What's Up - The Community Events Blog

Nature: Ocean Giants Premieres This February!

Whales and dolphins remain a constant source of fascination. But how much do we really know about them? Whales and dolphins, known as cetaceans, may appear to be totally alien to us — but with their mental ability, group communication and the recent discovery that dolphins have individual names, they are closer to us than we ever imagined. Nature: Ocean Giants provides new insights into the lives of whales and dolphins in a visually powerful, engaging and entertaining format. The three part series premieres Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00pm on WPBT2.

 

In the first of three hours, Giant Lives, we examine the world of great whales, such as the blue whale and the bowhead, the largest animals that have ever lived on our planet. To these mighty leviathans, size matters. In the Arctic, giant bowhead whales survive the freezing cold wrapped in fifty tons of insulating blubber two feet thick, making them the fattest animals on the planet. And in addition to being the fattest, they may live the longest.

 

The second hour, Deep Thinkers, explores the cognitive and emotional lives of dolphins and whales, which have the largest brains of any animal. Like us, cetaceans have special brain cells called spindle cells that are associated with communication, emotion, and heightened social sensitivity. These cells were once thought to be unique to humans, yet research is showing that whales and dolphins have may have three times more spindle cells than we do, leading scientists to believe that their mental abilities and emotional awareness could be far greater than we imagined.

 

In the final hour, Voices of the Sea, the extra sensory perceptions and communication skills of these extraordinary creatures are considered. Whales and dolphins use sound to hunt, to communicate with one another, and also to “see” and experience the world around them. Sending out loud clicks, they use the echoes to form a mental picture of the world around them. They use ultrasound to see inside other creatures, clicks and whistles to speak, echolocation to navigate and hunt in the depths where the light cannot guide them.

 

Don't Miss the Lunar Eclipse!

WPBT2’s Star Gazers will host a Live Lunar Eclipse Event from Reno, Nevada on Saturday, December 10 from 4:00 a.m. – 7:00 am (PST) and 7:00 am  - 10:00 am (EST).To view the eclipse and join the conversation, visit www.wpbt2.org/lunareclipse

Star Gazers, a production of WPBT2, South Florida Public Media, is a new astronomy series built on the legacy of Jack Horkheimer’s award-winning series.

Star Gazers hosts Dean Regas, the outreach astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory and Marlene Hidalgo, a science educator who represents the Miami Science Museum, will provide on-camera commentary and answer questions from WPBT2’s online audience as the lunar eclipse unfolds. Joining Dean and Marlene during the webcast will be Bill Dishong, series producer of Star Gazers and Star Gazer with Jack Horkheimer; and Dan Ruby, Associate Director of the Fleischmann Planetarium in Reno, Nevada.

Host Dean Regas is excited to explore the celestial sky with viewers, “I love the beauty and precision of an eclipse.  It’s a powerful moment when the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up just right to turn the Moon an eerie shade.  Each eclipse is a unique experience and I’m looking forward to sharing this rare celestial alignment.” 

While most of North American and Hawaii viewers may be able to see the moonset still in eclipse, viewers on the East Coast and in South America will not be able to see the eclipse.  Those along the west coast of the United States and Canada will see the beginning of totality just as the moon disappears below the western horizon.

“The WPBT2’s Star Gazers Live Event offers the opportunity for
 everyone to enjoy and discuss the entire lunar eclipse regardless of their location. I am so thrilled that I will be onsite to witness and cover the event from Reno, Nevada. I look forward to being able to share this experience with viewers, especially those in the Midwest and on the east coast, who will not be able to see the eclipse in it's entirety,”  stated Host Marlene Hildago. 

So, if you can’t make it to Reno, Nevada, you can watch the lunar eclipse on December 10th live on www.wpbt2.org/lunareclipse

 

 

From Five Strings To One

Just because you have five different versions doesn't mean you can't bring them together to make one. When you do, you get the "M-theory."

Brian Greene shows how Princeton's Institute for Advance Study's Edward Witten, with the help of others, combined all five string theories successfully. The theory requires the development of 11 dimensions, implying that strings can turn into shapes called membranes, which can also be a universe.  

Join Greene as he explores the possibility of the "M-theory" being just a theory or reality in the last hour of Elegant Universe.

NOVA: Elegant Universe, Pt. 3 airs Wednesday, November 16 at 10 p.m. on WPBT2.

Quantum Leap In A Single Bound

Where's Scott Bakula when you need him?

When a person can affect others over here or there and pop in and out of existance, they can get tired. Quantum leaping would do that to you.

Join best-selling author and physicist Brian Greene in a nightclub as he brings quantum mechanics to life in Quantum Leap.

Nova - The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap airs Wendesday, November 16 at 9 p.m on WPBT2.

What Is Space?

To many of us space is a void that keeps things or people separate, but contrary to populart belief, it's more than that and different from what we believe it to be.

Acclaimed physicist Brian Greene reveals what space actually is compared to the empty void we think of it to be.

NOVA- Fabric of the Cosmos: What Is Space? airs Wednesday, November 2 at 9 p.m. on WPBT2.

 

 

Radioactive Wolves Are On The Loose

Radioactive Wolves examines the state of wildlife populations in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl, where it has been too radioactive to be inhabited by humans since the 1986 power plant meltdown that left present-day Ukraine in ruins.

In a wildlife ruled by native wolves, scientists focus on the status of how they have coped 25 years after the meltdown, as well as other surviving wildlife in the area, such as beaver, fish, falcons and bison, to piece together and indicate the effects of the their ecosystems. If the wolf is doing well, then the population of their prey must be doing well.

WPBT2 premieres Radioactive Wolves on Wednesday, October 19 at 8:00 p.m.

 

Why Are Immunizations Important and Are They Safe?

Immunizations help protect us from disease. Without them, our immune systems could break down and we would eventually die.  However, with the controversy that surrounds immunizations today, how do most conclude that their presence is beneficial to us? 

WPBT2 will shed light on this subject with Immunization: A Dose of Reality airing Wednesday, October 12 at 10:00 p.m.

Immunization: A Dose of Reality is a compelling look at the impact vaccines have had on public health and the science of vaccine safety. The documentary features powerful testimonials from families affected by vaccine-preventable diseases as well as interviews with world-renowned vaccine experts. Immunization successes, such as the national effort to eliminate polio, are detailed as are continued immunization challenges, such as the effort to control pertussis outbreaks that have caused infant deaths in communities across the nation. 

   

 

WPBT2 Presents Earth Day Programming All Week Long!

Follow the Roberts family from Homestead during a weekend camping trip in the Everglades National Park in Into the Wild airing Monday, April 18 at 10:30 p.m.  Before their adventure begins, family members give their honest opinions about the planned activities, their fears and concerns with the idea of spending a night in the Everglades. Their stay is filmed in a reality-TV format in order to give the audience a feeling of what the family experiences.  The goal is to show an up close and personal look at the beauty and grandeur of what has been called “The River of Grass’ and to show local residents what’s in their backyard.

Follow Jeb Berrier, an average American guy who is admittedly not a "tree hugger," who makes a pledge to stop using plastic bags in Bag It! airing  Wednesday, April 20 at 11:00 p.m.  His girlfriend, Anne, joins him in the challenge to decrease their use of plastic at home. This small action gets Jeb thinking about plastic, not just about plastic bags, but other kinds of plastic. "What is plastic made of? Is it recyclable? Does it decompose when it ends up in the landfill? Does plastic have negative health effects?" Jeb wants to learn more, so he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world.

Discover the human and nonhuman interrelationships within the pine rockland natural community in Pine Rockland Composition airing Thursday, April 21 at 11:30 p.m.  The program begins at night during the wet season in the pine rock lands within Everglades National Park. The subtropical and globally imperiled pine rock lands occur exclusively on the Miami Rock Ridge limestone in South Florida and predominantly within Everglades National Park. The pine rock lands underwent rapid agricultural and urban development with the advent of the rock plow in the mid to late 20th century. Today, the pine rock lands consist of fragmented remnants as a result of habitat development and degradation, fire suppression, nonnative species, and alterations to hydrology.

WPBT2 and Nova Premiere Japan's Killer Quake

Imagine stepping into work on what seems like an ordinary Friday.  The day goes by as you occasionally glance at the clock in anticipation for the weekend.  All of a sudden, your desk shakes.  Startled, you push your chair back and stand up.  Your co-workers are also standing and looking around in curiosity.  In that moment, the building starts to shake.  Items begin to fall from your desk and shatter on the floor.  Coworkers are screaming, and you can hear the building around you start to crack.  You get up and run out of sheer panic that the building will collapse on you. 

As you run out of the building, the ground stops shaking, but you hear a siren.  You get into your car, which was surprisingly left undamaged.  You drive away from the impending disaster.  As you drive further away, you are confident you are in the clear and you breathe a sigh of relief.  But as you take a deep breath, your eyes glance at your rearview mirror and a wall of water is less than a foot away from your car.  Everything turns black.

This seems like it could only be a scene from an action movie, but in no way was this a staged disaster.  For those who live in Japan, this was reality the afternoon of March 11, 2011.  The earthquake that hit Japan was the fourth largest in the world and the largest to hit Japan.  Within the hour of the quake, a tsunami with 30 foot high waves washed over the Japanese coast and obliterated everything in its path.  Homes and businesses were destroyed, people were lost and the nuclear plants were heavily damaged arising concerns over radiation leaks.

Following the catastrophe, media is inundated with stories and opinions about what happens next in Japan. We far from know the ultimate outcome, but one thing is already clear: the need for a dramatic but clear-headed exploration of what triggered the quake and tsunami.

Join WPBT2 and NOVA as they premiere Japan’s Killer Quake on Wednesday, March 30 at 9:00pm.  Nova will unpack the story of the disaster in suspenseful “real time” and provide first-hand coverage of how Japanese authorities responded to the immense scale of the catastrophe.

Beyond its suspenseful unfolding of day-to-day events, Japan’s Killer Quake will explore the disaster’s broader implications and the risk of a comparable disaster on the US west coast, where earthquake preparedness is nowhere near as advanced as in Japan.

The documentary includes gripping stories from tsunami survivors, compelling day-to-day reportage, and in-depth scientific perspectives.

 

WPBT2 Premieres Nature: Outback Pelicans on March 27 at 8 p.m.

 

WPBT2 Premieres Nature: Outback Pelicans on March 2 at 8 p.m.

Ever wonder why life exists in the hottest and driest continent on Earth? Why adult pelicans will travel over a thousand miles inland to mate and reproduce? These same pelicans could have the easy life on the coastal shores of Australia, so why move? Nature gives viewers the inside look at what scientists are just now beginning to find out about these peculiar species.

Pelicans have two options when it's a flood year in Australia. They could either stay on the coast where food is handed to them, or they could travel to the depths of Australia to Lake Eyre. How the pelicans remember to travel there is still a mystery. There are some loose theories that the birds will follow the old rivers to the lake; however, this is just one theory.

The documentary also gives light as to how the pelicans bring up there young in these two different worlds. Tune in on March 2nd at 8 pm on WPBT2 to learn more!!