 America 
 
 1 In 4 Americans Thinks The Sun Goes Around The Earth, Survey Says 
 
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 A quarter of Americans surveyed could not correctly answer that the Earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around, according to a report out Friday from the National Science Foundation. Ten questions about physical and biological science were on the quiz, and the average score—6.5 correct—was barely a passing grade.  This NASA image shows the first color image of the Earth taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts on December 24, 1968 Americans are enthusiastic about the promise of science but lack basic knowledge of it, with one in four unaware that the Earth revolves around the Sun, said a poll out Friday. However, both China and the EU fared significantly better (66 percent and 70 percent, respectively) on the question about human evolution. Although they returned woeful test results, it seems America is hungry to learn about science and think that science funding is essential for the well-being of the nation.
– To put the brightest possible spin on this story is to say that three-quarters of Americans are fully aware that the Earth revolves around the sun. The downside, of course, is that means 1 in 4 are in the dark about what Discovery calls "probably the most basic question in science." The National Science Foundation asked that question and nine others of 2,200 Americans, with the average score on the quiz coming in at 6.5, reports Phys.org. Some other results noted by NPR: 39% answered correctly that "the universe began with a huge explosion" Fewer than half—48%—agreed that "human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals" 51% knew that antibiotics don't kill viruses Meanwhile, about 90% of respondents were enthusiastic about science, and 1 in 3 thought it should get more government funding. The poll was conducted in 2012, but the results were released yesterday at a conference. See page 23 on this PDF for the full survey, which includes older results from other countries. Or click to read about Bill Nye's recent debate with a leading creationist.