Potential asteroid collisions have been big in the news lately, and as a nation, we're are more afraid of them than we've ever been. This might have to do with the fact that, in the past, we've had more imminent threats to fear — like polio and getting murdered by bandits. But, as Bill Nye says in the video above, "just 'cuz it's unlikely, doesn't mean it's not a big deal."

SEE ALSO: Bill Nye Explains His Superman Shaving Theory

Is stopping an asteroid even possible? AsapSCIENCE requested the Nye's expertise for further exploration of the subject. In the video above, he suggests a few ways that spacecrafts might try to combat asteroids.

While the Nye's neatly polished children's program of our youth was great, watching him in an unfiltered setting is pretty fun. He's still able to share his vast knowledge of rocket science in a conversational way, but he doesn't have to censor himself or appeal to the tastes of kids.

Image: Flickr, Ed Schipul

This article originally published at Geekosystem here