Timothy Blais decided that completing his master's thesis — titled "A New Quantization Condition for Parity-Violating Three-Dimensional Gravity" — wasn't enough of a challenge. So the physics whiz stepped it up with a musical version set to Queen's classic anthem "Bohemian Rhapsody."
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The cleverly titled "Bohemian Gravity" features brain-flexing science vocabulary set over a background of smooth harmonies. This isn't Blais' first scientific tune either — last year, he sang about the Higgs particle to the tune of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep."
"Bohemian Gravity" delves deep into complicated physics references, but even if you don't understand the science, you can still enjoy the Albert Einstein sock puppet.
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Richard Feynman
"It adds a question... all kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery, and the awe of a flower. It only adds."
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman gave a thorough interview about his life and his science that appeared on TV in 1981 with the title "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out." From the very beginning in his argument with an artist friend about the beauty of a flower, Feynman shares with viewers his contagious enthusiasm for knowledge and seeking answers about the world.
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Adam Savage
"I love the idea that different branches of science are called 'fields of study.' Most people think of science as a closed black box, and in fact, it is an open field and we are all explorers."
The host of popular TV show Mythbusters gave a TED Talk about how little ideas or questions can yield amazing discoveries, from measuring the earth's circumference to measuring the speed of light. Adam Savage closed his great speech with a great way of thinking about the near-limitless potential for science.
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Stephen Hawking
"If we ever do find a complete theory of the universe, it would be a great triumph of human reason, but it wouldn't leave much for us to do. We need an intellectual challenge."
The brilliant Stephen Hawking has been on the hot seat with every well-known interviewer. Here, he talks with Charlie Rose about what he predicts for the future of the universe and for humanity. While he's optimistic about the universe, he has some words of warning for its inhabitants.
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Carl Sagan
"But we're also capable of using our compassion, our intelligence, our technology and our wealth to make an abundant and meaningful life for every inhabitant of this planet, to enhance enormously our understanding of the universe, and to carry us to the stars."
Carl Sagan is another great scientist who turned to TV to help educate people. His show "Cosmos" received an Emmy and a Peabody Award for its presentation of our world. This is a clip from the end of the eighth episode, where Sagan shares just how much potential humanity has to be a force for good.
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Charles Elachi
"It felt like an adventure movie, but I kept telling myself this is real, this is real what's happening. What a fantastic demonstration of what our nation and our agency can do."
After the jubilant celebrations at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the Mars rover Curiosity touched down on the red planet, Director Charles Elachi addressed the media at an official press conference. His speech starts at 17:30, but true space junkies will want to watch the whole thing.
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Mae Jemison
"They do that really cutting-edge, bleeding-edge research that moves us further, that we're not even thinking, 'Is this really something that's going to get us there?' They were interested in how do we reconnect with that incredible wealth of innovation that came out of space exploration or that comes out of grand challenges."
Mae Jemison has a wildly diverse and impressive resume. She is an astronaut, a doctor, a professor, and a dancer. Now she is leading the 100-Year Starship Program for DARPA, which wants to send humans to other star systems within the next century. Here, she sits down with Russ Capper of radio program "The Energy Makers" to talk about the first steps toward pursuing interstellar flight.
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President Barack Obama
"Now, as I was walking around the science fair, I was thinking back to when I was your age. And basically, you guys put me to shame. What impresses me so much is not just how smart you are, but it's the fact that you recognize you've got a responsibility to use your talents in service of something bigger than yourselves."
The commander in chief plays a big role in making sure our future scientists have the resources they need to pursue their curiosity and expand their minds. He spoke to some of our best young minds at the White House Science Fair about how important their ideas are.
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Bill Nye
"You want to get people to choose. Choose to embrace it. You always want the student to figure it out for her- or himself."
After making his name as a science teacher on TV, Bill Nye has stayed busy in the field of education. He's a passionate supporter of science education and making science accessible. Plus, he can tie a bow tie in record time. Here, he talks about using comedy to teach science.
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Eric Schulze
"And not the kind of knowing that says 'I know how to cook pancakes.' I mean the kind of knowing that says, 'I not only know why pancakes exist, but how they're created, and I think I've figured out a better way of explaining why they're so delicious.'"
Commencement speeches are often a great source of inspirational words. While celebrities often have wise and humorous advice for the new graduates, the student speeches can be just as insightful. Here, doctoral student Eric Schulze addressed his peers at a graduation ceremony for the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California about the things he wished he'd learned in science.
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Hal Abelson
"I think the kind of stuff that we are teaching right now is very precious and very important. And part of what we can do is instill in our students a sense of that importance. Because what we're doing right now, especially today, with the changes in just global infrastructure and the way that people are now linked, and the critical place that information architecture plays in that... This is a really important time."
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Hal Abelson gave an interview to Computer magazine about how important teaching is for the sciences, particularly his field of information technology and computer science. He gives some context to the incredibly rapid developments in technology that have brought us to the present day.
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Lisa Jackson
"In my travels as administrator, I've been to parts of the world where it seemed like everyone had access to a cell phone, but not everyone had access to clean water. The opportunities are there to use that technology to make a difference in the technology that's lacking."
Lisa Jackson heads the Environmental Protection Agency and is a regular speaker about sustainability. This video shows her keynote address at the USRio+2.0 Conference, aimed at forging international connections for better use of technology for sustainable development.
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Steve Jobs
"Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use... And however you learn that, once you learn it, you'll want to change life and make it better because it's kinda messed up in a lot of ways."
As head of Apple, Steve Jobs sometimes seemed more like a wizard than a scientist. His thoughts about design and innovation have made a huge impact on our lives. He shares what he considers to be the most important life lesson in this video.
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Leonard Nimoy
"Look, science fiction has always led the way... It starts with the science fiction mind. Somebody imagines a trip to the moon, and some day somebody says, 'Yeah, I wonder what it would take to get there? Let's figure this out.' And the next thing you know, we're on our way."
As a star of the original Star Trek series, Leonard Nimoy has seen first-hand how seemingly crazy ideas can inspire amazing creations in the real world. He eloquently describes the close connections between art and science in this interview.
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Amber Case
"This is the first time in the entire history of humanity that we've connected in this way. And it's not that machines are taking over. It's that they're helping us to be more human, helping us to connect with each other. The most successful technology gets out of the way and helps us live our lives. And really, it ends up being more human than technology because we're co-creating each other all the time."
Amber Case studies cyborg anthropology, which is the subject of her incredibly insightful TED Talk about people and their relationships to technology. She explains how your smartphone is essentially a wormhole.
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Neil deGrasse Tyson
"If you're one of those who says, 'Well, that science, that's not me.' Science is you, and the sooner you know it, the more empowered you become."
Neil deGrasse Tyson has given speeches in many grand arenas and to many prestigious audiences. Here, he shares some spontaneous and important words about science literacy in this video for the students at Cheraw High School in South Carolina.
Image: Youtube, acapellascience
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