ScienceDaily Discoveryscience educationNational Science Foundation

An Alarming Number Of People Don't Know How Babies Are Made: Report (INFOGRAPHIC)

LOOK: Poll Reveals Shocking Ignorance Of Baby-Making Basics
By 

Associate Science Editor, The Huffington Post

|
Open Image Modal

Sure, most of us know storks don't drop babies on doorsteps. But a new report shows that a surprising number of people are in the dark about some basic facts about human reproduction.

For the National Science Foundation's "Science and Engineering Indicators 2014" report, researchers posed 10 basic science questions to people in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Among the questions were: "Electrons are smaller than atoms. True or false?" and "Does the Earth go around the sun, or does the sun go around the Earth?" -- and the question that revealed some major ignorance about baby-making:

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Are You Smarter Than An Eighth Grader?
What atoms combine to make up a molecule of water?(01 of16)
Open Image Modal
A. 1 hydrogen, 1 oxygenB. 1 hydrogen, 2 oxygenC. 2 hydrogen, 1 oxygenD. 2 hydrogen, 2 oxygen54% got it right (credit:AP)
Medium (54.24% Correct)(02 of16)
Open Image Modal
Which characteristic is shared by all cells?A. They need energy.B. They reproduce sexually.C. They make their own food.D. They move from place to place. (credit:Getty)
Medium (52.52% Correct)(03 of16)
Open Image Modal
Water evaporates and falls back to Earth as rain or snow. What is the primary energy source that drives this cycle?A. The windB. The SunC. Air pressureD. Ocean currents (credit:AP)
Easy (74.48% Correct)(04 of16)
Open Image Modal
Kelly slides a flat rock across the smooth ice of a frozen pond. The rock slows down after several seconds. What causes the rock to slow down?A. The thickness of the iceB. The temperature of the air above the iceC. The force of friction between the ice and the rockD. The gravitational force between the ice and the rock (credit:Getty)
Medium (51.12% Correct)(05 of16)
Open Image Modal
Which layer of Earth is divided into plates?A. MantleB. CrustC. Inner coreD. Outer core(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Easy (68.97% Correct)(06 of16)
Open Image Modal
Why do mountain climbers at high elevations use oxygen tanks to help them breathe?A. At high elevations the ozone layer draws oxygen out of the atmosphere.B. The atmosphere is less dense at higher elevations so there is less oxygen available.C. Oxygen is heavier than the other gases in the atmosphere and sinks to lower elevations.D. Radiation from the Sun splits oxygen molecules into atoms making the oxygen unbreathable.AFP PHOTO / JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT (credit:Getty)
Easy (73.99% Correct)(07 of16)
Open Image Modal
The surface of the Moon is covered with craters. How were most of these craters formed?A. By eruptions of active volcanoesB. By impacts of many meteoroidsC. By shifting rock on the Moon's surface (moonquakes)D. By tidal forces caused by Earth and the Sun (credit:Getty)
Medium (44.87% Correct)(08 of16)
Open Image Modal
Three funnels were filled with equal volumes of pebbles, fine sand, and coarse sand. The same amount of water was poured into each funnel.Which correctly lists the order in which the water passed through the funnels, from fastest to slowest?A. Pebbles, fine sand, coarse sandB. Pebbles, coarse sand, fine sandC. Fine sand, coarse sand, pebblesD. Coarse sand, pebbles, fine sand (credit:Getty)
Medium (56.29% Correct)(09 of16)
Open Image Modal
Household appliances convert electricity into one or more different forms of energy. An electric fan can best be described as converting electricity intoA. heat energy onlyB. heat energy and sound energy onlyC. heat energy, sound energy, and mechanical energy onlyD. heat energy, sound energy, mechanical energy, and chemical energy(Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Medium (47.54% Correct)(10 of16)
Open Image Modal
An unusual type of fossil clam is found in rock layers high in the Swiss Alps. The same type of fossil clam is also found in the Rocky Mountains of North America. From this, scientists conclude thatA. glaciers carried the fossils up the mountainsB. the Rocky Mountains and the Swiss Alps are both volcanic in originC. clams once lived in mountains, but have since evolved into sea-dwelling creaturesD. the layers of rocks in which the fossils were found are from the same geologic ageAFP PHOTO / ED JONES (credit:Getty)
Hard (17.36% Correct)(11 of16)
Open Image Modal
What two gases make up most of the Earth's atmosphere?A. Hydrogen and oxygenB. Hydrogen and nitrogenC. Oxygen and carbon dioxideD. Oxygen and nitrogen(Photo by NASA TV/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Hard (35.5% Correct)(12 of16)
Open Image Modal
A person produces two sound waves with a flute, one immediately after the other. Both sound waves have the same pitch, but the second one is louder. Which of the following properties is greater for the second sound wave?A. FrequencyB. AmplitudeC. WavelengthD. Speed in air AFP PHOTO/Indranil MUKHERJEE (credit:Getty)
Medium (42.01% Correct)(13 of16)
Open Image Modal
A human CANNOT survive the loss of which of the following?A. The appendixB. The liverC. A lungD. A kidneyAFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (credit:Getty)
Hard (34.94% Correct)(14 of16)
Open Image Modal
Which of the following is an example of genetic engineering?A. Growing a whole plant from a single cell.B. Finding the sequences of bases in plant DNA.C. Inserting a gene into plants that makes them resistant to insects.D. Attaching the root of one type of plant to the stem of another type of plant.AFP PHOTO / Juan Mabromata (credit:Getty)
Hard (37.3% Correct)(15 of16)
Open Image Modal
All of the following are examples of erosion EXCEPT:A. The wind in the desert blows sand against a rock.B. A glacier picks up boulders as it moves.C. A flood washes over a riverbank, and the water carries small soil particles downstream.D. An icy winter causes the pavement in a road to crack.AFP PHOTO/STR (credit:Getty)
Hard (26.84% Correct)(16 of16)
Open Image Modal
Why does the leaf of a plant look green?A. Because it absorbs green lightB. Because it reflects green lightC. Because it absorbs only yellow and blue lightD. Because it reflects a mixture of yellow and blue lightAFP PHOTO/Yasuyoshi CHIBA (credit:Getty)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip