Public choosing science on PBS

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is living up to its name, and asking the public to choose what they want to see about science. On Wednesday nights at 8 PM in January, the channel is broadcasting pilot episodes from three different TV series about science, and asking the public to decide which program deserves its own series on PBS. We have three options: "Wired Science" adopts content from Wired magazine, "Science Investigators" answers a series of scientific questions

| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is living up to its name, and asking the public to choose what they want to see about science. On Wednesday nights at 8 PM in January, the channel is broadcasting pilot episodes from three different TV series about science, and asking the public to decide which program deserves its own series on PBS. We have three options: "Wired Science" adopts content from Wired magazine, "Science Investigators" answers a series of scientific questions such as "What can DNA from a more than 30,000-year-old Neanderthal man tell us about ourselves?," and the pilot "22nd Century" explores how the world could work in the future. This week, the channel broadcasted "Wired Science," which covered a range of topics stretching from space to the bottom of the ocean. With one hour at its disposal, the program adopts the slow, plodding pace typical of linkurl:public television;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/7943/, taking time to capture joking between reporters and scientists. Still, the show is inviting -- some of the reporters are considerably less-polished in look and tone than anything you see on network TV, but no less credible, which makes their material feel very accessible. Sometimes, the content is too accessible, and scientists will have to sit through some painful comparisons (such as embryonic stem cells acting like college freshmen who haven't picked a major -- ouch). It's always refreshing to see democracy in action, even on a small scale. Anyone who doesn't have time to catch each episode during its normal timeslot of 8 PM on Wednesdays can linkurl:view each pilot;http://www.pbs.org/science/ and vote for your favorite online.
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Alison McCook

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio