In its third season, NOVA scienceNOW steps away from its parent show NOVA and airs on its own night—Wednesday—at a new time, 9 PM. Each of the new episodes this month consists of several segments that cover a variety of cutting–edge science topics with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson as host of this fast–paced newsmagazine program. With a team of correspondents in the field, the show explores new developments in computer science, astronomy and engineering, including a segment on a dark matter detector buried at the foot of an abandoned mine, a report from a lab where mice are retrieving their lost memories and a search for the first primate. Scientists who are profiled in this summer’s episodes include Pardis Sabeti, a bass–playing geneticist who combines rhythmic intensity with cutting–edge science; Edie Widder, a specialist in marine bioluminescence; and Yoky Matsuoka, once a potential world–class tennis player, but now a leader in the emerging field of neurobotics. So tune in this month and be enlightened about the world around us!

Behind the Scenes

Other scientists featured in NOVA scienceNOW segments include Alfredo Quiñones–Hinojosa, who jumped the border fence separating Mexico and the U.S. two decades ago and is now an assistant professor of neurosurgery and oncology at Johns Hopkins University; Hany Farid, an "accidental scientist" and Dartmouth professor who has developed software that can detect alterations in digital images; and Lonnie Thompson, a recent winner of the prestigious National Medal of Science, who has been drilling ice cores in the tropics since 1976. NOVA scienceNOW delves into such varied topics as the repair of the Hubble space telescope; NASA’s mission to send a lander to Mars; and the continuing search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).

NOVA scienceNOW also pays tribute to "cancer warrior" Judah Folkman, who died in January 2008. Dr. Folkman spent much of his early career convincing the scientific establishment of the existence and importance of angiogenesis–the process by which tumors prompt the growth of blood vessels to help with their survival—and then devoted his remaining years to applying it to medical research. New work in the Folkman lab, based on the principles of angiogenesis, is leading to earlier detection of cancer, better drugs and even cures for diseases like macular degeneration.

In–Depth Episode Descriptions

Episode 302 (Wednesday, July 2, 9 PM) — In the segment "Personal Genome," several companies now offer a personal genetic profile that will predict a person’s chances of contracting one of several serious diseases. How do such tests work and how valid are they? Furthermore, what should people do with bad news—or good news?

Episode 303 (Wednesday, July 9, 9 PM) — In the segment "Hubble Repair," NOVA scienceNOW covers the upcoming repair mission for the Hubble space telescope—one of the most famous orbiting telescopes—which has advanced our knowledge of the cosmos. In "First Primate," if University of Florida paleontologist Jonathan Bloch is correct, we may have to downsize our image of what it means to be a primate. NOVA scienceNOW goes into the field with Bloch to search for our missing relatives from the shadowy period after the catastrophe that doomed the dinosaurs.

Episode 304 (Wednesday, July 16, 9 PM) — Animals, lights and robots are the topics for this exciting episode. Can the songs of zebra finches uncover the evolution of language and what causes the phenomenon of the Northern Lights? Join Tyson as he explores the evolving world of science and uncovers the truth behind these myths.

Episode 305 (Wednesday, July 23, 9 PM) — Leeches, those innocent bloodsuckers, have been bad–mouthed to the point that they’ve become synonymous with obnoxious freeloaders. Even Tyson is creeped–out while wading through leech–infested waters with scientist Mark Siddall, who runs the leech lab at the American Museum of Natural History. Siddall notes that leeches are far less dangerous than mosquitoes and ticks as disease spreaders.

Episode 306 (Wednesday, July 30, 9 PM) — This episode of NOVA scienceNOW is dedicated to all things momentous. Can a lander help scientists understand the mystery behind the red planet and can the remains of two descendants of elephants be ruled accidental death or a vicious murder? Tyson follows the upcoming NASA mission to Mars and the revealing look of the fossilized remains of the intertwined mammoths.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Biography

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, respected scientist, author and director of the Hayden Planetarium in the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History, has been the acclaimed host of NOVA scienceNOW since the launch of its second season. One of the world’s most popular lecturers on astronomy, Tyson is a familiar face to NOVA audiences, having hosted the miniseries Origins and having been a featured scientist in prior episodes of NOVA scienceNOW.

An astrophysicist, Tyson was appointed the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in 1995. His research interests include star formation, dwarf galaxies and the structure of our Milky Way. Tyson has authored seven books, including Just Visiting This Planet, a Q&A on the universe for all ages, and his memoir, The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist.

"NOVA scienceNOW is the only show on television that presents cutting–edge science stories in this exciting and fresh magazine format, and I relish the challenge of making science accessible and relevant to many different audiences," says Tyson.

A graduate of New York City’s Bronx High School of Science, Tyson studied Physics at Harvard before receiving his doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia University. Born and raised in the Big Apple, he now makes his home there with his wife and two children.