>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK. YOU KNOW MY GUEST TONIGHT AS THE
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BOOKS LIKE
"ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY"
AND "STARRY MESSENGER." PLEASE WELCOME BACK
TO "THE LATE SHOW," AMERICA'S FAVORITE
ASTROPHYSICIST, NEIL deGRASSE TYSON.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ♪ ♪
THERE YOU GO. GOOD TO SEE YOU.
IT'S LIKE COMING HOME. EVERYBODY LOVES YOU HERE, NEIL
TYSON. >> Neil: I'M FEELING IT.
I'M FEELING IT. >> Stephen: YOU ARE
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
"STARRY MESSENGER" RIGHT THERE, NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK.
WE'LL GET TO THIS JUST A MOMENT HERE BUT LET'S PUSH SOME PAPER
FIRST. YOU'RE NOT JUST A BELOVED
ASTROPHYSICIST AND A BEST-SELLING AUTHOR.
YOU'RE ALSO MOVIE BUFF. >> Neil: YEAH, OH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: WE WERE AT THE SAME U.S. PREMIER OF "DUNE: TWO"
LAST WEEK. A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, SOMETHING
LIKE THAT. WHAT'D YOU THINK, NEIL TYSON?
>> Neil: IT'S QUITE THE SPECTACLE.
OH, MY GOSH. >> Stephen: I WOULD SAY, I
WOULD SAY IT'S PERFECT. WHAT DO YOU THINK, NEIL?
>> Neil: [LAUGHS] >> Stephen: THERE ARE NO
ERRORS. GO ON, NEIL.
>> Neil: I HAVE SOME ISSUES. >> Stephen: YOU DON'T
GENERALLY CRITICIZE SCIENCE FICTION, DO YOU?
>> Neil: IF PEOPLE KNOW, THIS MOVIE TAKES PLACE IN SAND DUNES
AND THERE'S A WORM THAT'S VERY HUNGRY.
>> Stephen: AN EXAMPLE OF THESE BIG WORMS.
>> Neil: VERY HUNGRY. THEY PLOW THROUGH THE SAND.
AND WILL FIND YOU IF YOU MAKE A SOUND THAT REPEATS.
>> Stephen: TO CALL ONE OF THEM HE PUT UP ONE OF THESE
THINGS, A THUMPER. >> Neil: OF THUMPER.
SENDS VIBRATIONS AND FINDS IT AND IT'S GOING TO EAT IT.
>> Stephen: AND IT COMES FAST. >> Neil: SOMEBODY DIDN'T DO
THE RESEARCH ON THAT. >> Stephen: BECAUSE THAT'S NOT
HOW THESE SAND WORMS ACTUALLY BEHAVE, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE
SAYING? >> Neil: I'M SAYING YOU CAN'T
THUMP SAND. >> Stephen: YES, YOU CAN.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE PHRASE "GO POUND SAND?"
>> Neil: YOU DO THIS TO SAM, NOBODY ELSE IS GOING TO HEAR IT
BECAUSE IT'S SAND. >> Stephen: YOU CAN'T HEAR IT
BUT A SAND WORM CAN. THEY HEAR THINGS TO FAMILY THAN
WE DO, NEIL TYSON. >> Neil: IF YOU WANTED TO
INSULATE YOURSELF ACOUSTICALLY FROM YOUR SURROUNDINGS, FILL THE
VOLUME WITH SAND. NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU.
I'VE GOT TO LET IT GO BECAUSE THERE'S NO MOVIE WITHOUT IT.
ONE OF A FAN, ONE OF THE THING. >> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER
THING. DON'T HOLD MY HAND WHILE YOU
CRITICIZE A PERFECT MOVIE. HOW DARE YOU.
THAT IS UNWELCOME. HOW TEAR YOU, SIR?
>> Neil: SO, NO, THE SAME PEOPLE, THE FREMEN, THE
INDIGENOUS SAND PEOPLE, ONE OF THE RIGHTS OF PASSAGE IS THEY
HAVE TO RIDE THE BACK OF THE WORM.
OKAY. BUT IT'S A WORM.
SO THEY HAVE A WORM JUST GOING STRAIGHT FAST.
>> Stephen: YEAH. THAT'S HOW SAND WORMS WORK.
>> Neil: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SNAKE CHASE YOU AS A STRAIGHT
SNAKE? NO!
THEY'VE GOT TO CURL AND THEY PUSH OFF THE CURL.
THAT'S WHAT THE CURLING IS. >> Stephen: IT HAS SCALES,
FLEXIBLE SCALES. PERHAPS ON THE BELLY OF THE
WORM. >> Neil: YOU THINK IT'S GOT
LITTLE THINGS? >> Stephen: TO BE SOME REVERSE
PERISTALTIC THING WHERE THERE'S A WAVELIKE ACTION WHERE WE CAN'T
SEE IT. >> Neil: OR THEIR POOPING
REALLY FAST. >> Stephen: THE SCIENCE ISN'T
IN ON SAND WORMS. >> Neil: BUT IT WAS COOL.
THE COPTERS. THEY ARE LIKE DRAGONFLIES.
>> Stephen: THEY ARE SO WELL-DONE THAT I HAD TO REMIND
MYSELF THAT THEY ARE NOT REAL. >> Neil: VERY WELL DONE.
BUT THEY HAD OTHER HUGE OBJECTS DEFYING GRAVITY.
WHY DID THESE HAVE TO HAVE WINGS?
JUST PUT THAT STUFF IN THE COPTER AND THEY DON'T NEED WINGS
AT ALL. >> Stephen: PROBABLY THE
ENERGY SOURCE REQUIRED FOR THE LARGE THINGS TO CARRY A LARGE
UNDERSEA SOURCE ONBOARD WHEREAS THE COPTERS HAVE TO GO WITH THE
SMALL FUEL CELL AND CANNOT EXPAND THE ENERGY NECESSARY FOR
THE ANTI-GRAV. >> Neil: YOU ARE ALL IN ON
THAT ONE, ON THE "DUNE" THING. >> Stephen: I AM 1000% IN.
CAN YOU STILL ENJOY A MOVIE WITH THE SCIENTIFIC INACCURACIES?
>> Neil: I AM A FAN OF MARK TWAIN'S EDICT.
FIRST GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT THEN DISTORT THEM AT YOUR
LEISURE. BECAUSE IF YOU'RE IGNORING BASIC
FUNDAMENTAL SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES ON THE PREMISE THAT
IT'S TOO CONSTRAINING, I NEED MY FREEDOMS, EXCUSE ME.
THE UNIVERSE IS NOT ONLY WEIRDER THAN WE HAVE IMAGINED.
IT MAY BE WEIRDER THAN WE CAN EVER IMAGINE.
BRINGING YOU WORMHOLES AND ANTIMATTER AND BLACK HOLES AND
THE MULTIVERSE. THAT ALL OF THAT COMES OUT OF MY
PEOPLE. >> Stephen: SORRY, THE
MULTIVERSE WAS COINED BY THE FANTASY WRITER MICHAEL MOORCOCK.
JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW IT. AN ARTIST, NOT A SCIENTIST.
EARLY '60s. >> Neil: THAT FEELS KIND OF
LATE FOR MY PEOPLE. >> Stephen: YOU WANT TO HEAR
THINGS WEIRDER IN THE UNIVERSE AND YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE?
HERE'S YOU IN AN OUTFIT. YOU'VE MADE SOME CAMEOS IN
MOVIES OVER THE YEARS. YOU MADE ONE RECENTLY.
THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE. HOW DID YOU END UP --
AM I READING THIS RIGHT? THE NEW J.LO MOVIE "THIS IS ME
NOW: A LOVE STORY." WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THIS
OUTFIT? >> Neil: [LAUGHS]
SO I GOT A CALL AND THEY SAID WHEN I PLAY TAURUS --
>> Stephen: THE ASTROLOGICAL SIGN CUSTOMER XP TO THE ASTRAL
LOGIC -- IT'S A CONSTELLATION BUT IN THAT
MOVIE IT'S A ASTROLOGICAL SIGN. I SAID SHOW ME THE SCRIPT.
I CAN MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF SCIENCE.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE YOU ARE AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUS
ASTROLOGER, AREN'T YOU? >> Neil: [LAUGHS]
I'M JUST SAYING I HAVE A VERY LOW BAR WHEN IT COMES ARTISTS
SEEKING MY ADVICE, WISDOM, PARTICIPATION.
ALL I'M SAYING IS IF I'M NOT IN THE MOVIE, THEN THERE IS NO
SCIENCE IN THE MOVIE. >> Stephen: DO PUT SOME
SCIENCE INTO ASTROLOGY? >> Neil: I TRY TO HELP AT ALL
BIT. >> Stephen: DOES YOUR
CHARACTER SAY "THIS IS ALL BULL[BLEEP]?"
>> Neil: THERE WAS A SCENE THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE FINAL
CUT. I MADE IT CLEAR THE ZODIAC IS 13
AND SET OF 12. IN SCORPIO, IF YOU THINK YOUR
SCORPIO, YOU'RE PROBABLY OPHIUCHUS.
EARTH IS PROCESSING ON ITS ACCESS.
MOST SCORPIOS ARE ACTUALLY OPHIUCHANS.
>> Stephen: WOW, THAT IS SCIENCE.
WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK BUT DON'T GO AWAY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE NEIL deGRASSE TYSON, EVER
EVERYBODY.