I agree with you that reading trade journals is beyond ridiculous for the average person. I find it frustrating that so many adults have willfully forgotten pretty much all the science they were supposed to learn in highschool. I really feel that of you stopped a person on the street and asked them to give a brief overview of the scientific method and what it's important most people wouldn't be able to answer and may very well argue that it's not important. So I think my argument is opposite of caeli's. I think there's an over emphasis on teaching science facts and calling that literacy, while there's no real effort to give a solid foundation on how and why science is done. The atomic weight of carbon is useless for most people, but the critical thinking skills that scientists use can be put to use just about anywhere.