Sleek Geeks
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | January 3, 2008 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Science television series |
Sleek Geeks is an Australian science TV series presented by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki alongside Adam Spencer. The show, consisting of fourteen episodes, premiered on 3 January 2008 and was inspired by Kruszelnicki and Spencer's Sleek Geek Week touring event as well as Kruszelnicki's Great Moments in Science segments broadcast on Triple J radio. Additional presenters featured were Yumi Stynes, Ruben Meerman, and Dr Stephen Bosi.
The series sought to illustrate scientific concepts and challenge popular misconceptions. Both Kruszelnicki and Spencer expressed criticism toward comparable programs such as the Discovery Channel's MythBusters, which Spencer labeled as "constructively anti-scientific," and Sky One's Brainiac: Science Abuse, which Kruszelnicki described as "embarrassing... women jumping on trampolines."
Sleek Geeks was among the pioneering Australian television productions made available for purchase via the iTunes Store. Its second season aired on ABC1 from 11 November to 30 December 2010, occupying the Thursday 8:00 pm timeslot.
Episode 1: Senses
The debut episode delves into human sensory perception: Adam engages in firewalking, the audience samples spicy chillis, Karl attempts to break glass through vocal resonance, and the curious tale of Mike the Headless Chicken is recounted.
Episode 2: Mind Games
This installment investigates mental phenomena: Adam experiences hypnosis, Karl discusses the sensation of déjà vu, and a demonstration reveals how observers overlook a person in a gorilla costume passing through a crowd.
Episode 3: Boys & Girls
Concentrating on biological sex differences, subjects covered include the X chromosome's role, female autoimmune conditions, fetal mouth movements, correlations between finger length and sperm count, along with other physiological topics.
Episode 4: Time
Topics related to time are examined here, including the Big Bang theory, Einstein's relativity, the Libet experiment on decision-making timing, and analysis of how daylight saving time affects accident statistics.
Episode 5: Forces
Adam and Karl experience weightlessness with the Roulettes aerobatic team; discussions cover concepts such as faster-than-light travel possibilities, nuclear weapons history, and the origins of Murphy's law.
Episode 6: Water
This episode focuses on water-related themes: techniques for escaping rip currents, methods to chill beer effectively, and tasting recycled water derived from Adam's urine and bathwater treatment.
External links
- Sleek Geeks – the TV show (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)