Audubon and his works are important subjects in the study of the history of natural history. This study traces Audubon's transformation from a natural history enthusiast into a naturalist, revealing how non specialists could participate in natural history research and achieve success. By comparing Audubon's natural history works with those of the professional scholar Coenraad Jacob Temminck, this study demonstrates that field-based observation to accessibility and public engagement were distinctive features of Audubon's work and important reasons for his success. From an academic perspective, the study examines Audubon's pivotal role in early American ornithological research; from a public perspective, it discusses his significant influence on American public interest in bird observation and conservation. Finally, this study uses Audubon and his works to illuminate aspects of Western natural history in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The National Scientific Literacy Action focuses on improving the scientific literacy of all citizens. It precisely implements targeted enhancement actions for major population groups and key projects in alignment with major national strategic needs at different stages. Over the 20 years since its implementation, citizens' scientific literacy in China has achieved a significant leap from a relatively low level to a medium level, thereby consolidating the foundation of human resources in science and technology for advancing toward the forefront of innovative countries. This study analyzes the evolution, practical outcomes, and historical experience of this action. Considering the new circumstances and challenges of the new era, it proposes key priorities for promoting citizens' scientific literacy, including adhering to people-centered and targeted measures, consistently integrating into the overall national development landscape, and comprehensively ensuring policy support for scientific literacy construction. Ultimately, this study aims to provide insights for refining the theoretical framework of citizens' scientific literacy construction and for the systematic optimization of scientific literacy construction during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

This study reviews the 20-year evolution of the scientific literacy monitoring and assessment system under the National Scientific Literacy Action, tracing its shift from indicator construction to governance empowerment. By integrating policy analysis and survey data, it systematically examines the indigenization and modernization of the scientific literacy concept, the progressive embedding of literacy indicators into national strategies, and the scientific refinement of the assessment framework through the KAP model, subgroup-specific evaluation, and online-offline sample fusion. Results show that the proportion of citizens with scientific literacy rose from 1.60% to 16.74%, with urban-rural, regional, and gender gaps notably narrowing and weak links among farmers and the elderly being effectively addressed. Media convergence has driven a paradigm shift in science popularization from channel expansion to demand-driven, intelligent interaction. The scientific literacy indicator has evolved from a mere statistic into a core governance tool embedded in innovation assessment, empowering the building of a sci-tech powerhouse and modernization of governance. Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period, it is essential to deepen tiered evaluation and precision empowerment, further consolidating scientific literacy as the talent foundation, innovation culture, and rational bedrock of society.

Social responsibility under the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Popularization of Science and Technology refers to the duty of science popularization that social entities are expected to assume. The Revised Law of the People's Republic of China on the Popularization of Science and Technology strengthens the network of social responsibilities, highlights the responsibilities of special subjects in science popularization, and expands how these responsibilities can be fulfilled. However, due to the promotion law nature of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Popularization of Science and Technology, it lacks mandatory binding force on social actors and is difficult to translate into substantive rights enforceable by the public, resulting in difficulties in the implementation of social responsibility. In the process of implementing the Revised Law of the People's Republic of China on the Popularization of Science and Technology, measures such as further clarifying preferential policies for science popularization, fostering the awareness of science popularization as a public welfare undertaking, and deepening the evaluation mechanism for science popularization should be adopted to promote the fulfillment of social responsibility.

Science popularization empowerment serves as a vital pathway to realize rural industrial revitalization. Based on field investigations conducted in Yunnan, Fujian, Hubei and other provinces, this paper systematically summarizes the typical models of science popularization empowering rural industrial revitalization, deeply analyzes and compares the operational mechanisms of different models, and identifies the prominent problems existing in the process. The research finds that the typical models mainly include the industrial base support model, leading talent-driven model and brand culture empowerment model. However, the current practice is restricted by multiple bottlenecks, such as insufficient quality of science popularization services, imperfect talent system and inadequate guarantee capacity, which greatly weaken the empowering effect of science popularization. In view of the above issues, this paper puts forward targeted optimization suggestions, including improving the supply of science popularization, strengthening talent support and consolidating foundational guarantees.

Science popularization acts as a vital bond linking scientific and technological innovation with social development. As the source of science popularization, scientists directly determine the improvement of national science literacy through the quality of their participation in outreach activities. Based on 5W communication model, this paper systematically sorts out the current practices of scientists engaging in science popularization in the new era. It finds that while encouraging progress has been made in scientists'participation in science popularization at present, they still confront practical dilemmas including over-reliance on one-way indoctrination, inadequate adaptive capabilities and insufficient media literacy. To address these challenges, this study proposes practical strategies from three dimensions: the state, society, and scientists. The state shall improve top-level design and optimize incentive mechanisms and supporting infrastructure. Society should be established to empower communication platforms and encourage public engagement. Scientists should reshape their principal responsibility and upgrade their media literacy as well as the capacity to transform professional knowledge into accessible popular science content.

The policy on free access to science and technology museums (S&T Museums), implemented over the past decade, has effectively facilitated the continuous expansion of S&T Museum infrastructure and a significant enhancement of their service capacity. It has achieved notable results in promoting the equitable allocation of popular science resources and improving the citizens' scientific literacy, thereby providing strong support for the sustainable development of S&T Museums. However, confronted with the requirements for high-quality development in the new era, certain issues necessitating further optimization have gradually emerged during the policy's implementation. Based on the policy process theory, this article focuses its analysis on three dimensions: policy planning, policy implementation, and policy outcomes and evaluation. It subsequently proposes targeted countermeasures and suggestions, including improving the funding guarantee mechanism, optimizing the standards for fund allocation and calculation, and establishing a performance evaluation system. The aim is to provide theoretical reference for the optimization and upgrading of the free access policy for S&T Museums.

Currently, science popularization is evolving from the dissemination of scientific knowledge and methods to the promotion of scientific culture and the provision of perceptible, understandable, and resonant experiences for the public. According to Cultural Circuit Theory, the construction of meaning in cultural products is a dynamic process involving the interaction and co-construction of five links:representation, identity, production, consumption, and regulation. This paper discusses how to construct and convey the meaning of scientific culture works from the perspective of Cultural Circuit Theory, based on a series of innovative practices by the China Science and Technology Museum in recent years. It also attempts to distill a methodology with general applicability, namely:starting from in-depth demand insight and meaning presupposition; building a symbolic translation system featuring "storytelling + visualization + experiential engagement + memorable phrasing"; adopting a dual-advisor mechanism of "science + art" and a cross-sector collaborative production model; creating an experiential context of "scene immersion + social interaction + online-offline linkage"; and, through participation and reflection, constructing a value identification chain that progresses from "individuals to groups to the nation." Ultimately, this approach realizes value guidance and internalization within the regulatory framework of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Popularization of Science and Technology (2024 Revision). This study aims to provide science communicators with new theoretical tools and a culture-based methodology, thereby offering further theoretical references and practical insights for science popularization creation.

The smart transformation of science popularization venues has emerged as an inevitable trend for the high-quality development of the science and culture industry in the new era. Addressing the need to reform traditional exhibition, education, management, and service models within these venues, this paper proposes a strategic framework for their smart transformation, centered on three core pillars: standardized management, differentiated development, and humanistic integration. Drawing upon the concrete practices of select venues, this study details the specific dimensions of this transformation across three primary domains: smart exhibition and educational services, smart venue management, and smart service facilities. Furthermore, it analyzes the potential challenges encountered during this transition and offers corresponding strategic recommendations.

How science popularization information affects public risk perception in controversial science and technology issues is an important concern shared by science popularization practice and risk communication research. Taking nuclear energy as an example, this study draws on the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) and employs a 2×2×2 three-factor between-subjects survey experiment to examine the effects of uncertainty information, risk-benefit information, and risk-coping information on public risk perception. The results show that uncertainty information significantly increases public threat perception, whereas the independent effects of risk-benefit information and risk-coping information are not significant. Negative interactions are observed among different science popularization information strategies: both uncertainty information and risk-benefit information weaken the positive effect of coping information on risk coping perception. System trust positively moderates the effect of coping information. These findings suggest that science popularization on controversial science and technology issues should move beyond the linear assumption that "more information is better" and shift toward more targeted designs of information combinations, while treating the cultivation of system trust as a foundational condition for improving science popularization effectiveness. Theoretically, this study strengthens the applicability of the EPPM to controversial science popularization and further specifies its underlying mechanisms. Practically, it provides empirical evidence for science popularization on high-risk issues such as nuclear energy.