Bill Nye speaking at Planet Home's 2019 event

Once upon a time, Bill Nye the Science Guy graced our television screens with a little bit of comedy and a whole lot of science. With Millennials and Gen Z increasingly turning away from traditional broadcast TV and towards online streaming and social media, entertainers are looking for new ways to connect with today’s viewers. 

How? For Bill Nye, this means bringing his talents to TikTok. TikTok, the popular video-sharing social media app, is a digital landscape of dance challenges, funny pet videos, and, now, science! 

Bill Nye the TikTok Guy

For those who grew up with Bill Nye the Science Guy, his new TikTok account stays true to all the things we’ve always loved about him. He’s breaking down scientific concepts in an easy and entertaining manner, all while making us laugh along the way. 

In a recent video, Nye took the opportunity to address the coronavirus pandemic by educating viewers on the importance of wearing a face mask. In the video, attempts to blow out a candle while wearing a mask, to illustrate how effectively a mask blocks air movement and thus prevents airborne particles from getting into your respiratory system.

“Wearing a face mask is literally a matter of life or death,” Bill said, “and when I say ‘literally,’ I mean literally.” 

Gen Z, who make up 60% of all TikTok users, now get to experience the education, entertainment, and inspiration we’ve enjoyed from our favorite science guy since the 90s.

@billnye

#WearAMask #LearnOnTikTok #TikTokPartner

♬ original sound – Bill Nye

An Advocate for the Planet and Beyond

What else is Bill Nye up to these days? Other than becoming a viral TikTok star, he’s CEO of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest space-interest non-profit that empowers advancements in space exploration.

Space exploration is just as much about understanding the universe as it is about understanding humanity’s unique place within it. Nye believes that learning more about space will help us reflect on the nature of our own existence and the importance of taking care of our Planet Home.

“If we were to discover evidence of life on another world such as Mars or Jupiter’s moon Europa, it would utterly change this world,” he said. “People everywhere would think hard about what it means to be a living thing and our responsibilities as stewards of our unique planetary home.”

If you’re looking to watch more Bill Nye, you can stream 3 reasons of Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix. In the talk show, Nye teams up scientific experts with celebrities and entertainers like Karlie Kloss, Tyler the Creator, Derek Muller to discuss scientific concepts that touch our lives.

Among many other topics, the show explores issues that have an effect on our planet, like pollution, rising temperatures, and wasted natural resources. A member of Planet Home’s community of solutionists, Bill Nye and team travel around the world to shine a light on the planetary solutions that societies around the world are applying to address these challenges.

In one episode, Muller travels to Mexico City to chat with Professor Loretta Castro Reguera about a rain catchment system that improves access to clean water without the need to pump groundwater, which had been causing the city to sink. In another episode, Kloss travels to Japan to meet with scientists and farmers who minimize their environmental footprint with an innovative food production system that grows produce without soil; 808 Factory farms uses 90% less water than a conventional farm, leverages solar energy, and uses far less space.

As a scientist, entertainer, and educator, Bill Nye continues to champion efforts to improve our way of living on the planet. By inspiring a new generation to embrace the possibilities of science, Nye fosters the development of tomorrow’s change-makers, innovators, and solutionists.

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