December 8, 2016 9:28 pm

Meeting of the Geeks – Preview Friday’s episode, “Bringing Science to Life, with Ben Stiller”

I have to admit something.

I’ve never seen any of the Night at the Museum movies.

They just seemed a little silly to me.

Which is why I felt so much better when I heard Neil deGrasse Tyson tell Ben Stiller the same thing in this Friday’s podcast..

But then Neil went on to say that he watched it because he had to, at the movie premiere at the American Museum of Natural History, where he works as the Director of the Hayden Planetarium.

And that he loved it.

And that the movie won him over.

And then astrophysicist Charles Liu, our in-studio guest, added that the movie is just literally doing what museums do all the time: bring science to life.

And then Bill Nye talked about how the artifacts in museums, like the bones of the T-Rex, allow you to imagine a terrifyingly live Tyranosaurus Rex standing there before you – a feeling I, and probably every kid who ever saw the T-Rex at the AMNH, can relate to.

And that’s when I realized that I, finally, am going to have to see those darn movies.

Tomorrow’s episode isn’t just about how museums bring science to life, though.

It’s also about the science of comedy, a subject about which Neil asks every comedian who he interviews, and to which no two have ever given the same answer. Co-host Chuck Nice weighs in on that one, of course, and cognitive neuroscientist and returning guest Scott Weems lets us know about how the human brain reacts to comedy, and how the anterior singulate cortex seems to be the center for both understanding humor and resolving conflict. He also lets us know what makes chimps laugh – and guess what? The answer will not come as a surprise.

One thing about tomorrow’s show that may be surprising is just how much of a serious, life-long, card-carrying Star Trek geek Ben Stiller is.

Did you know that not only does he own the actual Gorn head from one of the most famous episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, but he also owns two sets of Spock’s ears – one of which was given to him by Leonard Nimoy himself. And that’s not the end of his major geekitude.

They also talk about Zoolander – and that is a movie I am proud to say I love and recommend highly. (Interpret that however you will, but whatever condition you see it in, be prepared to laugh your face off.)

So if you’re into museums, or comedy, or Star Trek, or Ben Stiller movies, or even if you’re just tired of the world and looking for something that’s not depressing, or foreboding, or downright terrifying, join us tomorrow night, Friday, Dec.9, for Bringing Science to Life, with Ben Stiller.

You can listen at 7 pm EST, right here on our website, or on iTunes Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher or TuneIn. If you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can listen to this episode ad-free – and also to Neil’s extended interview with Ben Stiller.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
– Jeffrey Simons