With the highly anticipated Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham debate scheduled to take place tomorrow, February 4 at the Creationist Museum in Kentucky, all eyes have been set on the two champions of science and Christianity. While both contenders have a lot of supporters, Bill Nye, “The Science Guy” has an upper-hand going in with roughly 60 percent of people on his side. Without taking sides on science versus religion, there are a lot of reasons why people love Bill Nye. Here are five of them.

Reason Number Five: Bill Nye Wore Bow Ties Before They Were Cool

Is it even possible to find a picture of Bill Nye where he is not wearing his trademark bow tie? Yes, but it really takes some effort to find one. Even after searching Google images for “Bill Nye without a bow tie” there is only one image that pops up where he is not wearing one. However in that picture he has his arm around Neil deGrasse Tyson so it is hard to say if it is any less cool. It was Matt Smith who played the 11th doctor in Doctor Who who uttered the classic line, “Bow ties are cool” when asked why he was putting one on. If they were not cool before, Matt Smith certainly made them so because some stores saw as much as a 94 percent increase in bow tie sales after he said the words. However Bill Nye didn’t need the Doctor to tell him that, he was already wearing them before they were cool.

Reason Number Four: Bill Nye Makes Learning Fun!

There is a reason why people call Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and it is because that was the name he took for himself. On his popular PBS show during the 90s, Nye had the unconventional and highly successful approach at combining humor with science. For instance, one episode begins with Bill Nye crying, face down on a table. As the camera zooms in the narrator asks “What’s the matter, Bill?” Bill looks up and proclaims “Everything! Everything… is matter. Except energy, of course!” There are plenty more quirky examples of his humor circulating around the internet than any five that could be provided here as to why people love the Science Guy.

Reason Number Three: Bill Nye Talks About Deflecting Asteroids With Laser Bees… Lasers Bees!

In his new YouTube series, Bill Nye talks about the threat asteroids pose to Earth and how they could cause mass destruction if they were to collide with the planet. His solution is to build a spacecraft called the Sentinel that will scope out Earth’s nearest surrounds for any threats of incoming asteroids. If one does get spotted, then what? The answer of course is to zap it with laser bees for days, months or even years to detour its trajectory and save the planet. Want to learn more? Watch the full video below:

In fact, it was Carl Sagan, one of the original founders of The Planetary Society who introduced Nye to the wonders of astronomy while he was studying at Cornell University. For anyone unfamiliar, Sagan is widely associated with the massively popular series Cosmos which delves into the origins of the universe and human evolution. The full series is conveniently, available for free viewing on YouTube. Today, Nye himself has become CEO of The Planetary Society and Carl Sagan undoubtedly had some role in helping him get there.

Reason Number One: Bill Nye Keeps Trying to Change the World for the Better

Finally, whether it is through his online learning series, Why With Nye, through his TV show Bill Nye, The Science Guy, his becoming CEO of the Planetary Society or even his upcoming debate against Ken Ham, Nye is doing whatever he can to help inform the public and create scientific advancements in today’s world. In an open letter to President Obama, posted on December 5, 2013 Nye encouraged the President to provide the Planetary Science Program with a $1.5 billion annual budget so they may continue to look for signs of life on other worlds. Nye wants the world to continue advancing and will not stop at anything when it is in the pursuit of knowledge, just like any scientist should. Is it any wonder why people around the world love Bill Nye? If these five reasons are not convincing enough, then there are plenty more out there.

Editorial By Jonathan Holowka

See also:

Bill Nye Creationism Debate Could Be Troubling [Video]

Sources:

TV Tropes

The Telegraph

Reddit

Planetary

Planetary

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