In the third season of Bill Nye Saves the World, scientist-turned-television personality Bill Nye continues to make the science of daily life bingeable. In the second episode of six, Nye discusses the possibility of “Surviving in a World Without Water,” which should sound pretty scary because, you know . . .it’s sort of humanity’s go-to thing.
Today’s magic phrase is – CLIMATE CHANGE
Photo Source: Bill Nye Saves the World on NETFLIX screenshot by Crystal Spears from The Game of Nerds
Nye shows us that the dangers in water are often not what they seem, recalling the ONGOING water crisis in Flint, Michigan. (Guess which glass above contains dangerous lead and which one Nye drinks from. Scroll to the end to find out for sure . . . )
Nye states that despite “70% of the globe’s surface” being covered with it, water is likely to become the most scarce and valuable resource in coming years. (Like Dune?!) He gets sassy about climate change and global warming, calling them out as the main cause of water inconsistency in the future.
In order to see the effects of water shortage at work in the modern world Derek Muller visits Mexico City whose water crisis is happening in the present and causing sections of the city to sink meters into the ground. This is happening because of the pumping of water from an aquifer directly below the city itself. There is apparently a lot less slapping than Chinatown led me to believe there would be in a water crisis, but the whole sinking city thing still seems really bad.
We get a few quick tips on how to survive after the world’s supply of water has run out, including:
- Look for willow trees. When you see one it means there is water in the ground!
- In order to cleanse “clear” water of bacteria and microbes you can distill it as long as you have plastic, iodine, vitamin C, the sun, and some SCIENCE MAGIC.
Finally, Nye tells about the world’s only water sommelier, who gives us the following VITAL information:
- D3 water (or water that has been triple distilled) is “factory water” to a water snob. He considered it the “fast food” of the water industry.
- Astronaut water (pee water) smells like a dentist’s office but “has a sweet note to it!”
- L.A. tap water smells like chlorine but tastes the best out of the three options listed here. Now you know.
Check back next week for a recap and review of episode three: “The Addiction Episode.” We all know someone affected, so let Bill Nye teach you something.
PS – the clear water had the lead in it and Bill Nye definitely drank the scary looking stuff. He’s FINE. Flint still isn’t though.
Photo Source: Bill Nye Saves the World on NETFLIX screenshot by Crystal Spears from The Game of Nerds
