TO KNOW WHICH WAY IS UP, EVEN
WITH RESEARCHERS POINTING THE
WAY.
HOW DOES OUR SCIENCE LITERACY
LOOK THESE DAYS.
JOINING US TO WORK THROUGH THAT
IS SOMEONE I AM TRYING
DESPERATELY NOT TO GEEK OUT OVER
BILL NYE IS MORE THAN JUST THE
SCIENCE GUY.
HE’S THE CEO OF THE PLANETARY
SOCIETY.
HE ALSO HOSTS THE POD CAST
SCIENCE RULES.
BILL NYE, GOOD EVENING.
>> GOOD EVENING.
IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> WHAT IS YOUR SENSE OF SCIENCE
LITERACY THESE DAYS.
YOUR PROGRAM WAS ONE OF THE
PROGRAMS THAT KIND OF HELPED ME
TO HAVE SCIENCE LITERACY AS A
VERY YOUNG PERSON.
ARE THEY AN AB RACE, IN LAW WITH
THE MAINSTREAM?
>> TO BE SURE, THE PRESIDENT IS
NOT TAKING EVERYBODY’S ADVICE
VERY WELL.
PEOPLE TELL THEM TO WEAR A MASK.
A MASK DOESN’T SOLVE ALL YOUR
PROBLEMS.
BUT IF EVERYBODY’S WEARING A
MASK, THE EFFECT THEY DO HAVE IS
DOUBLED.
ALMOST DOUBLED.
AEROSOLES, WHEN DROPLETS GET IN
THE AIR AND YOU BREATHE THEM IN,
THE PRESIDENT’S TAKING A LOT OF
RISKS AND IT’S AS EVERYBODY SAYS
NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE, BUT THAT
ASIDE, WHAT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN -- LET’S LOOK AT IT THIS
WAY, WE WANT TO GET TO THIS
MYTHIC THING CALLED HERD
IMMUNITY.
WHERE ENOUGH PEOPLE ARE IMMUNE
OR THE LIKELIHOOD OF YOU GETTING
INFECTED IS LOWER AND LOWER,
YOU’RE GOING TO GET UP TO AROUND
3/4.
MAYBE EVEN AS LOW AS 60% OF US
INFECTED.
WE’RE GOING TO GET THERE ONE WAY
OR THE OTHER, JUST EVERYBODY
WOULD PREFER TO GET THERE WITH
VACCINES.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS SLOW
DOWN THE RATE AT WHICH PEOPLE
ARE GETTING INFECTED.
SO THAT OUR HOSPITALS AND HEALTH
CARE SYSTEM CAN HANDLE SICK
PEOPLE.
HERE’S WHAT I’M IMAGINING. WE HAVE ALL AS THESE EXPERTS ON
WE HAVE ALL AS THESE EXPERTS ON
THE SCIENCE POLL POD CAST.
THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD CABLE
NEWS NETWORK.
THE SAME PEOPLE COME ON MY POD
CAST AND WE GIVE THEM LONGER TO
EXPLAIN THEIR POINTS OF VIEW.
HERE’S WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN.
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET
INFECTED, THEY’RE GOING TO
RECOVER.
WHAT’S GOING TO HAM IN FLORIDA
AND GEORGIA AND OTHER STATES
THAT OPEN EARLY, THERE MAY BE AN
OPPORTUNITY WHEN AN
EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER OF PEOPLE
GET SICK NOW.
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAS TALKED
ABOUT, IT’S THREE DAYS, IT’S 14
DAYS.
SO AFTER THESE PLACES OPEN.
IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS OR 10
DAYS, WE WILL EXPECT A LOT MORE
PEOPLE TO BE INFECTED.
AND PERHAPS THIS WILL BE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GET EVERYBODY TO
ACCEPT THAT SCIENCE REALLY IS IN
THEIR BEST INTEREST.
>> CAN I --
>> WELL, WE HAVE TO --
>> CAN I LOOK AT THE LONG TERM
IMPACT OF THAT.
IN TERMS OF SCIENCE BEING IN THE
BEST INTEREST.
SCIENCE DOESN’T FORM POLICY,
WE’RE NOT AN DETROITS, SOME
DECISIONS ARE MADE FROM THE GUT.
I DON’T THINK THERE’S A
RATIONALE FOR LIFE, LIBERTY AND
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO SEEM INTENT ON REOPENING, NO MATTER
INTENT ON REOPENING, NO MATTER
WHAT ANYONE SAYS, LONG TERM.
>> SO HERE’S MY CLAIM, ALL THE
PEOPLE THAT WE’VE HAD ON MY POED
CAST, GO ON AND ON ABOUT
REOPENING EARLY, ESPECIALLY IN
ASYMMETRICAL WAYS, SOME STATES
ARE OPEN, SOME STATES AREN’T.
THERE’S GOING TO BE AN INCREASE
IN INFECTION.
GENERALLY, IT’S AGREED NOW, IT’S
JUST GOING TO BE THE FIRST WAVE
THAT KEEPS GOING.
I DON’T MEAN TO BE DISMISSIVE,
THE FIRST WAVE IS NOT GOING TO
BE THE SECOND WAVE.
I HOPE WE CAN TAKE THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO DISMISS THESE
REMARKABLE CONSPIRACY THEORIES
THAT ARE EMERGING AND THIS WHOLE
IDEA THAT THERE’S TWO DIFFERENT
VIRUSES, ONE THAT AFFECTS
CONSERVATIVES AND ONES THAT
AFFECT LIBERALS.
THE REASON WE’RE ABLE TO HAVE THIS MEETING IS BECAUSE OF
THIS MEETING IS BECAUSE OF
SCIENCE.
THE UNDERSTANDING OF PANDEMICS
IS EVERY BIT OR PERHAPS EVEN
MORE SCIENTIFIC BECAUSE IT’S A
COUPLE CENTURIES OLD.
I’M HOPING, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF
THE SECOND WAVE OR THE EXTENDED
FIRST WAVE DID NOT EXTEND BUT IT
ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL.
AND IT ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL IN
THE STATES THAT HAVE OPENED
SOONER.
AND THIS IS IT’S NOT A
CONSPIRACY, IT’S THE WAY IT IS.
WE ALL HAVE A COMMON ANCESTOR
HERE ON THIS 4 1/2
BILLION-YEAR-OLD PLANET AND
THERE ARE VIRUSES THAT INFECT
US.
I’M SORRY, EVERYBODY, IT’S JUST
HOW IT IS.
>> YOU CAN’T --
>> I’M HOPING WE CAN TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THIS TO GET PEOPLE
EDUCATED.
YOU CAN POUND ON THE TABLE AND
GO ON AND ON.
WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.
AND WE WILL.
BUT MAN IT’S GOING TO BE A TOUGH
ROAD.
>> BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY,
HOST OF THE POD CAST, SCIENCE
RULES, IT’S BEEN A PLEASURE
TALKING TO YOU.
>> TALK ABOUT SPACE EXPLORATION,
THERE’S GOING TO BE A HISTORIC
LAUNCH FROM A U.S. BUILT CAPE
CANAVERAL.
>> WEDNESDAY 4:33 P.M. EASTERN.
>> PRIVATE COMPANY ON U.S.
