Editorial: The challenge of the post-truth era (Nature Chem Biol)

Why do people persist in thinking that climate change is not happening, or that vaccines cause autism? Scientists need to find better ways to communicate about what we do. In this editorial from Nature Cell Biology, the authors point to the low achievement level of US high school students (and those in many other countries) as another reason for scientists to engage in informal and formal science outreach. They urge the development of programs “to bring scientists into the classroom and young students into the lab”. They also call for better training of scientists so they can communicate more effectively with the general public, and make scientific principles and the scientific method more accessible. (Summary by Mary Williams) Nature Cell Biol. 10.1038/s41556-018-0231-z