What The Deuce Is It To Me?

Back in December the California Academy of Sciences commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a science literacy poll. The results are a little disconcerting.

* Only 53% of adults know how long it takes for the Earth to revolve around the Sun.
* Only 59% of adults know that the earliest humans and dinosaurs did not live at the same time.
* Only 47% of adults can roughly approximate the percent of the Earth's surface that is covered with water.
* Only 21% of adults answered all three questions correctly.

Knowledge about some key scientific issues is also low. Despite the fact that access to fresh water is likely to be one of the most pressing environmental issues over the coming years, less than 1% of U.S. adults know what percent of the planet's water is fresh (the correct answer is 3%). Nearly half didn't even hazard a guess. Additionally, 40% of U.S. adults say they are "not at all knowledgeable" about sustainability.

I mean, come on--how long it takes for the Earth to go around the Sun? Let's see...I used to know that. And what would make 4 out of 10 adults think humans and dinosaurs coexisted? Okay, maybe that would account for a few of them.