Keep your eye on the man, not the dog
Posted on June 3, 2014 |
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, and science communicator par excellence. He’s also the host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, a reprise (or rather, update) of the original Cosmos: A Personal Voyage hosted by Carl Sagan.
He is the most worthy choice to step into the very large shoes left behind by Sagan. The new series is also, in proper tribute to Sagan’s inspiring original, produced and written by Ann Druyan, who was a co-writer of the original Cosmos series (and soon after married Sagan). Tyson’s enthusiasm, his clarity, his love of science, leap off the screen; it’s hard to imagine not being inspired by his presentation. It’s inconceivable that one could be bored by it. If anyone can inspire a new generation of kids, sparking their interest in science, it’s him. Neil deGrasse Tyson.
As was made clear in early episodes, and as I had heard in interviews of him that I’ve seen on TV, Tyson was also inspired and assisted by Carl Sagan himself when he was a young student embarking on his higher education. You can almost feel the reverence with which he regards his former mentor. It’s a poignant tribute to the universe, that the student becomes the master.
Germaine to this blog, the latest episode of Cosmos deals with climate change. Man-made climate change. And the danger it poses. It should really piss off the deniers.
It’s not too hard to view it online, if you haven’t seen it already. It’s on Hulu, and I think you can find it elsewhere too. I strongly urge everyone who hasn’t seen the latest Cosmos, to take the time to view. I think you’ll enjoy it.
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