Find out why some foods taste their best in a stage of decay, why chewing on bark used to eliminate pain and watch liquid nitrogen make ice cream.
National Geographic’s “StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson” is back for its fifth season Monday, Nov. 12, 11/10C. The four-time Emmy-nominated show returns with 20 new episodes hosted by what he calls “your own personal astrophysicist”, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Along with out of this world special guests like Jeff Goldblum, Former Vice President Al Gore, George R.R. Martin, Anthony Bourdain, Patricia Cornwell, Anna Deavere Smith, and a panel of experts and comedians entertain with commentary and jokes.
The bittersweet premiere features an interview with the late chef Anthony Bourdain. The two chat about what makes sushi and meat taste so fabulous, and how something as simple as scrambling an egg incorporates heat, air, and movement. A real live food scientist, Guy Crosby, comedian Sasheer Zamata, and Yvette d’Entremont talk about the science of food and why it tastes the way it does. Learn about the scientific manipulation of food, what astronauts crave in space, and how chefs try everything to obtain that “sweet spot”.
According to National Geographic, this season is packed with celebrities and science.
Tyson discusses with the late Anthony Bourdain the science of food and the most pivotal moment in his television hosting career when he traveled to Beirut in 2016. Tyson also speaks with Jeff Goldblum about dinosaurs and aliens and learns the backstory of “Game of Thrones” from author George R.R. Martin. He sits down with former Vice President Al Gore, podcaster Joe Rogan, New York Times best-selling author Patricia Cornwell, performer Weird Al Yankovic, engineer and science educator Bill Nye, news anchor Dan Rather and actors Jack Black, James Marsden, and Anna Deavere Smith. In a first for the series, Tyson also travels deep within the Arctic Circle in Greenland with the Air Force to tour the facilities of one of the most critical military bases, Thule Air Base, with a two-star general.