Eyes of Nye, The
Grades 5-9; Science; Thirteen 30-minute episodes.
Bill Nye the Science Guy continues his mission to encourage scientific literacy
and to help viewers understand the science issues that impact their everyday
lives. Themes are tackled using on-location interviews with leading experts,
scientific demonstrations, comical sketches and colorful graphics with Bill’s
trademark humor and energy.
#101 Astrobiology
#102 Pseudoscience
#103 Addiction
#104 Cloning
#105 Nuclear Energy
#106 Sports
#107 Population
#108 Race
#109 Antibiotics
#110 Genetically Modified Foods
#111 Transportation
#112 Global Climate Change
#113 Evolution of Sex
#101 Astrobiology
Fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial life is a pervasive part of
our culture. Approximately 50 percent of us believe that aliens have visited
North America. Does extraterrestrial life exist? How are we working to find it,
and what happens if we do?
Segments include an explanation of how we look for alien life millions of light
years away, a visit to Mars right here on Earth, and a meeting with the premier
planet finder, who just might find another Earth out there.
Featured experts:
Dr. Seth Shostak, Ph.D., Senior Astronomer, SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence) Institute, Mountain View, California
Dr. Chris McKay, Ph.D., Astrogeophysicist, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett
Field, California
Dr. Debra Fischer, Ph.D., Astronomer, University of California, Berkeley,
California
#102 Pseudoscience
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. To be scientific, a claim or
hypothesis must be able to be proven true or false. We need to understand the
world around us through the processes of science, not through the deceptions of
pseudoscience.
Segments include an exposé of techniques used by psychics, the science of
walking on a bed of flaming coals, and "The Case of the Extraordinary Claim."
Featured experts:
Dr. Michael Shermer, Ph.D., Skeptics Society, Altadena, California
Dr. Suzanne Nelson-Steen, D.Sc.,R.D., Sports Nutrition, University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington
#103 Addiction
This episode examines the controversial question: Is addiction a disease?
Segments focus on doctors who seek to better understand addictive behaviors by
looking at the brain, psychological and social factors; individuals who live
with substance abuse issues; and scientists who are working to identify the
genes that may lead to addiction.
Featured experts:
Dr. Drew Pinsky, M.D., Medical Director, Department of Chemical Dependency
Services and Chief of Service, Department of Medicine, Las Encinas Hospital,
Pasadena, California
Dr. Edythe London, Ph.D., Psychiatry/Biobehavioral Sciences, University of
California, Los Angeles, California
Dr. G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., and Dr. William George, Ph.D., Professors of
Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
#104 Cloning
The possibilities of cloning reach far beyond the notion of creating a
genetically exact duplicate of an animal or human being. The same techniques
could potentially be used to cure diseases or repair damaged organs.
Segments include an explanation from a developmental biologist of why cloning of
animals is so difficult, a demonstration of how cloning works, and a visit to a
lab where stem cells are used to repair damaged spinal cords.
Featured experts:
Dr. Hans Keirstead, Ph.D., Reeve-Irvine Research Center, University of
California, Irvine, California
Dr. Billie Swalla, Ph.D., Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, Ph.D., M.P.H., Director, Center for Bioethics, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
#105 Nuclear Energy
With mounting evidence of global warming, Americans are revisiting the idea of
nuclear energy. It's a clean energy source that we could produce here, but
there's still the issue of the waste. Technology has improved, but are the
benefits worth the risks?
Segments include a visit to a nuclear reactor and Bill's exploration of Yucca
Mountain, Nevada, where the government is trying to store U.S. nuclear waste.
Featured experts:
Dr. Gary Cerefice, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Harry Reid Center for
Environmental Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
Dr. April Gill, Ph.D., Geologist, Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Daniel Hirsch, President, Committee to Bridge the Gap, Los Angeles, California
#106 Sports
Why do we play sports, and why do we watch sports? Billions of dollars are spent
every year on this worldwide phenomenon that, as it turns out, relies on a great
deal of physics. Sports fans are, in fact, physics fans.
Segments include physics demonstrations and a look at the "sports mind" in a
variety of sports, from the 100-meter sprint with Olympic champion Maurice Green
to the cat-like reactions of U.S. women's soccer goalie Hope Solo.
Featured experts:
Dr. John O'Kane, M.D., Sports Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle,
Washington
Maurice Green, Olympic Sprinter, Irvine, California
Hope Solo, Goalie, U.S. Women's Soccer Team
Peter Shmock, Olympic Track and Field Athlete, Seattle, Washington
#107 Population
Birth rates, death rates. Population is all a numbers game—or is it? Population
affects the planet in densely packed city slums as well as the wide-open
highways of U.S. urban sprawl. We'll compare population issues around the world,
from demographics to social and cultural aspects, and see how education and
industrialization can affect population.
Segments include Third World population anecdotes from experts in the field, a
look at consumption trends, and an analysis of mass-media education methods such
as international, highly produced soap operas that feature population issues.
Featured experts:
Dr. Nafis Sadik, M.D., Former Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Population
Fund, New York, New York
Dr. Kan Liang, Ph.D., International Studies, Seattle University, Seattle,
Washington
Sonny Fox, Population Communications International, Studio City, California
Marilyn Hempel, President, Population Coalition, Redlands, California
#108 Race
When it comes to race, we might think that we're different because we look
different. But if you look at the DNA, the only things that distinguish us from
one another are surface features such as the color of our skin. When you get
below the surface, we really are all the same.
Segments include an investigation of why humans look so different on the outside
when research has shown that the iconic markers for race really are skin-deep,
and a demonstration in which Bill has his DNA sequenced to find out what we can
determine about his "race."
Featured experts:
Dr. Nina Jablonski, Ph.D., Anthropology, California Academy of Sciences, San
Francisco, California
Dr. Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., Medical Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington
#109 Antibiotics
The battle between microbes and humans is far from over. Since the 1980s, deaths
from infectious diseases have increased. While much of this is due to new "bugs"
such as HIV and hepatitis C, the alarming increase in antibiotic resistance is
also responsible.
Segments include a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta to discuss antibiotic drug resistance, a discussion of narrow-spectrum
antibiotics and "bacteriocins," and an eye-opening demonstration of the impact
of hand-washing on germs.
Featured experts:
Dr. Fred Tenover, Ph.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta,
Georgia
Dr. Peg Riley, Ph.D., Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut
#110 Genetically Modified Foods
Crossing a tomato with a flounder? It sounds like science fiction, but you'd be
amazed at what scientists are developing through genetic engineering of food.
Right now, more than half of the foods on your grocery store shelves—even infant
formula—have been genetically modified in some way. Is genetic engineering safe
for humans and the environment? It may be too soon to tell.
Segments include an investigation in which we hear from the various sides of
this controversial issue—from traditional wheat breeders to organic,
anti-pesticide researchers to corporate genetic engineering giants—and an
exploration of the planet-changing benefits and risks that face all of those who
choose to eat.
Featured experts:
Dr. Stephen Jones, Ph.D., Crop and Soil Science, Washington State University,
Pullman, Washington
Dr. Sarah Hake, Ph.D., Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California,
Berkeley, California
Dr. Pamela Ronald, Ph.D., Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis,
California
Dr. Harvey Glick, Ph.D., Biologist, Scientific Affairs, Monsanto Corporation
#111 Transportation
Factories and "big industry" used to be the primary sources of pollution in
America. Not anymore— now transportation is the single largest cause of air
pollution. What can we do as individuals? Turns out, quite a lot.
Segments include a historical retrospective on American car culture, a look at
cutting-edge traffic simulation software, and the exciting promise of
fuel-efficient cars and state-of-the-art hydrogen technology.
Featured experts:
Dr. Ken Stroh, Ph.D., Program Manager for Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and
Transportation, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
Tony Cochrane, Engineer, Ballard Power Systems, Burnaby, British Columbia,
Canada
Dr. Chris Barrett, Ph.D., Project Leader, TRANSIMS, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
#112 Global Climate Change
There's no question that the world is getting warmer. Are humans responsible? Is
the rise in temperature a product of the Industrial Revolution, the burning of
fuels and the modern propensity for driving down to the mini-mart in a car the
size of a woolly mammoth? Or is this just part of a natural global cycle?
Segments include a visit to the National Ice Core Laboratory in Denver to see
how scientists identify and evaluate climate and atmospheric gases from 400,000
years ago, a demonstration showing how increased levels of C02 will affect
temperatures on Earth, and a discussion of the role fossil fuels play in global
climate change.
Featured experts:
Dr. Todd Hinkley, Ph.D., Technical Director, USGS/NSF National Ice Core
Laboratory, Denver, Colorado
Dr. Joan Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., Founding Director, USGS/NSF National Ice Core
Laboratory, Denver, Colorado
Dr. Jae Edmonds, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Joint Global Change Research Institute,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
#113 Evolution of Sex
Why sex? For one thing, with sex we're trying to stay ahead of the germs that
are always attacking us. With one act of mixing our genes through sexual
reproduction, there are millions of new possible combinations to help fight off
the parasites.
Segments include an explanation of the relationship between sex and parasites,
an experiment in which women use scent to detect subtle genetic differences in
men, and a discussion of the risks organisms take in reproducing sexually rather
than asexually.
Featured experts:
Dr. Martha McClintock, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Mind and Biology,
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Dr. Marlene Zuk, Ph.D., Pacific Field Cricket Research, University of
California, Riverside, California
