# Miles Obrien **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 6, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204 "2010-10-06T02:18:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/1 "2010-10-06T02:18:39Z")
Looks like [Miles O’Brien](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_O'Brien_(journalist)) scored a new job as Science Editor for PBS. So today, on his first time at bat on the Newshour he reports on the Nobel Prizes for the scientists who experimented with graphene. Given the fact that graphene is carbon, Jim Lehrer asks O’Brien where carbon comes from. Miles replies, “From the Big Bang”. He’s off by several hundred million years. Seriously, how the fuck does this guy get such a plum science job ? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/2 "2010-10-06T02:19:38Z")
So how much Brien does PBS have now? ---
**Author:** ![Saganist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Saganist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saganist)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/3 "2010-10-06T02:20:56Z")
I was looking forward to a nice star trek rant. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/4 "2010-10-06T02:21:43Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > So how much Brien does PBS have now? Miles o’ Brien. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/5 "2010-10-06T02:24:35Z")
Meh, he doesn’t have a science degree, he’s just a news guy that gives some attention to science . That’s a pretty mild mistake. The anchors should know he’s not equipped to answer on the fly. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/6 "2010-10-06T02:30:26Z")
> [@iophobon](#): > > I was looking forward to a nice star trek rant. Damn. Yeah, me too. I didn’t know there was another one besides this [Miles O’Brien](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_O'Brien_(Star_Trek)). ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/7 "2010-10-06T03:08:23Z")
I thought everything came from the big bang. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/8 "2010-10-06T03:17:26Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > I thought everything came from the big bang. For elements heavier that oxygen and lighter than iron, it requires nuclear fusion, which occurs inside stars, which formed significantly after the big bang. Those elements heavier than iron are formed by nucleosynthesis during a supernova explosion. (at least that’s what I learned. I"m sure I have something messed up, and someone will be around to correct me soon. No anchor position for me!) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/9 "2010-10-06T03:25:24Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > > [@Bosstone](#): > > > > So how much Brien does PBS have now? > > Miles o’ Brien. Boooo… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/10 "2010-10-06T03:41:10Z")
> [@iophobon](#): > > I was looking forward to a nice star trek rant. Damn. And I just wanted a chance to say “He’s such a Meaney!” ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/11 "2010-10-06T03:55:16Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And I just wanted a chance to say “He’s such a Meaney!” Colm down. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/12 "2010-10-06T03:56:37Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > And I just wanted a chance to say “He’s such a Meaney!” > > Colm down. Seriously, relax Chief. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/13 "2010-10-06T08:43:28Z")
Yeah, don’t go up a hill and come back down a mountain. By the way, the replicator in my quarters isn’t functioning. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/14 "2010-10-06T12:28:54Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > > [@Manduck](#): > > > > I thought everything came from the big bang. > > For elements heavier that oxygen and lighter than iron, it requires nuclear fusion, which occurs inside stars, which formed significantly after the big bang. Those elements heavier than iron are formed by nucleosynthesis during a supernova explosion. > > (at least that’s what I learned. I"m sure I have something messed up, and someone will be around to correct me soon. No anchor position for me!) Heavier than lithium. Fun fact. According to Neil deGrass Tyson, lithium is not made in stars. That means all the lithium in the universe was created in the Big Bang. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/15 "2010-10-06T12:31:03Z")
Ol’ Neil doesn’t think Pluto’s a planet, either. Doesn’t mean he’s right. EDIT: Of course, other scientists who didn’t make children cry agree with him, so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/16 "2010-10-06T14:13:20Z")
How long do we count until the end of the big bang? Is it the first millionth of a second of the univers? Or the first second? Or the first hundred thousand years? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/17 "2010-10-06T15:08:08Z")
> [@iophobon](#): > > I was looking forward to a nice star trek rant. Damn. Same here. Chief O’Brien was way way cooler. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/18 "2010-10-06T15:16:05Z")
Well, thanks to this thread, I learned something, so it looks like O’Brien is working out fine. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/19 "2010-10-06T16:15:14Z")
> [@bup](#): > > How long do we count until the end of the big bang? Is it the first millionth of a second of the univers? Or the first second? Or the first hundred thousand years? Until the first cigarette is lit, I propose. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204/20 "2010-10-06T16:41:58Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > By the way, the replicator in my quarters isn’t functioning. Solo, dad. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miles-obrien/556204.md?page=2)