Kent

I've been reading about the declining interest and  knowledge of basic science, and it's bothering me. So, I'd just like to pass on a few recommendations for a few great "book larnin'" sites you may want to add to your daily intake.

• LiveScience: Apart from being the site Stephen Colbert reads on his drive home to get angry, it's a great popular science news site, covering just about every topic imaginable. The articles are short, and sometimes are a little ... intentionally light. However, it's a great site to monitor and find topics you want to read up on elsewhere.
  
• New Scientist: The online version of the great pop-Sci magazine. I use the site mostly for their news and to keep my head vaguely near my old genetics and microbiology knowledge.
• Science Blogs: This is the mother load of science bloggers and opinion. A slight warning, a few of the blogs tend to come across a little "Daily Kos" if that bothers you, but there is great information available there on epidemiology, hard-core math, climate, chemistry and more. The nice thing about this site is that beyond simply the news, the authors are all working scientists (and/or science journalists), and so provide more insight into the item.

So, there you go. Just as with programming, the latest development methodology or politics, you owe it to yourself to stay aware of what is happening in the research world. Knowing about what's happening in a few science fields keeps you informed and better able to judge science vs. pseudoscience. And knowing is half the battle. Go Joes.