Therese Markow, Professor Emeritus at UC San Diego and host of the Critically Speaking podcast, dives into the alarming decline of basic math skills among students and its critical impact on science education. She shares insights from her experience as a geneticist, exploring the fascinating link between math proficiency and logic. The conversation also tackles the potential genetic aspects of math abilities and debunks myths about gender and math skills. Markow emphasizes the importance of foundational math for success in life and academic pursuits.