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The
Science Channel
Disocvery Communications, LLC
1 Discovery PLace
Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
| Meteorite
Men |
| Science
Channel has commissioned renowned production company LMNO Cable
Group for six all-new episodes of the network's hit special
Meteorite Men. As production continues, the series will chronicle
modern day treasure hunters Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold as
they traverse North America in search of rare, lost pieces of
our universe.
Notkin and Arnold have searched the world for remnants of
meteorites for years. The duo uses inventive, cutting-edge
technologies to detect these treasures from space as each
are often buried over centuries by substantial amounts of
dirt and sediment. Last May, in a pilot episode of Meteorite
Men, Science Channel brought viewers to the farmlands of Brenham,
Kansas as Notkin and Arnold searched for pieces of a large
meteorite that fell to earth thousands of years ago. Brenham
is considered a hot bed for meteorites - more have fallen
in that area per square mile than anywhere else in the United
States. Viewers got a firsthand look at the unique science
of meteorite hunting when the team uncovered several large
meteorite pieces using large metal detectors fashioned to
ATVs and trucks.
"Meteorite Men uniquely combines adventure with science,"
said Debbie Myers, Science Channel general manager. "Steve
and Geoff are helping us learn more about the universe by
bridging the gap between the earth sciences and their passion
for finding and studying meteorites."
"There have been many reality television shows that
have attempted to search for "visitors" from outer
space. With our new series, we are actually finding them,"
stated Eric Schotz, the show's executive producer. "It
is very exciting to follow Steve and Geoff as they gather
objects from space that can answer all sorts of incredible
questions about our past as well as our future."
For the new season, viewers join Notkin and Arnold on a quest
to find answers to The Tucson Ring Mystery - one of the most
intriguing anomalies in the meteorite world. The Meteorite
Men also search outside of Odessa, Texas for a massive, 65,000
year-old meteor buried deep in the ground, and scour West
Texas for tiny pieces of the "Ash Creek Meteorite,"
which caught the public's attention when it streaked across
the sky on February 15, 2009.
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| Weird
Creatures |
 From
the rainforests of Borneo to the Australian outback, the far-flung
islands off Panama to the mayhem of Mexico City, naturalist
Nick Baker takes us to some of the most remote and most inhospitable
corners of the earth on a colorful, exhilarating and fact-packed
journey to seek out the very strangest animals on the planet.
Finding these animals is never going to be easy, but Nick's
hunt is helped along its way by leading scientists at the American
Museum of Natural History in New York and local experts. Combine
this with Nick's passion for the natural world and you've got
an exhilarating trail that ultimately leads to close encounters
of the weirdest kind. |
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Coming Up on Weird Creatures:
Episode: Mole Lizard
Premieres Wednesday, November 4 at 9 PM
Nick is on a road trip along Mexico's Highway Number 1, running
the length of the weird and wonderful Baja peninsula. His
aim: to track down the Mole Lizard, aka the Five-Toed Worm
Lizard. Somewhere on its evolutionary journey this lizard
has lost its rear limbs, leaving it looking like a strange
chimera of a snake and a lizard with a bit of earthworm thrown
in. It is only found at the southern tip of Baja, and to reach
it Nick has to travel a thousand miles through one of the
weirdest landscapes on the planet, where he finds everything
from cacti to whales to help tell his story of bizarre and
wonderful adaptation.
Episode 3: Axolotl
Premieres Wednesday, November 11 at 9 PM
The biggest city in the western hemisphere might seem an unlikely
place to find one of nature's most extraordinary amphibians.
But Mexico City is the home of the Axolotl, an almost magical
salamander that Nick Baker has kept in captivity as a pet
for two decades. This film is Nick's pilgrimage to the ancestral
home of his favorite amphibian. He learns about the axolotl's
unique biology that holds great promise for medical science,
and discovers how the city's development has driven this mystical
creature to the very edge of extinction.
Episode 4: Marsupial Mole
Premieres Wednesday, November 18 at 9 PM
Nick travels to Australia's Red Center on the trail of one
of one of the world's weirdest desert diggers, the Marsupial
Mole. To Nick's astonishment he discovers that what the scientific
community knows about this Mole could be written on the back
of an envelope. With Joe Benshemesh, the world's leading authority
on this most elusive of moles Nick sets off on a desert odyssey.
Even local Aboriginals have to admit that very few of them
have seen the marsupial mole and the ones they are more familiar
with are character in their creation stories. As daytime temperatures
in the outback soar to 50 degrees Nick searches for clues,
sniffs for scats, looks for tracks, using seismic sensing
devices: this weird creature will see Nick at his most resourceful
as a field scientist.
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Episode 5: Slow Loris
Premieres Wednesday, November 25 at 9 PM
Nick travels to the depths of the Bornean jungle to find the
only poisonous primate in the world; the Slow Loris. It looks
like a cuddly toy, but it carries a poison that can prove
fatal, all delivered by large, powerful teeth; the Slow Loris
is a weird creature with a lethal trick up its sleeve. Small,
shy and nocturnal, it lives in the towering rainforest canopy.
So to get closer Nick climbs 40m to spend a vertigo-riddled
night from hell listening to the sounds of the jungle and
wishing he was back on terra firma. Local tracker, Saimon,
is on hand to share traditional techniques and build traps
to lure the loris out of the trees. While Nick waits for the
poisonous primate to bite, he meets some other astonishing
forest dwellers including his all-time favorite frog, the
Wallace flying frog. He has just seven days in Borneo and
having tried every trick in the field guide.
Episode 6: Horseshoe Crab
Premieres Wednesday, December 2 at 9 PM
This weird creature may not be hard to find, but its story
is truly remarkable. The horseshoe crab has been around for
nearly half a billion years, making it one of the oldest creatures
on the planet. Nick wants to find out what this living fossil
has been doing right for so long, and why today this remarkable
creature is in danger. The clues may lay in spectacular spawning
events that, when the moons and tides are right, carpet whole
beaches in Delaware Bay with mating crabs. It's here that
Nick is heading, to witness one of nature's weirdest spectacles
and to unpack the unique biology that has seen the horseshow
crab endure millions of years on earth.
Episode 7: Anteaters
Premieres Wednesday, December 9 at 9 PM
Luck is on Nick's side as he goes in search of the awkward
middle child of anteaters, the tamandua. Borrowing characteristics
from its brothers, the giant anteater and the silky anteater,
the tamandua appears to have an identity crisis. But in an
extraordinary moment, Nick witnesses a tamandua making the
most of its adaptive abilities as it dines on the fruit of
the forest - behavior never before witnessed in the wild.
He also finds himself on the sharp end of a silky anteater
and gets more than he bargained for when he stumbles across
a battery of army ants.
Episode 8: Pygmy Sloth
Premieres Wednesday, December 16 at 9 PM
Nick heads to a group of desert islands in Panama where strange
things have been happening to the animals. He hangs out with
the pygmy sloth, a species only identified in 2001, and discovers
a species of frog with an identity crisis.
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| Head
Games |
 Science
Channel's first trivia series Head Games is battle of wits and
wills, and a bit of "say what?!" With humor and fascinating
science facts Head Games challenges the intellect of contestants
and viewers by testing contestants' knowledge against questions
about peculiar, unexpected information from the natural and
scientific world. The show will be enjoyed by both the geniuses
and people who just have an interest in learning something new
every day.
From executive producers Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Leonardis,
Head Games is a brilliant mix of science facts and everyday
wonders balanced with a healthy dose of intelligence and charm
from host Greg Proops. A comedian and actor, Proops engages
contestants who run the gamut from know-it-all to know-it-not.
Watch as contestants go brain-to-brain to determine who knows
the most quirky facts such as: women blink twice as many times
as men, or one inch of rain is equivalent to ten inches of
snow.
"Whoopi's insatiable curiosity and passion for learning
about the world around her shine through in Head Games, and
we are proud to work so closely with her and One Hoe on this
series," said Science Channel general manager, Debbie
Myers. "Coupled with the dynamic personality of host
Greg Proops, these elements make this series a fun, entertaining
foray into learning fascinating things you’ve never thought
about before."
Featuring a visually stunning set designed by interior designer
Goil Amornivat (Bravo's Top Design and TLC’s Trading Spaces),
the show provided viewers with science trivia they can crew
on. Throughout four rounds of play, contestants earn points
for correctly answering questions about a variety of subjects
including chemistry, space, biology, animals, insects, physics
and more. And Greg Proops doesn't just tell the audience the
correct answer, he shows the audience extraordinary video
that will often leave viewers saying, "I never knew that!".
At the end of the four rounds, the winnert proves he or she
is smartest and walks away with all the cash they've earned.
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Here,
viewers can play along with the television contestants in real
time and answer new questions unique to the online game. Additionally,
if the on air explanation that was presented just doesn't satisfy
the itch to know more, ScienceChannel.com
allows viewers to dive deeper into the questions that were asked
on the show. With new questions added each week, the game also
allows users to challenge their friends and family to head-to-head
contests via Facebook Connect. Think you can beat your friends
...your coworkers ...your family members? Friend them on Facebook
and then invite them to a head-to-head duel. The online leader
board will give you bragging rights and the top leader will
be displayed on air during the show that week. Allowing viewers
to show that they know something that most people don't, or
won't, believe visitors to ScienceChannel.com/HeadGames
are encouraged to submit their trivia questions to the website
for consideration, or better yet, apply to be on the next season
of Head Games! |
| Dive
to The Bottom of The World |
| Science
Channel is exclusively revealing the first-ever high-definition
video of the deepest part of the ocean when the network invites
viewers on a historic expedition in Dive to The Bottom of The
World. The one-hour special chronicles the dedication of biologists,
engineers, geologists and oceanographers as they collaborate
to invent, design, build and deploy a unique, state-of-the-art
deep-sea vehicle that is less cumbersome and more maneuverable
than any other in human history. The underwater vehicle's mission:
to provide researchers with an eye on the bottom of the deepest
part of the ocean floor, and retrieve invaluable biological
and geological samples for further study.
For nearly four years, in cooperation with Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution (WHOI) and the National Science Foundation (NSF),
Science Channel documented the painstaking efforts of project
manager and WHOI principal developer Andy Bowen and team as
they developed a one-of-a-kind vehicle for exploring the ocean
floor. The vehicle the researchers envisioned would be a hybrid,
one that could be controlled by a cable tether or, runs autonomously
following a preset course programmed into its navigational
computer.
Dubbed Nereus, after the mythical Greek god with a fish tail
and a man's torso, the unmanned vehicle is designed to operate
in the intense conditions of Challenger Deep, the deepest
point of the Earth's oceans where the environment is harsh
and intense. It can be as difficult to reach as the surface
of Mars. Nereus is operated by pilots aboard a surface ship
via a lightweight, micro-thin, fiber-optic tether that allows
it to dive deep and be highly maneuverable. However, Nereus
can also be switched into a free-swimming, autonomous vehicle,
which is unlike any other in history.
This past June, Science Channel cameras were aboard the research
vessel Kilo Moana to document the deployment of Nereus on
a history making journey to the bottom of Challenger Deep
for Dive to The Bottom of The World. During the dive, Nereus
spent roughly 10 hours on the sea floor sending back, not
only high-definition video, but also retrieving priceless
biological and geological samples with its manipulator arm.
The samples may hold secrets to unresolved questions about
evolutionary biology in the deep sea or reveal historic new
details about plate tectonics.
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"What the researchers and engineers have created with
Nereus is nothing short of remarkable," said Debbie Myers,
Science Channel general manager. "In Dive to The Bottom
of The World we're proud not only to bring the first HD video
of the deepest part of the ocean to audiences, but to capture
the truly creative spirit, determination and resourcefulness
of the men and women involved in the project."
The bottom of Challenger Deep lies 190 miles southwest of
Guam, a stark seven miles below the Pacific Ocean’s surface
in the Mariana Trench. Pressure here is approximately 16,000
pounds per square inch, which is roughly equivalent to having
three sport utility vehicles stacked on a grown human’s pinky
toe. The Mariana Trench is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire
and forms the boundary between two tectonic plates, where
the Pacific Plate slowly slides beneath the small Mariana
Plate a few inches every year.
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| Future
Of |
 Science
Channel, in partnership with Popular Science magazine, is giving
viewers an extraordinary glimpse of the unbelievable scientific
and technological innovations destined to shape our lives in
five, ten, 15 or 25 years with the new series Popular Science's
Future Of. Author, comedian, writer and pundit Baratunde Thurston
hosts each episode and examines how one important characteristic
of human life will fundamentally change within our lifetimes.
Through in-depth interviews with maverick scientists and
hands-on experience with breakthrough research and extraordinary
prototypes, Thurston guides viewers on a deep exploration
of how each aspect will fundamentally evolve within our lifetimes.
In the premiere episode, "The Future of Play,"
Thurston examines what will take up our leisure time in the
future. He travels to M.I.T. Media Lab where a research team
led by Dr. David Merrill is developing "siftables,"
tiny computers shaped like square blocks, which may forever
change how humans and computers interact. Each siftable uses
a small LCD screen, blue tooth technology, infrared capability
and more to be programed so that the user can play games,
learn math or create music. Thurston also explores the virtusphere,
among other technologies, which is a large spherical device
being developed by researchers in Binghamton, N.Y. A new form
of virtual reality, users step into the virtusphere and actually
feel like they are in a video game shooting monsters or chasing
down an enemy.
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| Catch
It Keep It |
 What
would you do if a $1,800 Gibson Les Paul guitar was surrounded
on all sides by a chemical compound that burns at more than
4,500 degrees Fahrenheit? Or if a timer counts down to the detonation
of one year's supply - 672 bottles - of beer? What about if
you saw an expensive scooter being launched off an 80-foot long
ramp suspended 26 feet off the ground? What fate will meet all
of these treasured items? Total destruction...unless three skilled
challengers use science wisely to invent, design and build a
contraption within 48 hours that will save the cherished prize.
If they can catch it, they can keep it in Science Channel's
all-new series Catch It Keep It.
During each episode of Catch It Keep It three contestants
test their scientific and engineering mettle against Science
Channel's "engineer of destruction," Mike Senese,
who comes up with the dastardly schemes uniquely designed
to obliterate the prize of the week. The contestants must
brainstorm, plan and construct a way to rescue the item within
the span of 48 hours - teams can build anything from such
as a blast/fire-proof box or a giant net used for catching
objects in mid fall. Host Zach Selwyn guides viewers through
the pressure-packed 48 hours of organized chaos as the team
works tirelessly, against the clock and against differing
opinions and a never ending list of obstacles.
At the end of each episode viewers will see the contestants'
inventive solution to the problem, and hold their breaths
as it's put to the test. Will the contestants walk away with
the prize or will their invention fail miserably? "Engineer
of destruction" Mike Senese will also reveal how he would
solve the problem with a unique design and build of his own.
Can Mike's invention to save the prize outmaneuver his inventive
way to destroy it?
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About Zach Selwyn
Zach Selwyn is a television host, actor, writer and singer-songwriter.
Selwyn began hosting in 2004 after besting over 20,000 contestants
to become a finalist on ESPN's SportsCenter competition show
"Dream Job." He has worked on many hit cable series
including ESPN's Around the Horn, GSN's Extreme Dodgeball
and G4's Attack of the Show and has appeared on HBO's US Comedy
Arts Festival, That '70s Show, Stargate: Atlantis. Zach also
has a strong musical background, including his band Zachariah
and the Los Lobos Riders, which has collaborated with artists
like Fergie. The band's albums include the country-rock Ghost
Signs, 11 original songs for the 2005 film "Dead and
Breakfast" (in which Selwyn also had a role), and his
newest record "Alcoholiday." Extending his musical
and comedic abilities, Selwyn recently entered into an agreement
with Atom.com to write, produce and star in six comedy/music
videos that will also be featured on Comedy Central. His web
video "White People Problems" became the highest
rated and viewed video on the website to date in April 2009.
About Mike Senese
At age three his dad taught him to use a power drill and since
then Mike Senese has never met a piece of machinery he wasn't
dying to take apart. Graduating from remote control vehicles
to robotics to reviving a 39-foot, 26 ton 1963 caboose, he
immersed himself into the dynamic worlds of physics, electronics
and mechanical engineering. At 16, he spent his first summer
abroad, promoting public health by constructing latrines in
the Ecuadorian Andes. A few years later, he rebuilt his 1973
Land Rover bumper to bumper to explore the Arizona desert.
As the science co-host of Fuse TV's "Rock and Roll Acid
Test," Mike applied technical know-how to challenge the
most extreme urban legends of rock music. Prior to that, he
was based in San Francisco working at Wired and ReadyMade
magazines. An accomplished guitarist and fair-to-midlin' drummer,
Mike is also the co-founder of the record label Sneakmove.com
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| Science
of The Movies |
 This
series breaks down famous movie sceens to analyze all the
science behind them and figure out how each one was made.
In each episode host and self-proclaimed movie geek Nar Williams
gets the inside scoop on the tricks of the Hollywood trade.
Williams gets some much appreciated hands-on experience, demonstraiting
the technological creative behind the scenes. Highlighting
the equipment used in creating the latest visual effects and
computer graphics, along with interviews with the award-winning
artists, stunt men and technicians responsible for using or
sometimes even inventing the equipment, Science of The Movies
celebrates the world of movie magic like never before. From
motion arrest film techniques and the science of perspective
in chase scenes to state-of-the-art cameras and creating 3-D
worlds, Science of the Movies features rare behind-the-scenes
footage to help bring viewers to the cutting-edge of filmmaking
technology. |
| Brink |
 Brink
is the the next generation source of interactive science information
on television and the web. The series allows viewers to viewers
to experience the frontlines of cutting-edge breakthroughs
in technology, research, inventions, discoveries and the mysteries
of the scientific world.
The series explores people who are on the brink of changing
our lives, and will also include content generated from
scientists, organizations, universities and viewers from
around the world.
Brink gives viewers a clear understanding of the impact
and relevance science has in our lives today, and offers
significant insights into how science may profoundly change
our lives in the future.
Each half-hour episode combines short-form reports on the
latest global science news with vital interviews with prominent
scientists. Brink's innovative format will also include
unusual segments covering a range of subjects from peculiar,
avant-garde research to "backyard inventors" who
are pushing the limits of science in their own way - such
as building a spacecraft on their own.
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| The Science Channel
Programs: |
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Baseball's Secret Formula
Beyond Tomorrow
Brainman
Brink
Catch It Keep It
COOLFUEL
Cosmos
Deconstructed
Download
Greatest Discoveries
Future Of
Head Games
How Do They Do It?
How It's Made
Invention Nation
It's All Geek to Me
Mars Rising
Punkin' Chunkin'
Science and the Movies
Sci Q Sundays
Space Week
Survivorman
Weird Connections
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