Neil deGrasse Tyson on science and kids
People who liked this video also liked
Comments
5 comments posted so far. Login to add a comment.


2. kirkelicious commented 7 years ago
#1 Don't shoot the messenger. NdGT did not downgrade Pluto, he just communicated the consensus to the public. The guys who played a central roll in Pluto's demotion, Mike Brown and Konstanin Batygin are working hard on finding a new planet outside of the Kuiper Belt, that might be even bigger than Neptune and Uranus. Perhaps that will make up for it? 
I agree with NdGT, that science should be presented to the public as something fun and exciting, to get more people into it. I also think that the way science is taught in schools has to be fundamentally improved. People have to learn how the scientific method works and not only which results it yielded. Students learn how DNA replicates, or how to calculate the harmonic of a pendulum in science class. What they do not learn is how proper clinical trials are set up, how to read scientific publications and, most importantly, how to discriminate between real and junk science.
People who have these skills can make informed political decisions, can assess the merits of sensational medical news and can protect themselves and their friends and relatives from being ripped off or harmed by pseudoscientific/medical cons.

I agree with NdGT, that science should be presented to the public as something fun and exciting, to get more people into it. I also think that the way science is taught in schools has to be fundamentally improved. People have to learn how the scientific method works and not only which results it yielded. Students learn how DNA replicates, or how to calculate the harmonic of a pendulum in science class. What they do not learn is how proper clinical trials are set up, how to read scientific publications and, most importantly, how to discriminate between real and junk science.
People who have these skills can make informed political decisions, can assess the merits of sensational medical news and can protect themselves and their friends and relatives from being ripped off or harmed by pseudoscientific/medical cons.


5. Thanny commented 7 years ago
The IAU has no real authority to classify objects. [Their] job is to name objects. So if you want to ignore their nonsensical rules (and they are absolutely stupid - it would take more than a video comment to explain why), then feel free to do so. Pluto is a planet. So is Ceres, Sedna, probably Quaoar, and quite a few more objects in the outer solar system.
Does Pluto fit a classification that other planets don't? Yes, absolutely. Is there any coherent definition of a planet which includes Jupiter but excludes Pluto? No, absolutely not. Again, that would take more than a simple video comment to explain.
Does Pluto fit a classification that other planets don't? Yes, absolutely. Is there any coherent definition of a planet which includes Jupiter but excludes Pluto? No, absolutely not. Again, that would take more than a simple video comment to explain.
+13 1. ringmaster commented 7 years ago
We need more people to reach out to the public audience, not only a specialized audience like students. And we need to reach out to our children in ways they can be reached. If we don't, we are at fault as teachers, parents etc.
The only thing I have against him is that he downgraded Pluto.