PBS Summer Brings a Slate of New Science Programming

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Eva of Naharon from FIRST PEOPLES.

Courtesy of Joe Alblas / Wall to Wall Media.

PBS SUMMER BRINGS A SLATE OF NEW SCIENCE PROGRAMMING

Highlights Include Tracking Early Human Migration,

Following Marine Life in California's Monterey Bay in BIG BLUE LIVE

and an Examination of the History and Science of the Atomic Bomb

ARLINGTON, VA; May 21, 2015 -- PBS is giving summer television a boost with a robust slate of new primetime science programming. PBS' summer of science kicks off with FIRST PEOPLES on Wednesday, June 24 chronicling how Homo sapiens became the dominant human species and concludes with BIG BLUE LIVE, an unprecedented nature series documenting the late-summer confluence, as it's happening, of whales, sharks, sea lions, otters and other sea life in Monterey Bay, California, starting Monday, August 31.

Many programs appear as part of PBS' Think Wednesday lineup of nature and science programming, but BIG BLUE LIVE and other specials will debut at other times across the primetime schedule (check local listings). The five-part human diaspora journey FIRST PEOPLES (watch a clip here) travels around the world to tell the continuously unfolding story of our early human ancestors. On July 22, the three-part series LIFE ON THE REEF (watch a clip here) examines the breathtaking beauty of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on earth. OPERATION WILD (watch a clip here), beginning July 1, follows veterinarians who travel the globe performing groundbreaking operations to save wild animals' lives. On July 15, NOVA Chasing Pluto (watch a clip here) reveals the first detailed images from the spacecraft New Horizon's historic flyby of Pluto. NOVA Nuclear Meltdown Disaster, airing July 29, sheds light on the brave workers who stayed behind in Fukushima when an earthquake and tsunami crippled a mighty power plant in one of history's worst nuclear accidents.

Premiering Tuesday, July 28, the thought-provoking specials THE BOMB and URANIUM: TWISTING THE DRAGON'S TAIL provide fascinating insights into the first detonation of the atomic bomb on its 70th anniversary and the lasting impact of the nuclear age. THE BOMB tells the story of the most powerful and destructive device ever invented, with newly restored footage, some of which was only recently declassified, of nuclear weaponry. URANIUM: TWISTING THE DRAGON'S TAIL is a two-part series, hosted by Dr. Derek Muller (physicist and creator of the popular YouTube channel Veritasium ), that touches on the cultural, scientific and natural histories of uranium and its many uses from weaponry to medicine.

BIG BLUE LIVE is a live television co-production with the BBC. Scientists, filmmakers and photographers, animal behaviorists, and other experts will come together for two amazing live weeks in late August and early September to document the extraordinary rejuvenation of the once endangered, now thriving ecosystem of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California. The program will be anchored by four on-air correspondents from a reporting hub at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and from aboard several of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries research vessels.

From the Great Barrier Reef to the edge of the solar system, no location is off-limits on PBS this summer. Our lineup is entertaining, refreshing and relevant; it pushes the boundaries of the high-quality science programming we bring to audiences year-round, said Beth Hoppe, PBS Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming. Our fascinating bookend programs, FIRST PEOPLES and BIG BLUE LIVE, though very different in scope and production style, exemplify the type of smart and compelling programming that viewers can find only on PBS.

In addition, the award-winning PBS Digital Studios network on YouTube will continue to showcase the weird and wonderful world of science with series including It's Okay to be Smart, Gross Science, BrainCraft, Space Time, and Crash Course Astronomy.

Below is a chronological look at PBS' summer primetime programming:

FIRST PEOPLES

See how the mixing of ancient human genes helped us survive and thrive around the globe. Developments in genetics, archaeology and anthropology cast new light on 200,000 years of history, detailing how Homo sapiens came to be the dominant human species. -- Wednesdays, June 24-July 1, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET and July 8, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET

OPERATION WILD

Veterinary teams around the world undertake groundbreaking operations to save animals' lives in some of the most remote places on earth. OPERATION WILD tells the remarkable stories of animals in need and the caregivers who push the bounds of veterinary medicine to help them. -- Wednesdays, July 1-15, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET

NOVA Chasing Pluto

NOVA captures New Horizon's historic flyby of Pluto, the culmination of the spacecraft's nine-year, three-billion-mile journey to reveal the first-ever detailed images of this strange, icy world at the very edge of our solar system. -- Wednesday, July 15, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET

NOVA Nuclear Meltdown Disaster

Four years after one of history's worst nuclear accidents, NOVA reveals the minute-by-minute story of the Fukushima nuclear crisis and its ongoing aftermath, told by the brave workers who stayed behind when an earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant. -- Wednesday, July 29, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET

HUMANITY FROM SPACE

From the perspective of space, a new science special traces mankind's journey from hunter-gatherer to dominant global species. With mind-bending data and CGI, the program shows how we have transformed our planet and produced a world of extraordinary complexity. -- Tuesday, July 21, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET

LINK:	http://pbs.org/about/news/archive/2015/summer-science-programming/...
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