Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts this incredibly interesting and entertaining series which returns for another season on PBS. The new timeslot is Tuesdays at 9 PM ET/PT, directly following their other popular series NOVA.
Making Synthetic Diamonds
The season premier on June 30 includes some fascinating segments. They start out with “Making Synthetic Diamonds.” This lab actually creates diamonds. It is so secretive that Neil deGrasse Tyson had to be blindfolded, along with his film crew, and taken to the secret destination. Once there, they were able to see how the scientists take slivers of real diamonds from the earth and grow then into larger diamonds.
The diamonds hold more than just an aesthetic property. Yes, they are pretty and highly sought after. However diamond, the hardest substance known to man, has many uses other than for jewelry.
Diamond could be the answer to many of the planet’s energy problems. And diamond might also be the next generation of technology that takes over from silicon. As one of the guests on the show says, “Silicon is so 20th century.” Diamond has the capability to advance the technology world beyond its current expectations.
Auto-Tune and Pitch Correction for Singers
The next segment of the show is “Auto-Tune: Computer Pitch Correction.” For those who thought professionals lip-synching in their concerts was wrong, they will definitely find what some singers are doing even more out of line.
A simple computer software can make almost anyone sing well. And it’s proven by Neil deGrasse Tyson as he sings a song, off-key. The engineers take his recording and alter it and the outcome is astonishing. While he might not be the next top-ten singer, his altered recording is nothing for him to cringe at, unlike his original version.
Tracing the Anthrax Terrorist
“Anthrax Investigation: On Terror’s Trail” is a fascinating look at how the anthrax episode after 9/11 set the scientists on a new journey to track down the specific anthrax colony from which the attacks were coming. Following the actual DNA of the anthrax was a time-consuming yet interesting journey for the scientists and investigators.
Luis von Ahn and his CAPTCHAs
And the final segment of the season premier is a profile of Luis von Ahn, a 30-year-old teacher at Carnegie Mellon University and inventor of several computer programs. CAPTCHAs, computer-generated tests, are used everyday when people navigate through the Internet. For Internet users who have had to “type in what you see,” from a squiggly font, this is a CAPTCHA. This was created to distinguish between humans and computers accessing sites.
The newest way CAPTCHAs are being used will astound viewers. How many computer users does it take to digitalize the entire New York Times archives? Watch this show and learn.
NOVA scienceNOW is an educational show, yet with the creative host and the different segments, it is more than that. It is fun and entertaining as well.
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