Bill Nye Takes On Racism In Viral Video: ‘We’re All One Species, But We’re Not Treating Each Other Fairly’
Bill Nye is taking on racism, and the television scientist’s video is gaining some viral attention.
The TV host known as “The Science Guy” took to his TikTok page this weekend to share a tutorial about how human beings came to have different skin tones even though they are all the same species. You can view his post here.
Nye started the video by showing a map of the continents with a color-coded graph of how much ultraviolet light each region receives. The light was strongest in countries around the equator, which Nye explained created different skin colors.
“It turns out the closer you are to the equator, the more intense the ultraviolet light is,” he shared.
Nye then pointed out that everyone on earth came from one place — Africa — and are all the same inside.
“It turns out that everybody on earth is descended from people who lived here, in Africa,” he said, showing how people then migrated out to different parts of earth and came to take on different tones depending on how much Vitamin D their bodies received.
“And that’s it, everybody. That’s why we have different colored skin,” he said. “But we’re all one species, but we’re not treating each other fairly. Not everyone is getting an even shake, so it’s time to change things.”
The TikTok post attracted some viral interest, racking up more than 6 million views in less than a day. Hours after it was posted, Nye’s name was at the top of trends on Twitter in the United States, and many were sharing the video. People lauded the television scientist for offering a concise message against racism, adding to the discourse that has taken place after nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Bill Nye is fed up. And I’m with him. Trust science.
“We’re all one species.”
I’m here for all of this…pic.twitter.com/Moc7qLsjNq
— Rex Chapman?? (@RexChapman) July 19, 2020
Nye is no stranger to wading into social controversies with the use of science. As The Inquisitr reported, he has regularly spoken out about the dangers of climate change, warning about the destruction that it will bring and calling on leaders to properly address the issue. Nye has also weighed in on what has become an increasingly politicized debate over the efficacy of wearing masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Listen to Bill Nye. pic.twitter.com/F34Ke3xlsC
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 9, 2020
In a clip that was later shared by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Nye said that wearing a mask could literally be the difference between life and death, as it effectively slows the flow of respiratory droplets that can spread the virus.
