Science fare Oct. 18

| The New Mexican

10/17/2008 - 10/17/08

Upcoming science, health and technology programs on KNME Channel 5 Public Television

NOVA 'Space Shuttle Disaster'
8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday

On Feb. 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas just 16 minutes before it was due to land. All seven astronauts aboard perished and the implications for the future of the space shuttle program were enormous. What caused the Columbia tragedy? An engineering flaw? A failure within NASA? A lack of financing? Could this catastrophe have been avoided?

Nature 'The Beauty of Ugly'
9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Oct. 19

We may think we know what is beautiful and what isn't, but in the natural world, beauty can be many things — including what we might find completely repulsive. Not only can the bizarre be attractive, it can also provide just the edge a creature needs to succeed in a difficult environment. From frogfish and hagfish to naked mole rats and elephant seals, the program shows how and why ugly can be beautiful, even when it isn't pretty.

Everyday Edisons 'Engineers Gone Wild'
8 a.m. Sunday

The inventor group meets the development team to get a firsthand look at the latest progress and direction of their inventions. They are alternately surprised, confused and thrilled at what they see. Will the Skate Scepter be electrical or gas powered? Inventor dad Will Pitt offers his opinion. Cord X designs compete for aesthetics and functionality.

Accidents In Space
9 a.m. Sunday

An examination, in compelling detail, what went wrong and why in each catastrophe, or near-catastrophe that has occurred since the American and Russian space programs were established. It is the "black box" of space accidents, showing the unfortunate chains of events that led to death, destruction or heart-stopping near misses, such as the time Apollo 12 was struck twice by lightning as it launched. Using rare archive film and powerful and chilling testimony, Accidents In Space looks beyond the horrors of the Challenger explosion, Apollo 13 and the fire on Apollo 1 to examine the unreported and the unknown.

Life Of Birds By David Attenborough 'The Insatiable Appetite'
6 p.m. Sunday

Birds have developed an amazing range of bill shapes and sizes designed to hammer out grubs from trees, pry tiny seeds from fruits and sip nectar from flowers. If their bills and tongues can't reach what they're seeking, some birds even use tools to help them get a meal.

Nature 'Parrots in the Land of Oz'
7 p.m. Sunday and again 9 p.m. Oct. 25 and 11 a.m. Sunday Oct. 26

Parrots are everywhere in Australia. From the outrageous drumming palm cockatoo in the tropical rainforests, to the shameless red female eclectus parrot of the far north who keeps a harem of males, to the golden-shouldered parrot in the woodlands that excavates a nest in a termite mound, to the incredibly prolific budgerigars of the deserts, a spectacular array of parrots has evolved here. Big and small, rare and bizarre, colorful and intelligent, they are the most conspicuous and exotic birds on this amazing island continent. Many mate for life, building homes and families together. Their colors, behaviors and habitats are all described in depth by the scientists studying them and the Australians who live among them in this delightful film from down under.

Curious 'Survival'
7 p.m. Tuesday and again 7 p.m. Oct. 25 and 9 a.m. Oct. 26

Mark Davis, a successful chemical engineer, never dreamed that he would reinvent his career and create a revolutionary kind of cancer drug. But everything changed when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.

NOVA 'Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives'
8 p.m. Tuesday and again 8 p.m. Oct. 25 and 10 a.m. Oct. 26

Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E, is the lead singer of U.S. cult band the EELS. What most of his fans don't know is that Mark's father, Hugh Everett III, was one of America's top quantum physicists. In 1957, Hugh Everett came up with a revolutionary theory that predicted the existence of parallel universes. The idea quickly seeped into popular culture, but only recently has it been accepted by mainstream physicists. The film follows the wry and charismatic Mark, who had been estranged from his father, as he travels across America to learn about the father he never knew. It is only by entering the paradoxical world of quantum mechanics that Mark can hope to understand why he was such a stranger to his own father.

Frontline 'Heat'
9 p.m. Tuesday

For years, big business — from oil and coal companies to electric utilities to car manufacturers — have resisted change to environmental policy and stifled the debate over climate change in America and around the globe. Now, facing rising pressure from governments, green groups and investors like, big business is reshaping its approach to the environment, fundamentally transforming the politics of the debate. Producer Martin Smith travels the globe to size up the climate problem firsthand and to test what big business is really doing to solve one of the most urgent issues of our time.

To Market To Buy A Fat Pig
7 p.m. Wednesday

A celebration of market houses, market places and farmers' markets across the United States. Including a section on the Santa Fe Grower's Market.

Everyday Edisons 'Prototypes and Web sites'
8 a.m. Oct. 26

With deadlines to move to final designs, the marketing team presents branding and packaging concepts to the final four inventors. With these in place, the inventors can finally see their inventions turned into products as consumers will ultimately see them. At this point, they begin to see the reality of their dreams. Their reactions range from emotional to thoughtful to joyful.

Great Museums Specials: The Smithsonian National Zoo: Wild Thing!
3 p.m. Oct. 26

The first takes viewers to Washington, D.C., for a behind-the-scenes look at The Smithsonian National Zoo, home to one of the most diverse collections of wild animals in the country. Scientists, curators, animal keepers, veterinarians and volunteers at this living museum reveal the National Zoo's global mission of preserving endangered species on the edge of extinction.

Life Of Birds By David Attenborough 'Meat-Eaters'
6 p.m. Oct. 26

Flesh is a rich source of energy, but hunters and scavengers alike must use incredible strategy and skill to compete for their elusive prey. Dramatic footage of carnivorous birds, from the kea, a surprising meat-eating parrot in New Zealand, to massive eagles in Africa that catch monkeys and flamingos, shows the strategies and senses that birds employ to find and catch their prey.