The novel coronavirus pandemic forced American educators to change the way we teach. Now, it's time for us to rethink what we teach. The old phrase “never let a good crisis go to waste” applies because COVID-19 has created incredible problems but also unexpected opportunities for us to seize the moment and change the focus of biology instruction. We should all ask why so many Americans choose to ignore or reject scientific information in favor of unsourced, speculative, and generally nonsensical disinformation that appears online. Our response must be to help students develop correct explanations regarding the natural world, or they will likely accept the commonly offered pseudoscientific explanations from nonexperts. As Carl Sagan noted in The Demon-Haunted World, “science can be a candle in the dark.” The unscientific responses to the coronavirus make clear how important the use of valid evidence and the expertise of scientists and health...

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