These teachers are the ones who simply lack the background to distinguish the Heartland “information” from fact. If any attempt is made to inform teachers at the secondary level, might that not be too late to make a change in a mindset that began at a younger age?

(Of course, evidence for both is overpowering, and the latter has things like physics conservation laws to help. The former has had to rely a lot on statistics, and of course, many useful experiments are forbidden by ethics.)

But if someone wants to reject science, they can feel free to make sure all their descendants start smoking during adolescent brain development, i.e., only time when most people can get addicted to nicotine.

Despite the fact that there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support this position. In other words, RickA has no trouble, as Bernard says above, with teachers teaching alechemy, creation, flat Earth and other wacky scientifically incorrect theories to their students.

Me? As a working scientist I prefer to see teaching is fact-based. I want to see teachers telling their students that AGW is proven, and that almost 100% of climate and other scientists agree as to its causes. I want to see teachers teaching their students what Working Group IV of the IPCC is focusing on: solutions. The science is in. Denial is wrong, and still only exists because of vested interests aiming to eviscerate public constraints in the pursuit of private profit.

I think there is an erratum there, that it should be “submerged oceanic crust”

You can be sure that I will send this link on. Science education has many responsibilities. One of them and one that due to other factors is often pushed aside is helping young learners understand the nature of science. There is only so much time. Standards help but in my opinion we still have too many.

To adepts, ideas like models, tentativeness and how communities of science come to achieve consensus are clear as a bell. To young learners such ideas are not obvious, can be confusing and I’m appreciative of your discussion of one of these.

There was (I’m told) a Frontline story on this. In addition, Glenn Branch, NCSE included a short essay with references, primarily about Heartland, in his valued weekly summary of events in evolution and climate change.

Thanks for the references, too. I will pass this link on.

Take care.

Odd but amusing (at least until it evolves into a giant toxic blob of stupid politics):
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-hollow-earth-is-filled-with-giants-germans-and-a-little-sun

And:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(lost_continent)

And of course, lest we forget RickA’s sublimated and ectoplasmic emergence from the ultimate source of all cosmic wisdom and wishful insight, there’s The Time Cube:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Cube