A Better Cosmos

I finally got the Women of NASA Lego set, after it being out of stock every time I tried to get it before, and I spent the day putting it together. Also I watched a NOVA special on black holes that was hosted by a woman named Janna Levin, a professor at Barnard College. Oftentimes NOVA astronomy specials will be narrated by a man, or feature Neil deGrasse Tyson prominently, so this was quite a change. Not only did Levin host, getting to act out thought-experiments and pilot an imaginary spaceship much like in the 2014 Cosmos, but many of the expert talking heads were women and people of color. Sure there were some white males, but overall the balance was rather diverse. Yes, Neil was there in snippets, but he didn't dominate the conversation. I loved it.

This was what his Cosmos should have been. They spent one episode talking about women astronomers, mentioning the sexism that kept them from getting credit for stuff, but they fucking ignored women the rest of the time, while we learned about obscure men, some of whom weren't even astronomers. I heard that FOX has ordered another Cosmos for 2019, probably to keep in good graces with Seth McFarlane. Let's hope they learn their lesson and feature more diverse scientists this time.

Regardless, I hope that NOVA continues using more women scientists, because it's so important for young girls to see role models in STEM, and to see men acknowledge their female coworkers as equal.