Discover a vast, hidden world beneath the waves with underwater photographer Brian Skerry.
National Geographic Lecture: Brian Skerry 2/19/2013 at Helzberg Hall
Science .
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Explore the World Around Us
This week on Exploration Wednesday:
7pm – Nature: My Life As A Turkey
Based on the true story of writer and naturalist Joe Hutto, portrayed by wildlife photographer Jeff Palmer, this film chronicles Hutto’s remarkable experience of imprinting wild turkey eggs and raising the hatchlings to adulthood. Deep in the wilds of Florida, Hutto spent each day out and about as a “wild turkey” with his family of chicks — until the day came when he had to let his children grow up and go off on their own. As it turned out, this was harder than he ever imagined. Hutto’s story also became a book, Illumination in the Flatlands.
8pm – NOVA: Inside the Megastorm
Was Hurricane Sandy a freak combination of weather systems? Or are hurricanes increasing in intensity due to a warming climate? How did this perfect storm make search and rescue so dangerous? “Inside the Megastorm” takes viewers moment-by-moment through Hurricane Sandy, its impact and the future of storm protection. Through first-person accounts from survivors and from experts and scientists, the program gives scientific context to a new breed of storm.
9pm – NOVA scienceNOW: Can I Eat That?
What are the secrets behind your favorite foods? Why are some treats — like chocolate chip cookies — delectable, while others — like cookies made with mealworms — disgusting? You may think you understand what makes something sweet, salty or bitter, but David Pogue gets a taste of a much more complicated truth as he ventures into labs and kitchens where everything from apple pie to Thanksgiving turkey to juicy grasshoppers is diced, sliced, dissected and put under the microscope. If scientists can uncover exactly what’s behind the mouth-watering flavors and textures we take for granted every day, could they help us enjoy our food more — without packing on the pounds?
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Explore the World Around Us
On this week’s Exploration Wednesday:
Nature: An Original Duckumentary – 7pm
Ducks fly through the air on short stubby wings — traveling in large, energy-efficient formations over thousands of miles. There are some 150 species of them, representing a wide variety of shapes, sizes and behaviors. Some are noisy and gregarious, others shy and elusive. They are familiar animals we think we know. But most of us don’t really know these phenomenal, sophisticated creatures at all. This program follows a wood duck family as a male and female create a bond, migrate together across thousands of miles, nurture and protect a brood of chicks, then come full circle as they head to their wintering grounds.
NOVA: Ultimate Mars Challenge – 8pm
In August, a rover named Curiosity touched down inside Mars’ Gale Crater, carrying 10 new instruments that will advance the quest for signs that Mars might once have been suitable for life. But Curiosity’s mission is risky. After parachuting through the Martian atmosphere at twice the speed of sound, Curiosity was gently lowered to the planet’s surface by a “sky crane.” This first-of-its-kind system has been tested on Earth, but there was no guarantee it would work on Mars. With inside access to the massive team of scientists and engineers responsible for Curiosity’s on-the-ground experiments, NOVA was there for the exhilarating moments after Curiosity’s landing — and is there for the spectacular discoveries to come.
NOVA scienceNOW: What Will the Future Be Like? – 9pm
Mobile phones that read your mind? Video games that can cure cancer? Wearable robots that give you the strength of Ironman? David Pogue predicts which technologies will transform daily life for you — and your grandkids. These advancements are already taking shape in laboratories around the world — and gadgets that once were purely science fiction are on the verge of becoming as common as the iPhones and Androids Pogue reviews every day.
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Rock ‘n’ Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution: The Science of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Union Station has been bringing in a lot of traveling exhibits over the last couple of years. You experienced the doomed ocean liner Titanic this summer, earlier it was the blockbuster Diana exhibit. Then of course we’ve had the Dead Sea Scrolls and who can forget Bodies Revealed? What all of these exhibits have in common though is that they all came from somewhere else, first.
Well Union Station’s latest offering has never been seen anywhere else before. Starting this week, Kansas City’s historic attraction brings you the world premiere of the “Science of Rock ‘n’ Roll” – a fresh look at the history of rock from the perspective of science and technology.
Now through May, you’ll be able to see how music has shaped the tools of rock–and how those tools have changed the music. And before you ask if you will just be reading and looking, rest assured that there’s a whole bunch of playing, strumming, and getting in touch with your inner rockstar.
