Engaging, Informative, Entertaining, Relevant - PBS Science Programming Sets TV Standard and Illustrates Day-to-Day Meaning of Scientific Discovery
Alexandria, VA; March 2, 2005 - PBS science and natural history programming brings viewers the most innovative, cutting-edge discoveries taking place on and around planet Earth today. New breakthroughs in scientific research impact our lives in extraordinary ways. By taking viewers from the rainforests to the suburbs, and bringing ideas for conservation and calls to action "down to earth," PBS series and specials continue to set the standard for quality science programs that inform, enlighten and entertain.
In celebration of Earth Day 2005 - Friday, April 22 - PBS science, natural history and public affairs series will present programs and special segments throughout the month of April that bring special awareness to sustaining our global environment with emphasis on successes, challenges and concerns.
Following are programs airing throughout April (check local listings) with content focusing on the environment:
NATURE "Deep Jungle"
Sundays, April 17, 24 and May 1, 8 to 9 pm ET on PBS
Exploring a world that Tarzan never could have imagined, this three-hour miniseries penetrates the mysteries of the world's rainforests. Captured on film are the most exciting and innovative jungle explorations currently underway, featuring the experiences of more than a dozen leading scientists working in 14 nations around the world. Age-old secrets are revealed in expeditions utilizing technology that is changing the nature of jungle exploration and providing intrepid scientists with information that will vastly enlarge our understanding of rainforests and the role they play in planetary ecology. These projects are yielding data, insights - and often startling revelations - about the past, present and future of life on Earth.
ALAN ALDA IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS
"Hot Planet - Cold Comfort"
Wednesday, April 20, 8:30 to 9 pm ET on PBS
Host Alan Alda brings his unique blend of curiosity and humor to the exploration of the latest trends in science, medicine, technology and the environment in this magazine format series. This encore presentation examines how warming of Arctic glaciers could potentially threaten the great Atlantic Conveyor and the Gulf Stream.
JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH
"State of the Planet" - Monday, April 11, 10 to 11 pm ET on PBS
"Future Conditional" - Monday, April 18, 10 to 11 pm ET on PBS
Hosted by Matt Damon. "State Of The Planet" offers the first global environmental "report card" on issues such as food and water supplies and global warming. "Future Conditional" explores the relationship between environmental change and the future health of our planet, a "future conditional" on how we cope with the spread of toxic pollution.
NOVA scienceNOW
Tuesday, April 19, 8 to 9 pm ET on PBS
On the lighter side of science, NOVA scienceNOW - hosted by Robert Krulwich - introduces viewers to a species of frog that has solved the problem of cryogenics: freezing solid in the winter, then thawing back to life in the spring. A "frogsicle," cold to the touch and hard as ice, this little frog in its frozen state has no heartbeat, brain activity, or respiration. Scientists have finally figured out how to recreate this process of cryopreservation with mammalian organs. They've now successfully frozen, thawed, and transplanted rat livers and pig hearts. The next step: humans. The hope is that lessons learned from a frog will create a new standard for preserving human organs for transplant.
NOW
Friday, April 22, 9 to 9:30 pm ET on PBS (Earth Day)
With industrial pollution often hitting poor and working-class families the hardest, NOW takes an inside look at the politics of pollution in America. Airing on Earth Day, the report examines how politics and economics often pit communities against the federal government and industry. NOW's David Brancaccio looks at the winners and losers in these battles where profits are weighed against public health and the health of the environment.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S STRANGE DAYS ON PLANET EARTH
Wednesdays, April 20 and 27, 9 to 11 pm ET on PBS
Crumbling houses in New Orleans are linked to voracious creatures from southern China. An asthma epidemic in the Caribbean is linked to dust storms in Africa. Scientists suspect we have entered a time of global change swifter than any human being has ever witnessed. Where are we headed? What can we do to alter this course of events? Hosted by Edward Norton, the series takes a hard look at the cause and effect relationship between what we as humans do to the Earth, and what that in turn does to our environment and ecosystems.
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CONTACT:
Tim Fisher, Fisher Company, 845/526-0182; tf@fishercompany.net
Kim Tavares, PBS, 703/739-5011; ktavares@pbs.org