Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 1, 1994 TAG: 9411110003
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PATRICIA BRENNAN THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He made his debut at 16 in summer stock in Pennsylvania, and although he spent four years earning a degree from Fordham University, never considered another career.
He never became a doctor, but he played one: Hawkeye Pierce on the long-running ``M*A*S*H.''
For 25 years, Alda has been collecting awards as an actor, director and writer. And for 25 years, he's been a devoted reader of Scientific American magazine.
So he was pleased when the producers of PBS's ``Scientific American Frontiers'' wondered if he'd like to host the show.
``They just sent me a letter,'' said Alda. ``I had a feeling they sent it to a lot of people. That's why it said, `Dear Occupant.' ''
But, seriously, folks ...
``They didn't know that I was even interested in science,'' he said. ``I read a lot about science as a hobby. We were both glad to find each other.''
``Scientific American Frontiers,'' a series that will air five times this season, returns Wednesday night (at 9 on WBRA-Channel 15) with an installment based on the magazine's October edition, ``Life in the Universe.''
The theme issue marks the first time the magazine and the television series, now in its fifth year, have focused on the same topic. It also marks the magazine's 150th anniversary.
``It's the oldest [continually published] American magazine, and the second oldest in the world - only The Economist is older, I think,'' Alda said.
``Life in the Universe'' is a broad topic, allowing the show to visit researchers of many disciplines who are attempting to answer life's bigger scientific questions.
``We cover from the beginning of the Big Bang to the future, asking whether robots will replace people,'' said Alda.
The series is divided into five segments: How did the universe begin? Where did life come from? How did Earth get animals? Are we alone in the universe? Will robots take over?
Alda is the show's reporter, quizzing the scientists as they show him their work. With astronomers Sandy Faber and Alan Dressler, he goes to see the Keck telescope atop Mauna Loa in Hawaii; he joins biologists Norman Pace and Sue Barnes at the bubbling hot springs in Yellowstone National Park; and he interacts with a robot named Flakey at Stanford Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif.
The portion on astronomy also includes appearances by Carl Sagan at Cornell; Paul Horowitz from Harvard, a man who operates the world's only full-time search for extraterrestrial intelligent life; and NASA scientist Jack Farmer, who is working on a plan to look for fossils on Mars.
The segment on biology, tracing evolution from microscopic life to large creatures, follows Harvard's Andrew Knoll as he seeks the answer in sedimentary rocks in China.
At Stanford, Flakey the robot shows that he can remember instructions and associate names with objects and places, sprinkles his remarks with the occasional sobriquet ``dude,'' and proves through his limitations that robots won't be taking over very soon.
A viewer comes away with an appreciation of how complex human intelligence is. One of Flakey's creators, Kurt Konolige, equates Flakey's level of intelligence to that of a dog.
Coming up: Nov. 2, food; Jan. 11, science in Italy; Feb. 8, primates; and March 29, young children.
The show's sponsor, GTE Corp., encourages teachers, librarians and media specialists to tape the programs when they air.
by CNB