NOVA scienceNOW
Encyclopedia
NOVA scienceNOW is a newsmagazine
version of the long running and venerable PBS
science program Nova
. Premiering on January 25, 2005, the series was originally hosted by Robert Krulwich
, who described it as an experiment in coverage of "breaking science
, science that's right out of the lab, science that sometimes bumps up against politics
, art
, culture
". At the beginning of season two, Neil deGrasse Tyson
replaced Krulwich as the show's host.
using cartoons, or a solution to a two-thousand-year-old math problem related in song. Whereas Nova
covered a single seamless subject in each hour-long episode, NOVA scienceNOW covers several related, but distinct, story segments during the course of each program. The show also features 30-60 second short segments between each story segment, taking the place and pace of commercials in an otherwise uninterrupted program flow.
The show's humor turns on cultural references aimed at viewers from a broad spectrum of age groups. These references, for example, come from movies, TV, music, history, literature, and of course, science.
Following the whimsical format, the show's animators often place joke
s or sight gags
into the show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs, newspapers, etc. These gags are intentionally subtle and meant to be difficult to recognize, presumably as a challenge to the viewer's observational skills.
When Dr. Tyson took over the show, he added a final segment in which he would add his own observations on the topic. At the end of this editorial, he always states, 'And that… is the cosmic perspective.'.
The series has been nominated for four Emmy Awards and won a CINE Golden Eagle
award.
The fifth season premiered January 19, 2011. A sixth season has also been ordered.
left the program at the end of the first season. He was replaced by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
, director of the Hayden Planetarium
. In addition to the host, several correspondents report on many of the individual stories including Peter Standring, Chad Cohen, Ziya Tong, Carla Wohl, Rebecca Skloot
, and David Duncan
.
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...
version of the long running and venerable PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
science program Nova
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
. Premiering on January 25, 2005, the series was originally hosted by Robert Krulwich
Robert Krulwich
Robert Krulwich is an American radio and television journalist whose specialty is explaining complex topics in depth. He has worked as a full-time employee of ABC, CBS, National Public Radio, and Pacifica. He has done assignment pieces for ABC's Nightline and World News Tonight, as well as PBS's...
, who described it as an experiment in coverage of "breaking science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, science that's right out of the lab, science that sometimes bumps up against politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
". At the beginning of season two, Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, a science communicator, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History...
replaced Krulwich as the show's host.
Production
Unlike the parent program Nova, Nova scienceNOW has a whimsical production style. It is not unusual for the show to explain topics as arcane as RNA interferenceRNA interference
RNA interference is a process within living cells that moderates the activity of their genes. Historically, it was known by other names, including co-suppression, post transcriptional gene silencing , and quelling. Only after these apparently unrelated processes were fully understood did it become...
using cartoons, or a solution to a two-thousand-year-old math problem related in song. Whereas Nova
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
covered a single seamless subject in each hour-long episode, NOVA scienceNOW covers several related, but distinct, story segments during the course of each program. The show also features 30-60 second short segments between each story segment, taking the place and pace of commercials in an otherwise uninterrupted program flow.
The show's humor turns on cultural references aimed at viewers from a broad spectrum of age groups. These references, for example, come from movies, TV, music, history, literature, and of course, science.
Following the whimsical format, the show's animators often place joke
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
s or sight gags
Visual gag
In comedy, a visual gag or sight gag is anything which conveys its humor visually, often without words being used at all.There are numerous examples in cinema history of directors who based most of the humour in their films on visual gags, even to the point of using no or minimal dialogue...
into the show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs, newspapers, etc. These gags are intentionally subtle and meant to be difficult to recognize, presumably as a challenge to the viewer's observational skills.
When Dr. Tyson took over the show, he added a final segment in which he would add his own observations on the topic. At the end of this editorial, he always states, 'And that… is the cosmic perspective.'.
The series has been nominated for four Emmy Awards and won a CINE Golden Eagle
CINE
CINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions....
award.
The fifth season premiered January 19, 2011. A sixth season has also been ordered.
Cast
Host Robert KrulwichRobert Krulwich
Robert Krulwich is an American radio and television journalist whose specialty is explaining complex topics in depth. He has worked as a full-time employee of ABC, CBS, National Public Radio, and Pacifica. He has done assignment pieces for ABC's Nightline and World News Tonight, as well as PBS's...
left the program at the end of the first season. He was replaced by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, a science communicator, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History...
, director of the Hayden Planetarium
Hayden Planetarium
The Hayden Planetarium is a public planetarium, part of the Rose Center for Earth and Space of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, currently directed by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson....
. In addition to the host, several correspondents report on many of the individual stories including Peter Standring, Chad Cohen, Ziya Tong, Carla Wohl, Rebecca Skloot
Rebecca Skloot
Rebecca L. Skloot is a freelance science writer who specializes in science and medicine. Her first book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , was one of the best-selling new books of the year, staying on the New York Times Bestseller List for over 32 weeks and optioned to be made into a movie by...
, and David Duncan
David Ewing Duncan
David Ewing Duncan is an American journalist, author and broadcaster with a special emphasis on new discoveries and their implications in biotechnology and the life sciences; he also reports on the environment and on green technologies...
.
Season 1 (2005–2006)
| # | # | Title | Original airdate | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Season 2 (2006–2007)
| # | # | Title | Original airdate | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Season 3 (2008)
| # | # | Title | Original airdate | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Season 4 (2009)
| # | # | Title | Original airdate | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Season 5 (2011)
| # | # | Title | Original airdate | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|