[meteorite-list] Dave Shiflett-- no fan of the brenham

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:42:50 -0500
Message-ID: <sucmp2p35ojea52o0b6s4bdqadbuf7blt4_at_4ax.com>

"...a 1,400-pound space rock that resembles a massive, slightly rotting yam.
Ugly is only skin deep, however. This monstrosity sold for a cool million."


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a.flI69Q4Dvg&refer=muse

Pilot Science Show Features Meteorites, Stem Cells, Speedy Cars

By Dave Shiflett

Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) -- A new PBS show promises breaking news from the world of
science, a nice alternative to cable news alerts whenever the president stubs
his toe.

``Wired Science,'' which debuts tomorrow at 8 p.m. New York time, is part of an
interesting contest in which viewers will help decide PBS's next weekly science
program. Two other pilots, ``Science Investigators'' (Jan. 10) and ``22nd
Century'' (Jan. 17), round out the competition.

``Wired Science,'' a fast-paced, far-reaching collaboration between PBS and
Wired magazine, will be hard to beat.

The hour-long show kicks off with a segment on professional meteorite hunters.
Viewers contemplating a career move should take note: Sometimes heaven rains far
more than pennies.

Steve Arnold, a professional meteorite hunter, drags a jerry-built metal
detector through an otherwise nondescript Kansas field. Strange noises emanate
from the machine and fierce digging commences. Wired correspondent Adam Rogers
reaches down into the dirt and pulls out a meteorite the size of an anvil.

It won't bring as much as an earlier find: a 1,400-pound space rock that
resembles a massive, slightly rotting yam. Ugly is only skin deep, however. This
monstrosity sold for a cool million.

Meteorites

Indeed, there's a competitive market for meteorites, which some people consider
art. At one ``meteorite gallery'' we see a fairly modest projectile on sale for
$89,000; the one unearthed earlier in the show is appraised at $12,000.

In another segment, a plasma television is sawed in half, followed by a short
tutorial on how plasma works. We also learn that screens in the future will
likely be paper-thin.

Later, we visit an underwater facility off the Florida coast where astronauts
prepare for life in the stars. Water is a ``close analogue'' to space and the
10-day, highly confining experience helps determine if would-be spacefolk can
hack life locked in an alien environment.

The only touch of controversy comes in a segment on embryonic stem-cell
researcher Renee Reijo-Pera, who started her career as a bookkeeper in an
auto-repair shop.

These cells, she explains, have no fixed identity and so can be used to repair
muscle, nerve, liver, skin and other damaged cells. As for suggestions that
embryos should be considered sacrosanct, she responds they have a great deal of
``potential'' but ``no potential if discarded.''

Electric Car

On a lighter note, there's a look at those ``rocket packs'' made famous by James
Bond and once considered a possible weapons system. That project, known as
Operation Grasshopper, didn't return much on investment though there was intense
interest at high levels.

Archived footage shows President John F. Kennedy at one flight demonstration.
This was neat stuff, but a rocketing soldier could easily be brought down by
even a slightly talented marksman.

As the show winds down there's a brief interview with Elon Musk, former chief
executive officer of PayPal Inc. and now involved in higher-tech developments,
including an electric car that will go from zero to 60 in under four seconds.
That's faster than all Porsches and almost all Ferraris.

`Good Viruses'

The first model is scheduled to roll out in six or seven months, Musk says,
though where to drive these earth-bound rockets is a subject left untouched.

The show ends with a look at ``good viruses'' found in the highly acidic thermal
fields of Yellowstone. So-called ``extremomphiles'' can be hollowed out and used
to transport chemotherapy directly into cancer cells.

These microscopic multitaskers can also be used to produce hydrogen -- thus
helping us beat our addiction to foreign oil -- and develop hard drives with
storage capacity 10,000 times that of those currently available.

Viewer response, augmented by market research, will determine if this show, or
one of its competitors, gets a 10-week gig starting next fall. The winner will
provide a viewing alternative to the presidential horserace, which will by then
be in full gallop.

A no-brainer, no matter which show prevails.

For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org .

(Dave Shiflett is a critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his
own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Dave Shiflett at dshifl at aol.com .
Received on Tue 02 Jan 2007 11:42:50 PM PST