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Bill Nye Explains Gravity Waves | Big Think

Big Think | September 13, 2025



Bill Nye Explains Gravity Waves
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Bill Nye has many feathers in his cap — he’s the CEO of The Planetary Society, has a brand-new Netflix show, flew on Air Force One with President Obama, has at least six honorary doctorate degrees and two books to his name — but there’s thing one he’s most proud of, and he shares it with Tracey, a 19-year-old student just beginning her science studies at college. As she steps into a lifelong pursuit of science, Nye advises her on the greatest contribution scientists can make to their community. Dropping awe-inspiring facts and publishing groundbreaking findings are exciting parts of being a scientist but the greatest contribution a scientist can make is to educate people — especially kids from a young age — about the scientific method. Carl Sagan, Bill Nye’s mentor, can explain this in better words than anyone: “Science is more than a body of knowledge, it’s a way of thinking, a way of skeptically interrogating the universe with a fine understanding of human fallibility. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs for the next charlatan — political or religious — who comes ambling along. The people have to be educated, and they have to practice their skepticism and their education otherwise we don’t run the government, the government runs us.”
Bill Nye’s most recent book is Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World.

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BILL NYE :

Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Making science entertaining and accessible is something Bill has been doing most of his life.

In Seattle Nye began to combine his love of science with his flair for comedy, when he won the Steve Martin look-alike contest and developed dual careers as an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night. Nye then quit his day engineering day job and made the transition to a night job as a comedy writer and performer on Seattle’s home-grown ensemble comedy show “Almost Live.” This is where “Bill Nye the Science Guy®” was born. The show appeared before Saturday Night Live and later on Comedy Central, originating at KING-TV, Seattle’s NBC affiliate.

While working on the Science Guy show, Nye won seven national Emmy Awards for writing, performing, and producing. The show won 18 Emmys in five years. In between creating the shows, he wrote five children’s books about science, including his latest title, “Bill Nye’s Great Big Book of Tiny Germs.”

Nye is the host of three currently-running television series. “The 100 Greatest Discoveries” airs on the Science Channel. “The Eyes of Nye” airs on PBS stations across the country.

Bill’s latest project is hosting a show on Planet Green called “Stuff Happens.” It’s about environmentally responsible choices that consumers can make as they go about their day and their shopping. Also, you’ll see Nye in his good-natured rivalry with his neighbor Ed Begley. They compete to see who can save the most energy and produce the smallest carbon footprint. Nye has 4,000 watts of solar power and a solar-boosted hot water system. There’s also the low water use garden and underground watering system. It’s fun for him; he’s an engineer with an energy conservation hobby.

Nye is currently the Executive Director of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest space interest organization.
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TRANSCRIPT:

Tracey: Dear Bill Nye. My name is Tracey, and as of today it is my 19th birthday, and I’m pursuing my education in the sciences thanks to the influence of worldly educators such as yourself. My question to you is: what do you think is the most beneficial thing a scientist can do for the community, and what do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a scientist and an educator? All the best, and thank you for your contributions to the generations ahead of you.
Bill Nye: Tracey. I’m delighted that you are pursuing a career in science. We need as many scientifically literate people as we can in our society so that when it’s time to vote and make decisions about our future we do it in an informed way with science as the background. So thank you. This is fabulous.

As far as my contribution, that’s a very nice ques…
For the full transcript, check out https://bigthink.com/videos/hey-bill-nye-what-do-you-consider-your-greatest-accomplishment

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Comments

This post currently has 39 comments.

  1. @Hydroverse

    September 13, 2025 at 8:36 pm

    I see gravity as an energy source. My reasoning is that the heat energy coming from friction during precipitation isn't the same heat energy that is observed during evaporation. Evaporation heat energy is traceable to a conversion of mass into energy like oxidation or fusion, but the heat energy that is released as water falls through the air due to gravitational acceleration being dissipated as heat isn't traceable to mass being converted into energy. Therefore, I see gravity as an energy source to explain where that additional heat comes from since evaporation heat isn't precipitation heat.

  3. @shyamfrancis9350

    September 13, 2025 at 8:36 pm

    This is the reason why people say you should know things before speaking.you may be a great communicator, but understand that it was not gravity waves that was detected, it is Gravitational waves and both are different.Gravity waves are those that are influenced by force of gravity, example a wave ( not tide) in ocean when rises is pulled down by gravity and it can be called gravity wave.But Gravitational waves are the ripples in space-time through which energy of any activity that squeeze or stretch space-time, is transferred.For example Black hole collision…here there is no way to release energy as nothing comes out of black hole ..so energy is through Gravitational waves.That is Space-time. …😎😜😜

  14. @svetovid5897

    September 13, 2025 at 8:36 pm

    if that's all to the experiment, how do they know something else didn't cause a vibration of mirrors? Two weeks ago I was standing on the sidewalk and a guy fell behind me, I felt the earth vibrating behind me even though he didn't make a sound. If a soft, flabby human body can cause measurable vibration is something like asphalt, then how do you protect these two mirrors from vibrating at about everything?

  17. @eyesopen66

    September 13, 2025 at 8:36 pm

    Errr! Bill the Gatekeeper explained absolutely nothing to me about gravity, just then.
    He said they've detected a gravity wave! What?
    Density and mass and weight are real. Gravity is nonsense.

  26. @JuliusUnique

    September 13, 2025 at 8:36 pm

    it's not a big achievment to find out that gravity waves exist… I mean come on, it was clear way before we messured it, and also if we would not have discovered it, we would have discovered it easily as soon as we needed to discover it

  30. @ZennExile

    September 13, 2025 at 8:36 pm

    Particles are peaks in resonance. Everything in the Universe is made from some part of the same energy spectrum. All the fundamental forces in the Universe, all the particles, they are all energy resonating with something we cannot perceive from our Dimension of Observation. Some base membrane of reality that is saturated with energy and resonating with that saturation in a uniform way.

    Every force and particle in the Universe we can observe, or infer, is simply the lens effect of a larger spectrum of energy interacting as a function multiplicity with a smaller spectrum of energy. Everything has it's own frequency no matter how large or small. And those frequencies can only interact when they factor into each other.

    Gravitational Waves are the theoretical limit to our Dimension of Observation. But is it likely that they represent a membrane of resonance that exactly factors into a larger still Dimension of Observation. Therefor allowing energy in that infinitely larger band of spectrum to resonate its own particles and forces into existence.

    This is how the Universe is both Finite and Infinite.

  32. @BildoDaggins

    September 13, 2025 at 8:36 pm

    Just sayin, if the fabric of space and time is vibrating because of a catastrophic event such as two blackholes colliding, and its effecting the "weakest" force in the universe, dont you think that the other forces would be effected as well? And if not, then why is only the gravitational effect detectable? Seems to me that the system we call a universe is greatly influenced by this gravity machine. Since I brought up a system, wouldn't the entire universe's gravity be reflected as a something which is the greatest force out of the current 4, especially since we can actually detect it in such a way that we recognize the ripple through space and time? After all, none of the other forces are able to measure the collision of two freaking blackholes…..and if they are, then why are we not measuring all 4 at the same time? Any input will be greatly apperciated, unless it is stupid…..

  33. @mcconkeyb

    September 13, 2025 at 8:36 pm

    Nomenclature problems here. Gravity waves are the standing waves that we see in the atmosphere, most easily seen in very high and mid level clouds. What is being discussed here is Gravitational waves. Yup, I know why would anyone care? Because these 2 phenomenon are not related and Gravity waves were named first.

Comments are closed.

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