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Neil deGrasse Tyson to host sequel to Carl Sagan's Cosmos

This should be pretty exciting news to any Carl Sagan fans and/or science nerds out there.  Astrophysicist (and non-believer) Neil deGrasse Tyson is signed on to host Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which will be developed by Ann Druyan and Steve Soter, both of whom worked on the original Cosmos, along with Family Guy creator (and fellow atheist) Seth McFarlane.  The new Cosmos will air in primetime on FOX, which is pretty much unprecedented for a science documentary series, with encore airings on the National Geographic Channel, which will help produce the series.

There’s only one downside to this story, though:  you’ll have to wait ‘til 2013 to see it.

Click for high-res photo

(Source: godbrain)

(this post was reblogged from divineirony)
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“The Apollo program created a zeitgeist in the country where science was seen as a way to take us into the future. And once that attitude descends on a culture, it affects everything. It affects what you want to be when you grow up. It affects how government monies are spent. It affects how people treat the field of science….


I see it as three-pronged: the teachers, the actual agencies that fund curiosity-driven research, and then the vision statement. And the vision statement comes from saying, ‘We’re going to Mars,’ ‘We’re going to land on an asteroid,’ ‘We’re going to understand the nature of the universe.’ All three of these together I think is the one-two-three punch that can take us out of our doldrums and put us back in the leadership role that so many of us took for granted in the 20th century.”

— Neil DeGrasse Tyson, on the factors that lead to scientific innovation and popular acceptance of science, from this conversation

(One thing he doesn’t mention, though, is science fiction, and more broadly, popular portrayals of science.  As a kid, I enjoyed watching Star Trek:  The Next Generation, and I also had an affinity for many other forms of science fiction.  I think that may be a big part of why I personally have strong, positive views towards science.)

goodreasonnews:

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Children do not read horoscopes!

I really appreciate Neil and his optimism.  He’s made some appearances on Point of Inquiry, which are definitely worth checking out.  In my current work, part of my job involves trying to educate a population that most people have written off (that is, maximum security adult male offenders).  In one of his POI discussions, he talked about how you shouldn’t blame people for being ignorant, if you’re in a position to ameliorate their lack of understanding.  If you have the expertise, then it’s up to you to effectively educate others.  That really struck a chord with me, and motivated me to completely revise the anger management course taught at my facility, tailoring it directly to the inmates’ experiences and priorities.  And I’m really glad I did — since then, the inmates seem to have been much more engaged by the class, and comprehend the core concepts much better by the end of it.  Though he isn’t as vocal about his beliefs as others, Neil’s definitely a valuable member of the non-religious community.  (-Shane)

(this post was reblogged from goodreasonnews)