The Science Network

Here's a recommended series of videos from Roger Bingham's TSN (The Science Network) recorded on February 12th (Darwin's birthday) 2011 discussing the origin of life. On the panel are Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, Craig Venter, Paul Davies, Sidney Altman, Lee Hartwell, and Chris McKay.

The panel discussion that includes all of them is below...

Roger Bingham's Science Network specialises in extended discussions rather than sound bites. While it's great that scientists appear on popular shows such as The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, all too often these discussions are brief, whimsical and dominated by the hosts' gags. The pairing of scientist and comedian is rarely satisfying if you want to learn. Even popular science documentaries such as PBS Nova and the BBC's Horizon never let the scientists' speak for longer than a sentence. And even if there is a protracted conversation with a scientist (e.g. Charlie Rose Show), the host is not science-literate and therefore the conversation never gets beyond the superficial.

By contrast, within The Science Network, scientists are interviewed by a science-literate host (Bingham is UCL-educated in neuroscience) for discussions that typically last longer than an hour. Regular guests on The Science Studio include Neil deGrasse Tyson and Steven Pinker. Bingham is also keen to discuss the role of science education, science in the media, and the tension between science and religion. His website also hosts several symposia where scientists discuss cutting edge topics among themselves. Videos can  be downloaded and there are also audio mp3 versions and transcript documents.

In summary, The Science Network compensates for the mainstream media's continuing descent into banality, sensationalising, celebrity gossip, and blowhard ranting. By hooking a computer to your TV, you can treat the Science Network as a proper ad-free science channel.