A priest, rabbi and pastafarian walk into a bar

In a recent article published in Science, the authors claim that public acceptance of evolution has decreased over the past 20 years in the US. While other counties can boast that over 80% of the population believes evolution to be true (Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and France), only 40% of Americans believed the same. Canada was not included in the study. The article goes on to explain that familiarity with genetics and basic biology is a major influential factor for adults who accept evolution.

When presented with a description of natural selection that omits the word evolution, 78% of adults agreed to a description of the evolution of plants and animals. But, 62% of adults in the same study believed that God created humans as whole persons without any evolutionary development.

So it seems that people are paying attention in school and church, but they have conflicting beliefs. Granted, it is not conflicting to believe in God and evolution. It seems politicals and corporate media may have had an influence on this. I recall a few Republican rallies where people had signs reading "My grandfather was not a monkey!" It makes me wonder if television shows like CSI can possibly help to educate the public about DNA, evolution and biology, or if they will just warp the public view further from the truth. Only another 20 years will tell.