MythBusters Considered Best Science Show on TV

MythBusters Considered Best Science Show on TV by Roxanne McDonald

It seems you don’t need to be a full-blown geek to appreciate science TV.

I have been sucked into the labyrinth of curiosity and curious minds that is “Mythbusters” on several separate occasions.

Just recently, I had the good fortune of watching the “Holiday Mythbusters”, wherein special effects, engineering, and construction experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, along with two techies tested a number of pre-treated (with hair spray, polyethylene, etc.) trees for needle-loss; where the neo-scientists tested for bone breakage and doggie death upon the dropping of the frozen turkey; and wherein Savage and Hyneman not only tested the Coke and Mentos myth but furthered the experiment by building a Goldberg Holiday Machine powered by the Mentos and Cola concoction

I enjoy “Mythbusters” as a cool, thoughtful distraction (from my other more thoughtless favs), but had no idea it was so well-regarded—despite how it is on an “educational channel,” The Discovery Channel.

But according to critics like John Schwartz of New York Times Online, of all the problems solved and questions answered, one question is still to be pursued, as indicated in his title, “Mythbusters: The Best Science Show on Television?”
I will have to look into this further, but in the meantime, I would suggest that NGC (National Geographic Channel) is a fierce competitor for the “Best” accolade. Though, I do have to give it to the guys from San Francisco: they have maybe unwittingly figured out a way to “teach” science on television without putting all us un-scientific types into a nightmare of a flashback of grade school lab period.

Mythbusters on Discovery, They Blow Stuff Up

Mythbusters on Discovery

is one of my favorite shows. Why? Because in almost every show they BLOW STUFF UP!

On a recent episode the assistants of Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, the hosts of Mythbusters on Discovery, explored the myth of a farmer’s exploding pants. It seems that in the early 1900’s there was an outbreak of farmers that had their pants blow right off their body. In researching the myth, the Mythbusters team discovered a concoction of chemicals being used as an herbicide in the area plagued by the exploding pants.

In their testing at the Mythbusters “lab”, an industrial warehouse, discovered this mix of chemicals would produce an impressive bang with only a small amount being impacted by a hammer. Good thing the were wearing goggles!

In true Mythbusters fashion the team pushes the myth to the limit. In the final test they visit the explosive rang of the FBI, their crash test dummy Buster in tow. The Mythbusters fill the pockets of Buster’s pants with large quantities of this fantastically volitile mix of chemicals and leave him to his fate. (read more…)