geekosystem

In a recent GQ interview, Marco Rubio was asked point blank how old he thinks the Earth is, only to respond that the answer to that question is "one of the great mysteries." Good news, Marco! We solved it -- the Earth is about four and a half billion years old. Don't thank us, thank the hard working men and women of the United States Geological Survey. Now, about the way you delicately skirted that question, as if creationist theories about the age of the Earth deserve the same time and attention as USGS estimates...yeah, we're gonna take issue with that.

Man, if we ever get absolutely torn a new one for saying something stupid, we really want the totally excellent > Bill Nye to be the guy who does it. Not because we want to upset Mr. Nye, a personal hero (and, yes, brain-crush) who ran the best children's show about science ever -- sorry, dude who played Beakman -- but just because he can apparently reduce someone's world view to utter shambles without so much as raising his voice or saying an unkind word. Case in point: this video from Big Think in which Bill (we can call you Bill, right? If so, we can die happy) lays out just how much more complicated a creationist viewpoint is, because of all of the really important evidence-based science you have to walk around ignoring every day. He makes the further point that, people believing whatever they want, no matter how silly it is, is totally your right -- but that willfully raising children to be ignorant is another matter entirely. And how important a public understanding of science is for the country going forward. All of this without so much as a sneer, a snicker, or a disrespectful syllable. Man, who are we kidding though? We could watch Bill Nye talk about absolutely anything and be happy campers. The man is that good. Plus, he can just wear the hell out of a bowtie.