Tag: science
Steep Declines In Data Science Skills Among Fourth- and Eighth-Graders Across America, Study Finds
– The pandemic decline is part of a much longer-term trend. Between 2019 and 2022, scores in the data analysis, statistics, and probability section of the NAEP math exam fell by 10 points for eighth-graders and by four points for fourth-graders. Declining scores are part of a longer-term trend, with scores down 17 points for eighth-graders and down 10 points for fourth-graders over the last decade. That means today’s eighth-graders have the data literacy of sixth-graders from a decade ago, and today’s fourth-graders have the data literacy of third-graders from a decade ago.
– There are large racial gaps in scores. These gaps exist across all grade levels but are at times most dramatic in the middle and high school levels. For instance, fourth-grade Black students scored 28 points lower — the equivalent of nearly three grade levels — than their white peers in data analysis, statistics, and probability.
– Data-related instruction is in decline. Every state except Alabama reported a decline or stagnant trend in data-related instruction, with some states — like Maryland and Iowa — seeing double-digit drops. The national share of fourth-grade math teachers reporting “moderate” or “heavy” emphasis on data analysis dropped five percentage points between 2019 and 2022.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Paranormal Activity Is All in Your Head, and This Could Explain Why – Science Alert
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Citizen Science & The Paranormal
With Starship testing, SpaceX moves one step closer to making science fiction a reality
SpaceX is poised to conduct a wet dress rehearsal of the Starship launch system from its Starbase site in southeastern Texas, a major milestone in CEO Elon Musk’s quest to turn long-haul interplanetary transportation from science fiction to reality. It’s the strongest signal yet that Starship’s first orbital flight test could well and truly be […]
With Starship testing, SpaceX moves one step closer to making science fiction a reality by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch
Data science vs. artificial intelligence (AI): Key comparisons
NASA’s 38-year-old science satellite falls safely to Earth
NASA’s 38-year-old dead satellite has returned to Earth without incident. The Defense Department has confirmed that the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) reentered the atmosphere off the Alaskan coast at 11:04PM Eastern on January 8th. There are no reports of damage or injuries, according to the Associated Press. That isn’t surprising when NASA said there was a 1-in-9,400 chance of someone getting hurt, but it’s notable when officials said there was a possibility of some parts surviving the plunge.
ERBS had a storied life. It travelled to aboard Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984, and pioneering woman astronaut Sally Ride placed it in orbit using the robotic Canadarm. Crewmate Kathryn Sullivan performed the first spacewalk by an American woman during that mission. The satellite was only expected to collect ozone data for two years, but was only retired in 2005 — over two decades later. The vehicle helped scientists understand how Earth absorbs and radiates solar energy.
Update: @NASA’s retired Earth Radiation Budget Satellite reentered Earth’s atmosphere over the Bering Sea at 11:04 p.m. EST on Sunday, Jan. 8, the @DeptofDefense confirmed. https://t.co/j4MYQYwT7Z
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) January 9, 2023
You might not see much ancient equipment fall to Earth in coming decades. The FCC recently proposed a five-year cap on the operation of domestically owned satellites that aren’t in geostationary orbits. The current guidelines suggest deorbiting within 25 years. While there could be waivers for exceptional cases, future satellites like ERBS (which was in a non-Sun synchronous orbit) might bow out long before they’re reduced to space junk.
‘Disruptive’ Science Has Declined — And No One Knows Why – Nature
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We May Have Been All Wrong About Ancient Egyptian Mummies, Scholars Argue – Science Alert
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