September 22, 2004
(PLANETQUEST) -- "Origins," a four-part miniseries that explores the latest findings on the beginnings of the universe and the search for new planets and life beyond Earth, premiered September 28 and 29 on PBS.
Hosting the series is astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History and one of the world's most popular lecturers on astronomy.
When he was 9 years old, Tyson saw the wonders of the night sky for the first time - on the dome of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The young Bronx native at first doubted that the real sky could possibly be so splendorous, but in due course he found out it was. He went on to become an astrophysicist after earning a B.A. at Harvard and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
In a recent conversation, Tyson talked about the upcoming series, public perceptions of science, and the childhood influences that led him to become a scientist and an ambassador to the cosmos.*
Q: What ideas do you hope viewers will take away from the "Origins" series?
A: I want them to come away not only feeling the universe is comprehensible -- as a big cosmic chain of events that links the big bang to our existence here today - but also to feel that they are vicariously participating in the frontier of discovery, as we piece together this cosmic puzzle. It's not too long ago that this puzzle was scattered on the floor, with a few pieces under the couch. Now the entire puzzle is in view, or at least enough to tell the story with confidence. That's immensely empowering to us as a species.
Q: In your book Origins, you write, "These are auspicious times for learning what's new in the cosmos." What's special about these times?
A: People have grappled with the "origins" questions for thousands of years, but they have not had the means to answer them until now. What makes "now" different is that until now, each branch of scientific investigation has asked its own questions. The astrophysicists have asked, "How did the universe get here?" The biologists have asked, "How did life begin?" The geologists have asked, "How did Earth begin?" The physicists have asked, "What is the origin of the elements?" But only recently have we learned that the answer to the question, "How did we get here?" requires a synthesis of all these branches of science. What makes the series unique is the attempt to bring to the public, really for the very first time, a synthesis of all the branches of science that are relevant to answering the question, "What is the origin of our place in the cosmos?"
Q: How does this special moment compare with past revolutions in science?
A: I think there are many times in our history that one would judge to be special. Einstein's discovery of relativity, I think that was a special time. When Newton discovered the laws of motion and gravity. The Industrial Revolution-these were all special times. Today is no exception. But I think it's a little bit extra special because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the discoveries.
Q: Why should a lay person be interested in such esoteric topics?
A: Just because something is esoteric doesn't mean it's not interesting. The big bang is certainly esoteric. But if you've ever sat in your backyard and looked at the night sky, you can't tell me you haven't wondered where it all came from, and whether or not we're alone. I don't worry that some of these questions are esoteric because I know deep down they are some of the most fundament examples of inquisition exhibited by our species. It's only recently that we've been able to answer these questions through means other than mythology.
Q: Episode three, "Where are the aliens?", explores the question of whether we're alone in the universe. As an astronomer, what's your gut feeling?
A: I think we're not alone. But the vastness of space and the vastness of time will make the actual discovery of communicable species one of the most challenging problems ever undertaken.
Q: Hollywood has shaped perceptions about aliens in one direction, but isn't reality likely to be very different?
A: We spend a fair amount of time in the episode on this very subject. We think about what aliens on planets might be like. So many Hollywood aliens have faces, for example. Well, faces are the kind of things you find in vertebrates. Jellyfish don't have faces, yet they came from the same planet as us. If you have an alien from another planet, with no overlapping genetic history, you have no reason to expect they would have faces!
Q: As a lecturer and popular science author, how would you rate the current public interest level in astronomy?
A: I would say it's on an upswing. I'd attribute that to the number of places you can read about and see the things that are going on in science. I credit NASA, the National Science Foundation, the increased science programming on TV, and the fact that we have the Internet. Look at how often you get a science book on the New York Times bestseller list. You can just look at the emergence of science as a daily phenomenon of life in America and see that as a positive sign.
Q: Do you remember any childhood experiences that sparked your interest in this field?
A: The Hayden Planetarium was one of them, creating a sky that was so rich in stars that I thought it was a hoax. I was nine years old at the time. At that point I was imprinted, but I didn't know how to react. It was only a couple of years later, when I realized that it was real, that astronomy became a real subject to me. Then I was hooked. I read everything I could. My parents were fully prepared to support my interest. Anytime they saw a book on math or science on the remainder table, they picked it up. We had an enormous number of books around to stimulate my interest.
Q: Do you recall having role models who influenced you?
A: My intellectual role model was Mark Chartrand, a former director of the Hayden Planetarium. I remember the way he could have fun with the cosmos in a way unlike any other scientist or educator. I remember thinking: That's the way I want to be when I grow up. I want to have the command of the subject that he had.
Often we think of role models as being just like you. But if I had thought that, I wouldn't have become an astrophysicist. The best way is to assemble your role models a la carte. I also had athletic role models and societal and cultural role models. I had some very down-to-earth influences, even as my head floated up to the cosmos.
Q: What is the coolest thing about your job?
A: I get the best of so many different worlds. I get to be a participant on the frontier of cosmic discovery. I get to be an educator, where I see sparks of inspiration ignite in the eyes of those who listen to stories of the cosmos. I get to read e-mail from people who have come through our facility who say their life has been changed because of it.
So I think of myself as a servant of the universe in the interest of public curiosity.
* Some content of this article was taken from an earlier interview released by WGBH/NOVA.
