Book Review: Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science (2025)

National Academies: Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science (2025)
Misinformation about science is a multi-faceted, complex phenomenon, and we all need to examine our assumptions about the origins of misinformation about science, how it spreads, and how we can help address it, the book says.
The book begins by putting information, and misinformation, as something present everywhere— like our phones, televisions, or social media. If misinformation about science leads
to beliefs that are in conflict with accepted science, the consequences can be profound. Next chapter is about the broader contexts within which the phenomenon of misinformation about science emerges and impacts society. How, things like political polarization, or public dissemination can be of concern. Sources of misinformation is then examined, highlighting the role of industry, government, or ethnic or diaspora groupings. Followed by an insight into how misinformation can spread. The impact of misinformation comes next, examining the consequences at the societal level. And the book ends with an overview of the possibility and the extent of intervention into the whole gamut of misinformation.