LOS ANGELES--Looking for science?Headed for “Animal Planet” or the Science Channel?
Think again, scientists say: All the cool kids want to sit across from Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
“Comedy Central is it, as far as science goes,” said California Tech physicist Sean Carroll, who is scheduled for a “Colbert Report” visit in March to promote his book, “From Eternity to Here: the Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time.”
“I give tremendous credit to ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report’ for understanding that science is fascinating and fun, not off-putting and work.”
At one time, Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” regularly hosted astronomer Carl Sagan, anthropologist Margaret Mead and many other scientists.
Now, the late-night network shows largely eschew researchers, said astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium in New York, who holds the “Colbert Report” guest record with six appearances and was set to make his fourth “Daily Show” visit on Monday.
The two shows “are carrying the torch that Johnny Carson lit,” Mr. Tyson said.
In recent years, Mr. Colbert has hosted string theorist Brian Greene, physicist Jana Levin and paleontologist Neil Shubin, among many other scientists, including Mr. Tyson in his show’s first two weeks.
Mr. Stewart devoted an “Evolution, Schmevolution” week in 2005 to biology in the midst of the federal Kitzmiller vs. the Dover Area School District court case that found “intelligent design”--which explains evolution as being partly driven by intelligent intervention in animals--was just another species of creationism.
