Science fare Dec. 20

| The New Mexican

12/19/2008 - 12/19/08

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

Independent Lens 'Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic'
10 p.m. Saturday

This is the story of the creation of a grand opera about the birth of the atomic bomb. This behind-the-scenes documentary follows Composer John Adams and Director Peter Sellars over the course of a year as they work to forge the tale of J. Robert Oppenheimer into a music drama like no other: the strange and beautiful Doctor Atomic.

Everyday Edisons 'Making the Cut'
8 a.m. Sunday

Industry experts weigh in on successful past inventions. The Everyday Edisons engineering team takes a look at Stan's T-square invention, and the commercialization team thinks a licensing play is the best way for the T-square to go to market. Russ and Brent's bone-zone chicken wing tray goes through rapid ideation. It's transformed from a hand-made papier-mâché prototype into a 3-D model of the end product. Also, the branding team names the wing tray. Viewers will see what Greek grandmother Maria thinks of her redesigned three-in-one baby bag and how Frank feels after seeing his homemade trash can gripper prototype made into new form model mock-ups.

Scientific American Frontiers 'Unearthing Secret America'
9 a.m. Sunday

The great arc of early American history is brought to life through three tremendous archeological finds. The Jamestown fort reveals the struggles of the colonists; slave quarters at Monticello and Williamsburg introduce us to a secret world for the first time.

NOVA 'Pocahontas Revealed'
10 a.m. Sunday

On the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, science is revealing the truth behind the myth — a saga of unparalleled adventure, greed and savagery. Virginia archaeologists have just discovered the site of Chief Powhatan's capital, Werowocomoco, some 17 miles from Jamestown beside the York River. This is the very spot where the captive John Smith had his famous life-and-death encounter with the mighty chief, in which (so the story goes) the smitten Pocahontas begged her father to spare the Englishman's neck.

Nature 'Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History'
11 a.m. Sunday

Nature examines the closest living animal relatives to humans in "Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History." Thousands of chimpanzees have lived among us for well over a century, mostly in solitary confinement. We dressed and trained them to be like humans, sent them to space and infected them with diseases. And then, an entire population of these captive chimpanzees were left behind by science, their care neglected and their records lost. The program profiles the few dedicated individuals working hard to give these long-suffering creatures the freedom and sanctuary they so richly deserve.

Life Of Birds By David Attenborough 'The Problems Of Parenthood'
6 p.m. Sunday

With insatiable appetites to provide for and the need for unfailing vigilance, bringing up baby birds is a full-time job that requires very special skills. Some birds feed all their young equally, while others feed the biggest. Some birds also take on helpers to help rear their young.

Nature 'Christmas in Yellowstone'
7 p.m. Sunday, 10 p.m. Thursday

Nature examines wolves, coyotes, elk, bison, bears and otters as they make their way through their most challenging season of the year in "Christmas in Yellowstone." As snow falls and the Christmas lights glow in Jackson Hole, a holiday season of a different sort settles in the great winter world of Yellowstone. Breathtaking landscapes of snowcapped peaks and frozen icicles surround the wildlife as they adapt to the cold conditions. The program also profiles the men who first explored Yellowstone National Park.

Masters of the Arctic Ice
7 p.m. Tuesday

The Arctic is the largest expanse of frozen water on the planet. All creatures that make their home there are masters of survival, superbly adapted to the Arctic ice. But climate change has begun to eat away at the ice on which these creatures depend. Two teams of researchers are racing to find out how global warming is rocking the Arctic world — before there's nothing left but water.

NOVA 'Absolute Zero'
8 p.m. Tuesday

NOVA brings the history of this frosty subject to life with historical recreations of great moments in low-temperature research and interviews with noted historians and scientists, including Simon Schaffer of the University of Cambridge, and Nobel laureates Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman of the University of Colorado at Boulder and Wolfgang Ketterle of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Part One, "The Conquest of Cold," opens in the 1600s when the nature of cold and even heat were a complete mystery. "The Race for Absolute Zero," which picks up the story in the late 19th century, when researchers plunged cold science to new lows as they succeeded in reaching the forbidding realm at which oxygen and then nitrogen liquefy. The master of this technology was Scottish chemist James Dewar, who pursued the holy grail of the field-liquefying hydrogen at minus-253 C, just 20 degrees above absolute zero.

Made in Spain Live! With Jose Andres
2 p.m. Dec. 27

Made in Spain is a series exploring the culinary and cultural riches of Spain. Hosted by chef Jose Andres, the series highlights the extraordinary cooking traditions of a country whose food and wine are capturing the world's imagination. In every episode, Andres brings the exciting flavors of his native Spain to the American audience with easy and informative recipes created in his Washington, D.C., kitchen, using products found here in the U.S. Each cooking segment is woven into a gastronomic and cultural tour of one of Spain's 17 vibrant regions, where Andres introduces the viewer to many of Spain's greatest artisan cheese makers, wine makers and restaurateurs.

'South Beach Heart Program'
8 a.m. Dec. 28

Heart attacks and strokes are preventable! So why are there nearly 900,000 new and recurrent heart attacks and 700,000 strokes in the United States each year? Why do nearly 500,000 women and over 400,000 men die of cardiovascular disease annually? The reason is that the majority of people in this country are being treated with an out of date "plumber's" approach to heart disease. This is despite the experience of a growing number of physicians using a "healer's" approach. The healers have essentially stopped seeing heart attacks in their medical practices. In the South Beach Heart Program, Dr. Arthur Agatston, a pioneer in clinical and preventive cardiology shares the four-step program that has helped many of his patients avoid invasive procedures and lead long and healthy lives.

'Change Your Brain, Change Your Life'
9:30 a.m. Dec. 28

A healthy brain is key to a great quality of life. The brain, of course, figures in everything we do — our work life, our relationships, the way we feel and the way we perceive the world. Any damage to the brain, through aging, substance abuse, trauma or other surprising factors — can affect our quality of life adversely. At the same time, making an effort to maintain a healthy brain through activities and protective behaviors that keep it youthful and vital can make every other aspect of your life more positive and more enjoyable. In Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, best-selling author, psychiatrist and brain-imaging specialist Dr. Daniel G. Amen demonstrates how to optimize mental performance and overcome self-defeating behaviors such as depression, Attention Deficit Disorder and anxiety.