Never Underestimate The Power Of Hot Dogs

I'm honored to represent your choice for Master Control Takes Control on Friday, October 26 at 8pm.  How It's Made is a great show, but I'd like to believe my passionate pitch, coupled with the imagery of, what I like to call, the Hot Dog Meat Fire Hose-Waterfall, struck a cord with you, the viewing public.

I was up against some of the biggest names in entertainment, armed with only animal parts, salt, and casings.  In the end, this truth became apparent; Idiots get smacked and Wormholes collapse when placed next to the universe's most powerful force; Hot Dogs!

Treat yourself and bask in the glory of the #hotdogmeatfirehosewaterfall one more time!

 

Master Control: The Last Line of Defense

It all comes down to me. My eyes and my ears. I don't just watch and listen — I monitor. My name is David Matias and I am a Master Control Operator.

Every day I stay focused on maintaining and ensuring quality control and accuracy of the all of the scheduled programming that originates from our facility and is transmitted to tens of millions of televisions across America.  It's the last chance to spot any mistakes before the viewers at home tune in to enjoy their favorite shows. If it sounds like a lot is on the line — it is.  Millions of dollars and hundreds of peoples hard work and the reputation of a global media leader are at stake.

Enter the Master Control Core Where We Can Control All Networks!

 Here we are in my home -- the Master Control Core!  My name is Scotty Ham, and I’m one of the supervisors here at the Discovery Broadcast Center.  And yes, I'm a Brony.

 

So, here’s one of our Supe Stations that I work at daily.  I have the same abilities that each pod has and I can take control of any of our 13 networks in a matter of seconds if needed.  My main function out here is to troubleshoot the issues that operators find and come up with solutions and answers.  If we have content that is in question, whether it is a commercial with an incorrect phone number or a promo that advertises an incorrect time, I’ll pass that on to people like Darren in Encode who will correct it on their end and coordinate with us back here.  We also execute changes out here for content daily -- whether they are commercial or even program changes.  Our operators are the best in the business and make my job look easy.

An inSCIder Look at Master Control

 Have you ever wondered how your favorite Science show makes its way into your living room? Of course you haven't.  That's because Master Control's doing its job; making the television viewing experience seamless for you, the loyal SCIENCE viewer.

Sounds simple enough, but there are dozens of broadcast technicians and millions of dollars of equipment behind each show you see.  Over the next few weeks, you'll be getting an inSCIder look at what we do in Master Control, and on Friday, October 12, you'll get to know me and a few of my Master Control friends a whole lot better!

Was Mars Ever Habitable? Curiosity's SAM Instrument Seeks the Answer

After its amazing landing, which felt like it was straight out of a science fiction novel, NASA’s Curiosity rover is now safely on Mars and already at work. “Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes. In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's ‘habitability.’”^[1] To do this, Curiosity is equipped with an on-board laboratory that includes instruments ranging from spectrometers and radiation detectors to environmental and atmospheric sensors. Here’s what I learned from my visit to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center last week:

Gale Crater, Curiosity’s landing site, is the ideal place to search for evidence of organic compounds on Mars, many of which are the chemical building blocks of life on Earth. Similar to the Grand Canyon (though three times as high!), Gale Crater has exposed layers of rock that NASA hopes will reveal if there ever was life on Mars. Starting at the base of the crater, where the oldest sediments from the planet’s early years can be found, Curiosity will begin roving the area, performing experiments on the crater’s rock layers with its on-board lab.

Fight For Space Trailer

I'm in. Check out the project on kickstarter.com if you'd like to support the film.

Follow @ScienceAt San Diego Comic-Con, Win Cool Stuff!

 

 Next week is a big week for us here at Science. We're gearing up for San Diego Comic-Con where we'll have three (A-MAZING!) panels. That's right, we're celebrating 10 Years of Firefly, introducing you to Josh and Chuck of the famous "Stuff You Should Know" podcast AND bringing you Walter Bishop <ahem> we mean John Noble, host of "Dark Matters."

Since there's so much happening, we've created a new Twitter handle for you to follow: @ScienceAt. We'll be live-tweeting EVERY Science panel. We'll be giving away prizes, autographed swag and MORE. Don't worry if you can't be there in-person, we'll make sure you feel like you are!

If you are there in-person, be sure to tweet us and let us know! You never know what you might get for being an avid @ScienceAt follower...

So join us on our Comic-Con adventure. Follow us on @ScienceChannel for daily updates and @ScienceAt for minute-by-minute coverage. You never know <cough> Nathan Fillion? <cough> who we'll run into.

We've even made you this handy-dandy image (above) with all the hashtags you need to know.

Start following us now to see all the cool prep work -- and get InSCIder information as we prepare for one of the COOLEST and BIGGEST events of the year.

 

Seven Minutes of Terror

...presented as five minutes of awesome. Very cool video.

Quantum Levitation Public Demo Tomorrow at World Science Festival in NYC

Fellow science fans rejoice! The World Science Festival is going on now through this Sunday in New York City. For those who are unfamiliar, this festival is just as massive as it is mind-blowing...I'm talking over 50 events, some of the brightest minds in science attending, demos of brand new and future technology, crowds in the tens of thousands kind of huge.

Lots of events are open to the public and some will even be available via webcast. Whether you find yourself in the New York area this weekend or not, you should still check out the schedule of events. No excuses!

Of all the amazing things on the docket this year, there's one event in particular super excited about: the first U.S. public demonstration of quantum levitation.

The inventor Boaz Almog from Tel Aviv University, will be there to personally show off his discovery called "quantum trapping." Plus, folks who attend will be able to manipulate and play with levitating objects while they're in action! How cool is that?!?

Should scientists try to create a new race of humans?

 A new episode of Through the Wormhole, premiering on June 6 at 10 p.m., touches on one of the most discomforting topics imaginable. Could scientists use genetic engineering or other means of modifying the human body to create a genetically superior race of people? And if it is possible, should they?

I've written before about Transhumanism — a movement that envisions using technology to alter the human body — as a way to both free us from infirmities such as disease and aging, and to bestow upon us new abilities. (If you're new to the topic, here's a recent Smithsonian piece that sketches out the basic outlines of Transhumanism.)

Here's an intriguing list from the Lifeboat Foundation of the Top Ten Transhumanist Technologies that might be used to overhaul and improve our species. In this vision, the new model human would start with a genome that's been systematically tinkered with via RNA interference to suppress certain human imperfections, such as the tendency to put on excessive weight or develop certain inherited diseases. He or she might also be equipped with prosthetic devices that would enhance human abilities, such as artificial muscles 100 times stronger than the standard biological equipment, nanomachines in the bloodstream that continually would repair and maintain our organs, and implants that give us enhanced senses.