![]() He began working on his own sound bites in front of the mirror, picking a subject - say, black holes - and coming up with "three or four sentences that would be tasty, interesting, informative and make you smile." In 1995 he gave an interview to an NBC News crew about the discovery of a new planet the experience made him determined never to be "sound bitten" again. After publishing his first book, "Merlin's Tour of the Universe," he joined the staff at the Hayden Planetarium. But Tyson opted for Harvard instead and later pursued a PhD at Columbia. When Tyson was applying to college, Sagan, then a faculty member at Cornell, gave him a personally guided tour of his laboratory to lure him to the school. By the time he was a student at the prestigious Bronx High School of Science, he was giving astronomy lectures to adult-education classes. "I'm quite sure it was the universe that chose me and not I who chose it," he has said. The 55-year-old Bronx native discovered his passion for space on a visit to the Hayden Planetarium at age 9. The reimagined "Cosmos" will do the same, with Tyson moving through space and time in a "Spaceship of the Imagination." (He will not, however, do so wearing a turtleneck.) "Neil has an ability to connect," says Ann Druyan, Sagan's widow and co-writer with Steven Soter of all 13 episodes of the new "Cosmos." "In his indefatigable energy, his incredible goodwill and good humor, and his humility, he reminds me so much of Carl." The original documentary was notable for its formal innovations, ditching the talking-head style for a more cinematic feel achieved through then-cutting-edge special effects. Tyson first met the "Family Guy" creator at a gathering of the Science and Entertainment Exchange in Los Angeles several years ago and later pitched him about getting involved in a "Cosmos" reboot. ![]() Now he's moving into prime time with "Cosmos," a follow-up to Carl Sagan's groundbreaking 1980 PBS series, "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage." In what may seem like an odd pairing, Seth MacFarlane serves as executive producer on the series. The author or editor of 10 books, he maintains an active social media presence (1.5 million Twitter followers) and produces a radio show and podcast, "StarTalk Radio." He's also become a late-night TV regular, through frequent visits to "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report" and "Real Time With Bill Maher." Tyson's combination of humor, intelligence and accessibility have made him one of the most recognizable scientists in the country and put him atop many fantasy dinner-party guest lists. Scattered among hundreds of astronomy books are, among other things, a vanity plate reading "COZMIC," a life-sized bust of Sir Isaac Newton, a half-dozen or so globes, a quill pen collection, a can of Dole pineapples in "cosmic fun shapes" and a pink boa. "I see myself as a servant of the public appetite for the universe," says Tyson, seated in his office overlooking the giant white sphere of the Hayden Planetarium.
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