Bill Nye is known by many as an educator of children, who refer to him as "The Science Guy." However, Nye may soon be "The Movie Guy" when he tackles his next project.
In a recent Reddit AMA, someone asked Nye about what he feels is next in the world of edutainment. Nye surprised everyone with his response.
"My movie. It's about a historical figure who changed the world by teaching himself mathematics," writes Nye. "I'm very excited to share his story with the world, and the deal is pending so I can't talk too much more about it. But that's what i want to do next, and that will be edutainment."
Nye has never been one to pull punches. Recently, he took on creationist Ken Ham in a debate about evolution. Considering that nearly half of those in the U.S. believe in creationism (the idea that God created the world without the help of anything scientific), the debate mirrored the current controversy in the country. Nye mentioned in the AMA that he still sees evolution as an "important issue for the future of the US, and for all humankind" and that he will continue teaching it.
Interestingly enough, religious leader Pope Francis recently backed the theory of evolution.
Nye also used the forum to speak up about concerns he has with GMOS, or genetically modified food.
"I stand by my assertions that although you can know what happens to any individual species that you modify, you cannot be certain what will happen to the ecosystem," Nye writes. "Also, we have a strange situation where we have malnourished fat people. It's not that we need more food. It's that we need to manage our food system better."
This is an interesting position, considering other scientists, such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, have publicly defended GMOs while telling people that genetically modified food is safe.
When asked about bitcoin, Nye stated that "the future of commerce is going to be all electronic." He also stated that if he were to take over the world, he'd charge everyone a carbon fee that would go into a huge fund and then get redistributed, much like the current system in Alaska. He stated that it's up to the U.S. to do something about climate change because that will set the world model for how it's dealt with.
The AMA was part of a promotion for Nye's new book Undeniable: Evolution and The Science of Creation, which is now available in bookstores.
[Photo Credit: Mark Schierbecker, Wiki Commons]
