TVSquad

Have you ever wonder how it is those speed eaters can stuff so much food into their bodies in such a short amount of time?

No? Okay, then go away, this isn't for you.

If you are interested, tune into the National Geographic Channel July 8 at 9:00 p.m. for Science of Speed Eating. The special will examine the science behind these eating competitions by following three speed eaters, including Tim Janus, who only weighs 170 pounds. In fact, at one point a doctor will track the food as it makes its way through Janus' body. Yes, it's disgusting, but science is yucky sometimes. I think Einstein said that. Or maybe it was Bunsen Honeydew. Either way, it's true.

National Geographic has eight new series (and some returning series) on tap, set to roll out over the next several months.

Inside the Green Berets airs June 3 at 9:00 p.m.

Inside the Taliban airs June 4 at 9:00 p.m.

Critical Situation, a new series that explores how people responded when faced with some of the most dramatic moments in history kicks off June 12 at 9:00 p.m. I'll be posting a preview of this new series soon.

Do you like space? Of course you do, you're floating around in it right now.

Despite the fact my brain is clogged with cartoon trivia and the words to that old Tootsie Roll jingle, I love anything having to do with space and space exploration, even if i don't always completely understand the science behind it. If you share my love of space-y things, and if you happen to get the Science Channel, tune in starting tomorrow for Space Week. Here's some of what's on tap:

I guess the end of TV Turn Off week is the perfect time to do yet another installment in my two-part series about all the important things television can teach us that no other medium can.

Today, we will delve into the world of science. Slip on your safety goggles and follow me into the lab:

Science can be difficult to understand, which is why most science is controlled by evil geniuses. Some might argue that science is just a method of understanding the physical world, but that kind of thinking is why you're sitting in front of your computer reading this and some evil genius is inside his secret lair creating a laser that can turn hippopotami into bowls of tapioca.

It's difficult to watch A Man Among Wolves, the story of Shaun Ellis, a man who chooses to live among wolves in captivity to better understand them, and not draw comparisons to Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog's documentary about Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived in the wild with bears and ultimately was killed by one.

On March 18 at 8 p.m., the National Geographic Channel will air a three-hour documentary on Galapagos, thirteen islands off the southern coast of South America that were central to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Put together from over 300 hours of footage shot over a three-year period, Galapagos is being lauded by National Geographic as the most in-depth look at the islands in over two decades.

The documentary will be presented in high def and will not only explore the various forms of wildlife, but also the surrounding ocean and the volcanoes that first gave form to the islands. If I sound like a commercial for the program, that's only because I live for any series having to do with the natural world. Galapagos is even more interesting because it's not only a remarkable ecosystem, but also the center of a time-tested theory about our origin that changed the way we see ourselves and the world around us.

Tonight starting at 8:00pm, the Discovery Channel will look fifty years into the future with a three-part series called 2057. The series will mix speculation from leading scientists with dramatic storytelling to try and envision how our world will change over the next few decades. One of the questions, of course, is whether or not we'll have flying cars, and more importantly, will Martian hookers be both plentiful and affordable? Okay, the second one is my own personal preference, but I think it's worth looking into.

The first part of the series, "The Body" airs at 8:00pm and looks at modern technology and what it holds for human health and longevity in the future: things like robotic surgery and custom-built organs. At 9:00pm, "The City," the second part in the series, will look at advances in robotics, automobiles and surveillance systems. Finally, at 10:00pm, "The World" will examine how technology will help transfer more information even faster than before, and the possibilities of space travel for average folks like us.

You can watch clips from the series here.

Tonight at 8pm on PBS, NOVA scienceNow will look at a competition to build an "elevator to space." Participants will compete to see whose prototype can go the highest, and the winner takes home a $150,000 prize. The episode will also focus on scientific research surrounding the carbon nanotube, a stronger-than-steel material that just might be used to create the cable for a real "space elevator" in the future. It would be awesome if such a thing were constructed in my lifetime, though with my luck I'd be stuck on this lengthy elevator ride with some guy who just polished off a beef and bean burrito.

Other segments from the episode will include research into "longevity genes" and how they may hold the secret to living longer; using satellites to uncover Mayan ruins; and studies in "Quorum Sensing," the way bacteria communicates.