they are bombarded with and must become increasingly involved in making their own therapeutic decisions. Occasionally, science even makes it to the ballot, as in California in 2004, when voters elected to support stem cell research.
1.intelligent designとはどういうものだと思いますか
2.scientific illiteracyの反対はなんですか。またそれはどういうことでしょうか。
医学・科学関連語句
intelligent design=「インテリジェントデザイン」とか「ID論」と日本語では言われている。
scientific illiteracy
bird flu
cloning
drug safety cf.drug abuse
therapeutic decision
stem cell=幹細胞（かんさいぼう）は細胞分裂を経ても、同じ分化能を維持する細胞のこと
それ以外の語句
School's out=学校は機能していない
federal judge
unconstitutional
advocate
religion
celebrate
trial
struggle to (do)
hostile
atmosphere
fuel
participate (in)
debate
go by
make sense of
substantial
coverage
involve
ballot > make it to the ballot 「是非を投票にゆだねる」
research