>> Stephen: AND WE'RE BACK!
MY NEXT GUEST IS A TELEVISION HOST, C.E.O. OF THE
PLANETARY SOCIETY, AND AN OFFICIAL "SCIENCE GUY."
PLEASE WELCOME BILL NYE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
THERE YOU GO!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) WELL, STANDING OVATION.
NOT EVERYONE GETS A STANDING OVATION, BILL.
>> I HEARD ABOUT THAT.
I HEARD IT'S EXTRAORDINARY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: NICE TO FINALLY
MEET YOU.
>> IT'S BEEN YEARS.
>> Stephen: IT HAS.
SCIENCE GUY, DID YOU JUST WAKE UP ONE DAY AND SAY MY LAST NAME
RHYMES WITH "GUY."
IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE FASHION GUY, THE MUSIC GUY, THE NAPPING
GUY.
HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
>> I WAS IN A WRITERS MEETING WITH RAJ SHAFFER, HEAD OF THE
COMEDY SHOW IN SEATTLE, SO WE NEEDED TO FILL SIX MINUTES.
HAD THIS IDEA FOR THE BIT WITH LIQUID NITROGEN BECAUSE WE HAVE
IT AROUND.
>> Stephen: AT A COMEDY SHOW YOU HAVE LIQUID NITROGEN AROUND?
>> THE COMEDY BIT WAS THE HOUSEHOLD USE OF LIQUID
NITROGEN, WHICH IS THE BIT YOUR NOSE COMES OFF WHEN YOU CHEW
MARSHMALLOWS.
HE SAID YOU COULD BE BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY.
THEN HE CLOSED HIS BRIEFCASE AND WENT OFF TO DO HIS RADIO SHOW.
A LONG TIME AGO BUT STUCK WITH ME.
ANOTHER STORY, KEAY.
>> Stephen: KEAY.
KEAY DAVIDSON AND HE STARTED THE COLUMN KEAY DAVIDSON THE
"SCIENCE GUY."
I TALKED TO HIM ON THE PHONE AND I SAID, MR. DAVIDSON, IT DOESN'T
RHYME.
HE SAID, THAT'S GOOD.
SO I STUCK WITH IT, BILL NYE THE "SCIENCE GUY."
I'M A CHECK CAL ENGINEER.
>> Stephen: THERE IS CHATTER ON THE INTERNET YOU'RE BILL NYE
THE ENGINEERING GUY.
>> FOR FOUR YEARS, IT'S PHYSICS!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I'M SORRY, I TOOK SIX SEMESTERS
OF CALCULUS.
IS THAT ENOUGH?
>> Stephen: YOU'RE ALSO C.E.O.
OF THE PLANETARY SOCIETY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WORKING ON SOMETHING CALLED -- WHICH IS BY
CARL SAGAN.
>> I TOOK ONE CLASS FROM CARL SAGAN.
MY FATHER WAS THE AMATEUR ASTRONOMER.
CARL SAGAN TALKED ABOUT SOLAR SAILING BACK DURING THE DISCO
ERA, AND, SO, I JOINED THE PLANETARY SOCIETY WHEN IT WAS
STARTED.
ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER.
YOU KNOW NEIL DE GRASSE TYSON.
>> Stephen: I DO.
NEIL IS VERY INTO WINE.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
AND THERE WAS A MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND
SOMETHING HAPPENED, AND NOW I'M THE C.E.O. OF THE PLANETARY
SOCIETY.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE HE GOT YOU INTO SCIENCE?
>> IT WASN'T THE CANADIAN GIN, BUT THINGS WENT FINE.
( LAUGHTER ) HERE'S THE PREMISE.
THIS IS REMARKABLE.
LIGHT, ALTHOUGH IT HAS NO MASS, HAS MOMENTUM.
IT'S PURE ENERGY.
SO IF YOU CAN GET A SPACECRAFT INTO SPACE ABOVE THE ATMOSPHERE,
THE PRESSURE OF SUNLIGHT PUSHES IT THROUGH SPACE.
SO THE PLANETARY SOCIETY -- THIS WAS ONE OF CARL SAGAN'S DREAMS
BACK IN 1976.
WE TRIED LAUNCHING ONE IN 2005.
IT ENDED UP IN THE BERENT SEA WHICH IS PART OF THE ARCTIC.
WE WANTED TO LAUNCH ANOTHER ONE, LIGHT SAIL TWO, SAME UP WITH
THAT OURSELVES.
WE WERE GOING TO A HIGHER ORBIT, 400 SOMETHING MILES --
>> Stephen: HIGH THAN THE SPACE STATION.
>> OH, YEAH, HIGHER THAN THE SPACE STATION.
>> Stephen: TELL ME ABOUT THE MARCH FOR SCIENCE THAT HAPPENED
THIS PAST WEEKEND.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THANK YOU VERY MUCH SO WHAT WERE
YOU MARCHING FOR AND WHY DO WE NEED TO MARCH FOR SCIENCE.
>> ISN'T THAT A GOOD QUESTION?
SO, IN THE U.S. -- >> Stephen: I'M FULL OF 'EM.
NOW, FROM TIME TO TIME, I GET THE SENSE, I WATCH THE
MONOLOGUE, LIKE EVERYBODY, AND I GET THE IMPRESSION YOU'RE
CRITICAL OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.
>> Stephen: I'M IN A EQUESTIONING POSITION OF THEIR
PRIORITIES.
>> YEAH, SO IN THE U.S.
CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE ONE, SECTION 8, IT SAYS "SHALL
PROMOTE THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND USEFUL ARTS."
AND IF YOU HAVE AN ADMINISTRATION THAT'S IN DENIAL
ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO CUT BACK FUNDING FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
AND CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, THAT IS PROBABLY NOT IN ANYONE'S
BEST INTEREST.
YET THERE'S A MOVEMENT RIGHT NOW ESPECIALLY IN THE U.S. SO WE HAD
A MARCH FOR SCIENCE.
( APPLAUSE ) IT'S A SURPRISING THING SOMEBODY
FELT WE NEEDED THAT.
>> Stephen: HERE'S SOMETHING ELSE YOU FEEL THE WORLD NEEDS.
OFF NEW NETFLIX SERIES CALLED "BILL NYE SAVES THE WORLD."
>> YES!
>> Stephen: OKAY, THAT IS A MUCH BOLDER CLAIM THAN MERELY
"SCIENCE GUY."
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD, BILL NYE?
>> WELL, IT'S A HALF HOUR.
( LAUGHTER ) THE IDEA IS WE TAKE A SCIENTIFIC
PERSPECTIVE OF ISSUES IN SOCIETY LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE, VACCINES,
VACCINATIONS.
>> Stephen: I'M IN FAVOR.
AND ALSO WE DID A SHOW ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
WE ADDRESSED THESE ISSUES FROM A SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE
PEOPLE HAVE A GREAT INTEREST IN IT.
PEOPLE LOVE SCIENCE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THESE ARE IMPORTANT ISSUES
BECAUSE EVERYBODY -- WHEN I WAS AT THE WORLDS FAIR IN 1965,
THERE WERE FEWER THAN 3 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
NOW THERE ARE 7.3, ALMOST 7.4 BILLION PEOPLE, THERE ARE
GOING TO BILLION 9 BILLION PEOPLE AND 10 BILLION PEOPLE AND
THOSE PEOPLE WILL WANT TO EAT AND HAVE ACCESS TO WATER AND
ELECTRONIC INFORMATION.
IN ORDER TO HAVE TOES THINGS, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SCIENCE!
>> Stephen: GOOD LUCK SAVING THE WORLD.
>> WITH YOUR HELP, IT WILL BE A PIECE OF CAKE.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
IT'S BEEN FUN!
>> Stephen: "BILL NYE SAVES THE WORLD" IS ON NETFLIX.
WELL BE BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY ROGER WATER!