Everywhere you look, it would seem like another facet of'90s educational programmingis making a comeback.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There have been a lot of scientific developments since you last had a show in 1998.
Was there anything you were particularly excited to tackle for an audience?
Credit: Eddy Chen/Netflix
BILL NYE:Artificial intelligence has come a long way.
Everybody thinks that’s cool, and a lot of people think it’s scary and apocalyptic.
Where do you fall on that?
Eddy Chen/Netflix
The answer is clearly without question: It depends.
You don’t want machines that will kill you.
You want machines that save you time, effort, and energy.
On the show, you’re delving into a lot of topics that are controversial.
Why go into issues like climate change and vaccinations?
How do you think comedy can help make science more accessible?
Any TV show has to be entertaining first.
What about your correspondents?
How did you go about finding them?
In his world, Derek Muller is a famous guy on his Veritasium website.
Emily Calandrelli has her own Fox kids show.
She’s the real deal.
Nazeem Hussain is just a funny guy, and Joanna Hausman I think is brilliant.
You know she made her reputation as a terrific model, and she did a fine job.
Was there guest in particular who you were excited to have on the show?
It was cool to meet Alton Brown.
That was really fun.
That’s so cool.
Because he tends to explore the science of food onhisshow.
You’ve crystallized my thoughts.
Your last show got a lot of kids into science and excited about it.
What do you think you have to consider when trying to do that for today’s generation of kids?
TheScience Guyshow, made 22 years ago, is being viewed by more kids than it ever has been.
It still freaks me out a little.
People are still watching it in elementary school.
I’ve met many teachers who grew up watchingThe Science Guyshow who are now using it in their classes.
These are young people in their early 20s who are professional elementary, middle, and high school teachers.
I was in Britain about a month ago, and all the school kids in Britain are watching it.
So people are still watching the old show.
Each show does have a point of view.
Like being an anti-vaxxer, nowadays, is bad.
That’s the point.
Pretending that climate change isn’t happening for a short-term benefit for your family is wrong.
It’s not in anybody’s best interest.
That’s my advice.
The other thing is if you want to get into science, really, ensure you learn algebra.
I’m not joking you.
Algebra is probably the single most reliable indicator of whether or not a person pursues a career in science.
It’s not clear whether or not it’s cause and effect.
It’s an exercise in thinking.
The show is calledBill Nye Saves the World.
We always say in science education especially, you want to show, then tell.
You don’t want it to be just telling, and telling, take my word for it.
You want to show it.
Tell me about your book,Jack and the Geniuses.
I’m very proud of it.
It’s all part of one giant master plan.
Bill Nye Saves the Worldis currently available for streaming on Netflix.
you might alsopreorderJack and the Geniuseshere.
