(Working) Title: The working title is “In the Know”1
Pitch: a weekly, 30-minute, three act show hosted by a scientist and a comedian ((I’m thinking Janna Levin and Myq Kaplan)) as they explore three science-related topics.
Each week, we cover three related topics in contemporary science, historical science, and the philosophy of science. Each of those areas would be discussed from a variety of perspectives. I’ve liked Cosmos, I really have, but some of the episodes meandered too much for me. If each story were written to be an eight-minute arc, I think we could– paradoxically– get a lot more out of it.
Possible episodes:
- Deep Time.
Act 1 – How do we think the Earth formed?
Act 2 – The 19th Century battle of Geology vs. Physics on the age of the Earth.
Act 3 – the Speed of Evolution and the Burgess Shale as evidence. - Reinventing New Disciplines.
Act 1 – Aristotle creates most modern disciplines
Act 2 – Newton creates Calculus to solve a problem, then promptly forgets about it.
Act 3 – Physical chemist/science journalist George Price revolutionizes biology. (Seriously, read his story, it’s super compelling.) - Natural Experiments.
Act 1 – Thales uses a well as a telescope
Act 2 – Captain Cook sails the world to measure the transit of Venus
Act 3 – Einstein uses the 1918 Eclipse to corroborate his theory.
I really should be writing up a script, but I’d rather it be out there and possibly come to fruition than be lost in space.
- This idea is inspired by Stuff You Should Know, You’re the Expert, Probably Science, Cosmos, Mythbusters, and Joanie Loves Chachi [↩]
