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Air dates

January 29, 2010
4:00 AM Pressure
4:21 AM Science of Music
January 22, 2010
4:00 AM Light and Color
4:21 AM Momentum
January 15, 2010
4:00 AM Energy
4:23 AM Fluids
January 8, 2010
4:00 AM Buoyancy
4:21 AM Electrical Current
December 18, 2009
4:00 AM Architecture
4:21 AM Atoms
December 11, 2009
4:00 AM Skin
4:23 AM Spiders
December 4, 2009
4:00 AM Nutrition
4:23 AM Reptiles
November 27, 2009
4:00 AM Human Transportation
4:21 AM Insects
November 20, 2009
4:00 AM Eyeball
4:21 AM Germs
November 13, 2009
4:00 AM Bones and Muscles
4:21 AM Cells
November 6, 2009
4:00 AM Animal Locomotion
4:23 AM Birds
October 30, 2009
4:00 AM Wetlands
4:23 AM Amphibians
October 23, 2009
4:00 AM Patterns
4:22 AM Smell
October 16, 2009
4:00 AM Invertebrates
4:20 AM Marine Mammals
October 9, 2009
4:00 AM Garbage
4:21 AM Heat
October 2, 2009
4:00 AM Fish
4:21 AM Forests
September 25, 2009
4:00 AM Brain
4:20 AM Dinosaurs
September 18, 2009
4:00 AM Biodiversity
4:21 AM Blood and Circulation
August 7, 2009
3:00 AM Architecture
3:21 AM Atoms
3:44 AM Buoyancy
4:05 AM Electrical Current

Bill Nye the Science Guy (500s)

Curricular Area: Science

Grade Level: 4-12

Program Web Site:
Bill Nye
Teacher Guide:
See Web site

Record Rights: Record/retain for as long as IPTV broadcasts the series. No duplication allowed.

Series Length:
30 programs

Program Length:
25 minutes


Bill Nye knows how to provide easy access to hard science. What's his secret? A fast-paced approach blending humor and hands-on activities. Bill encourages kids to ask interesting questions...then shows them how to discover fascinating answers. Enlist the Science Guy's help when it comes to teaching a range of subjects such as Health, Math, Nature, and Environmental issues.


501. Earth's Crust
Bill goes to the depths of the earth (literally) to explain how the Earth's surface and its inner mantle differ.

502. Gravity
Have you ever wondered what holds the ocean on the Earth? Or what makes the Earth round? Perhaps you've thought about what holds humans to the ground? Bill provides the explanation for these and other questions about the earth's gravity.

503. Digestion
Bill explains to viewers how the body's digestive system is like a fine-tuned machine that turns food into energy. He demonstrates the process with a steam engine that runs on cornflakes.

504. Magnetism
In this attracting and not-too-repelling program, Bill shows all kinds of unexpected places where magnets can be found. In fact, the Earth itself is a huge magnet! Find out how to make a compass and why opposites attract.

505. Chemical Reactions
Have a blast watching the explosive examples Bill uses to explain that everything is made of chemicals. Guest star Candace Cameron ("Full House") shares the lab with Bill and shows that fire is actually a chemical reaction. Together, they extinguish a "tornado of fire."

506. Food Web
Watch Bill become tangled in a complex food web in his quest to demonstrate that all living things depend on other living things to survive.

507. Light Optics
You won't believe your eyes when the Science Guy reflects, refracts, bends, bounces, absorbs, and pulls light waves to show how things can be seen in different ways. Using lenses, mirrors, and water, Bill's optical illusions are sights to behold.

508. The Sun
Bill sheds light on solar flares, eclipses, sunspots, fusion, and solar energy, and visits an enormous solar energy farm outside Sacramento, California, to demonstrate how the sun is the source of energy for all living things on Earth.

509. Atmosphere
The Science Guy talks about atmosphere, its five different levels, and how it protects the Earth. Bill soars into the heavy topic of atmospheric air pressure and radio waves.

510. Respiration
Bill gets aerobic about the importance of respiration when he jogs, bikes, swims, and scuba dives. Discover how to measure how much air each breath contains and make a model lung in a nifty home experiment. See a demonstration of how cigarette smoke can infiltrate and injure lungs.

511. The Planets
Bill goes planet gazing and takes a serious look at Jupiter's features, Earth's elliptical orbit, and the distances between planets. A cool home demo shows how to make Mars soil.

512. Plants
The Science Guy branches out and gets to the root of the matter to explain wild things about plants such as how they breathe, make food, defend themselves, and move their seeds around.

513. Evolution
Bill compares primordial to present when he dabbles with Darwin and looks at his genes in this evolutionary episode. Explore the surprising similarities shared by all living things and ponder the possibility that birds evolved from dinosaurs.

14. Friction
Bill illustrates how various types of transportation utilize friction, from the use of traction in trains and the "roll" of ball bearings in skateboards and automobiles, to the lack of friction in a hovercraft.

515. Climates
Bill delivers hot sand from Saudi Arabia and bananas from humid Costa Rica, all to explain how different climates are created and how they affect our planet.

516. Ocean Life
The Science Guy knows everyone who's anyone in the ocean's food chain, from the tiny, meek species at the bottom, all the way to the large, ferocious species at the top. Bill goes underwater to talk about ocean ecosystems and the importance of small organisms such as coral, plankton, and kelp.

517. Mammals
They're (sometimes) big, they're hairy, and they're warm-blooded. From human being to moose and from cats to rats, Bill explains what it takes to be in the mammal family.

518. Populations
A peep of chickens, a pride of lions, a gaggle of geese, and a crowd of people. What do they all have in common? They're all populations! The Science Guy explores how these living groups compete for food, homes, and space.

519. Earthquakes
Thousands of earthquakes happen each year and Bill trembles in his boots when he explains what causes them. Find out what makes big pieces of the Earth's crust (the plates) move and what you should have on hand in case of a quake. He also visits with scientists who study and measure earthquakes.

520. Pollution Solutions
From cleaning our water to cleansing our air, Bill demonstrates how important it is for all humans to prepare for the future by recycling, researching, and developing innovative solutions to combat this "way UN-cool" worldwide problem.

521. Probability
There is a good chance this will be one of Bill's best episodes! In fact, he'll probably make the complicated concept of probability very simple to understand, while showing how it allows us to predict events.

522. Flowers
The Science Guy, with the help of guest Drew Barrymore, shows that flowers are more than just pretty faces. They make seeds, play a key role in pollination, and help plants to reproduce.

523. Deserts
Bill travels to Arizona's stunning Sonoran desert--and has a close encounter of the camel kind--while exploring this unique ecosystem and demonstrating the special ways its native plants and animals flourish.

524. Heart
Bill checks out this important muscular pump's function in the body, by pulling nine "Gs" with the United States Navy's Blue Angels and chatting with Seattle Mariner Edgar Martinez.

525. Inventions
All day long our lives are made easier by one invention or another, but we may not realize that not all inventions are carefully planned--some of the most valuable inventions come about by accident! Bill examines the process of inventing, with help from actor Samuel L. Jackson.

526. Genes
Did you know that humans have about 80,000 genes? And that genes determine everything from hair and eye color to whether or not you can roll your tongue? It's all in the genes you inherited from your mother and father (23 pairs to be exact). Join Bill as he explores the chromosomal world of DNA.

527. Do-It-Yourself Science
Who knows better than the Science Guy that you can demonstrate big scientific ideas with small experiments? Get a lesson in "Do-it-Yourself Science" from Bill himself and learn how you, too, can conduct scientific experiments.

528. Lakes & Ponds
Bodies of water surrounded by land on all sides are called lakes if they're large, and ponds if they're small. Lakes and ponds are formed when water collects (it pools!) in a low place in the ground. Where does all that water come from? Bill ponders this and many other freshwater questions in this exciting program.

529. Storms
Storms happen when huge masses of air collide. Disaster or not, storms benefit us. The tropical regions of the earth would be too hot to inhabit--and the subpolar regions too cold--if we didn't have hurricanes and typhoons to distribute the Earth's heat so efficiently. And besides, a good storm can sure put on a great show!

530. Motion
Did you know that nothing can move or stop by itself? Everything needs a push or pull--a force--to make it move or stop. Sometimes an object might seem to be at rest, even when it is in motion. Confused? It's all relative. Relative motion, that is.

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