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ANOVA scienceNOW@ is back this summer on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. with renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson as host. On July 3, Tyson investigates whether a doomsday asteroid the size of the Rose Bowl will hit the earth in 2036. Seen through our most powerful telescopes, the Apophis asteroid shows up as nothing more than a moving speck of light. However, the latest data tell us that this rock could carry an impact equal to one hundred nuclear bombs and is hurtling through interplanetary space towards the Earth. We=ve seen the Hollywood films inspired by such threats. Host Neil Tyson investigates the facts surrounding a disturbing reality in our solar system.

The truth is, Earth has been hit by asteroids before and it will be hit again. One of the most notable impacts occurred 65 million years ago, when a rock the size of Mount Everest slammed into the Yucatan, a cataclysm that may have led to the demise of dinosaurs. Now, it is up to NASA=s asteroid hunters to scan the heavens constantly to find these monster chunks of space debris, estimate the odds of collision and figure out a way to avoid it C since scientists believe that, with planning, a major impact could be averted. Find out just what kind of threat Apophis and its ilk pose to Earth, and what creative interventions might be used to prevent this scenario from playing out.

The second episode draws on a range of absorbing stories B from investigators trying to resurrect a 90-year-old virus to unlocking the secrets of ancient papyrus scrolls B and also profiles an innovative young roboticist. Tyson also meets up with scientists trying to solve a 250 million-year-old mystery. Could the biggest extinction in the history of life, which occurred millions of years before the dinosaurs were wiped out, have been caused by global warming and not by an asteroid or comet? The third episode brings an array of intriguing reports from the frontlines of scientific research and discovery. Tyson=s enthusiasm and scientific background bring to life the Ahow and why@ behind exciting new discoveries in science and technology. The fourth episode includes profiles of the man who developed mathematical tools to research dark matter, black holes and the age of the universe. The fifth episode looks at a historical archeologist who tells the story of Chinese laborers who went West in the 1800s to work on railroads and mines. The episode also looks at sleep and memory, the T-Rex and Kryptos, a mysterious sculpture on the CIA campus, in an area where only CIA agents are allowed to roam.

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