If you’re one of those parents who puts up their hands and sighs, “Yeah, I just don’t get science,” Bonnie Bassler has a message for you: Enough already! Don’t contaminate your kiddos with that attitude.

Dr. Bassler is an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a professor of molecular biology at Princeton. (She recently discovered that bacteria communicate with chemical language — a huge scientific breakthrough.) She’s also our new heroine. In this passionate video-diatribe for Bigthink.com, Bassler basically tells people to to man up already and stop assuming they don’t understand the S-word. With that no-can-do attitude, it’s no wonder American kids are falling behind in science. (We’re paraphrasing here.)

So here’s your science homework for today. The next time your offspring tunes in to Zula Patrol, Doctor Who, PBS’ upcoming Sid the Science Kid, Eureka, etc., stop doing the laundry, sit down and watch, too. Not only will you get “it,” but you’ll probably realize you knew lots of “it,” already.

We’ll save string theory for next time.

–Posted by Stephanie Booth

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