As mentioned before, National Geographic Channel's Explorer kicks off its new season on August 8. I saw a preview of the August 15 episode, "Science of Dogs," and it's quite interesting.

We all know that dogs are a result of selective breeding, but I had never given thought much about what that means exactly. These are animals we have selectively bred over centuries to suit our needs: for hunting, companionship, protection, and myriad other possibilities. This type of breeding can be good, but it also has consequences, with one in four dogs stricken with some kind of genetic problem or defect. Since dogs often have the same diseases as humans, doctors can study the dog's genetic makeup in order to better understand and cure the same diseases in humans.

(S06E04) Last season, I was ready to throw this show out the window. It was a sad, tired, droopy show, and I thought it had run past its time. I don't know whether they have a new pack of writers this season or whether they all just found a personal muse, but this season is already so much better than last season. The show seems to have regained some of the air of the first year, when I was so smitten with it.

So, perhaps it was appropriate this episode revisited the very carnival of the first episode, the carnival after which J.J. was conceived. It was also very fitting that some of the revelations of this episode took place in such a setting.

For Penn & Teller fans who don't have Showtime (me! me!), this is a treasure trove.

Someone (not sure if it's official or not) has posted several segments from the duo's acclaimed TV series, including segments on profanity, bottled water, feng shui, creationism, the Bible, recycling, ghosts, college, PETA, environmentalism, alien abductions, conspiracy theories, exercise, and a whole lot more (you can access the other videos from the profanity link above).

[via Metafilter]