View source for Science Channel

{{Short description|American pay television channel}}
{{about|Discovery Science USA|the other regions|Discovery Science (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = Science Channel
| logo = Science Channel 2016.png
| logo_caption = Logo used since 2016
| logo_size = 250px
| image = 
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1996|10|7}}
| closed_date = 
| picture_format = [[1080i]] [[High-definition television|HDTV]]<br />(downscaled to [[letterboxed]] [[480i]] for the [[SDTV]] feed)
| owner = 
| parent = [[Warner Bros. Discovery Global Linear Networks]]
| country = [[United States]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| area = Nationwide
| headquarters = [[Silver Spring, Maryland|Silver Spring]], [[Maryland]], U.S.{{cite needed|date=September 2023}}
| former_names = {{Plainlist|
* Quark! (prelaunch, 1994–1996)
* Discovery Science Network (1996–1998)
* Discovery Science Channel (1998–2002)
* The Science Channel (2002–2007)
}}
| replaced = 
| replaced_by = 
| sister_channels = {{collapsible list|
* [[Adult Swim]]
* [[Animal Planet]]
* [[American Heroes Channel]]
* [[Boomerang (TV network)|Boomerang]]
* [[Cartoon Network]]
* [[Cartoonito (American programming block)|Cartoonito]]
* [[Cinemax]]
* [[CNN]]
* [[Cooking Channel]]
* [[Destination America]]
* [[Discovery Channel]]
* [[Discovery en Español]]
* [[Discovery Family]]
* [[Discovery Familia]]
* [[Discovery Life]]
* [[Food Network]]
* [[HBO]]
* [[HGTV]]
* [[HLN (TV network)|HLN]]
* [[Investigation Discovery]]
* [[Magnolia Network]]
* [[Motor Trend (TV network)|Motor Trend]]
* [[Oprah Winfrey Network]]
* [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]]
* [[TLC (TV network)|TLC]]
* [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]]
* [[Travel Channel]]
* [[TruTV]]
* [[Turner Classic Movies]]
}}
| timeshift_service = 
| website = [https://www.sciencechannel.com/ Science Channel]
| online_serv_1 = Affiliated Streaming Service
| online_chan_1 = [[Discovery+]]
| online_serv_2 = Service(s)
| online_chan_2 = [[Philo (company)|Philo]], [[DirecTV Stream]], [[Sling TV]], [[Hulu + Live TV]], [[Vidgo]]
}}

'''Science Channel''' (often simply branded as '''Science'''; abbreviated to '''SCI''') is an American [[pay television]] channel owned by [[Warner Bros. Discovery]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-11 |title=Warner Bros. Discovery US$43bn merger closes |url=https://www.digitaltveurope.com/2022/04/11/warner-bros-discovery-us43bn-merger-closes/ |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=Digital TV Europe |language=en-GB}}</ref> The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, [[engineering]],  [[manufacturing]], [[technology]], [[Astronomy|space]], [[space exploration]], [[ufology]] and [[prehistory]].

{{As of|2023|11}}, Science Channel is available to approximately 34,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2013 peak of 78,000,000 households. Along with [[American Heroes Channel]], [[Boomerang (TV network)|Boomerang]], [[Cooking Channel]], [[Destination America]], [[Discovery Family]], and [[Discovery Life]], Science Channel is among the less prevalent networks of Warner Bros. Discovery.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrestlenomics.com/u-s-cable-network-households-universe-1990-2023-nielsen-data/|title=U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023|website=wrestlenomics.com|date=May 14, 2024|access-date=May 15, 2024}}</ref>

In recent years, Science Channel has lost carriage with the growth of streaming alternatives including its parent company's [[Max (streaming service)|Max]], and has generally been depreciated by Warner Bros. Discovery in current retransmission consent negotiations with cable and streaming providers. Science Channel is still a major content provider to [[Discovery+]], a sister streaming service to Max.

==History==
In November 1994, Discovery Networks announced plans for four digital channels set to launch in 1996. Discovery originally named the network under the [[working title]] '''Quark!''';<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16467630.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413134030/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16467630.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 13, 2012|title=Discovery plans launch of four newly created nets|publisher=Multichannel News|date=November 21, 1994}}</ref> this was changed before its launch to the '''Discovery Science Network'''. Discovery Science launched in October 1996 as part of the simultaneous rollout of the new channel suite (alongside [[Destination America|Discovery Home & Leisure]], [[Discovery Kids]] and [[Investigation Discovery|Discovery Civilization]]).<ref>{{cite news|title=Discovery channels energy into expansion|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 28, 1996}}</ref> In 2007, adult shows began airing around the clock weekdays, while younger children shows began airing around the clock weeknights.

The channel has undergone various rebrandings throughout its history. Its name was first modified to the '''Discovery Science Channel''' in 1998, and then was renamed '''The Science Channel''' in 2002, as the first network in the Discovery Networks digital suite to drop the "Discovery" brand from its name (however, international versions of the channel continue to use the "Discovery Science" name). The channel later shortened its name to just '''Science Channel''' in 2007 as part of a rebrand that included the introduction of a new logo based on the [[periodic table]]; in 2011, the network rebranded as simply '''Science''', introducing a new logo and graphics package designed by Imaginary Forces.<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/466319-Science_Channel_Rebranding_As_Science.php Science Channel Rebranding As Science] ''Broadcasting & Cable'' April 5, 2011</ref> In 2008, the channel changed its programming to adult-oriented, and removing all shows for elementary children.<ref>[http://www.newsfalsh.com/2008/science_channel_changes_its_programming_to_adult_swim_shows] ''NewsFlash.com'' April 3, 2008</ref>

On December 23, 2016, Discovery Communications debuted a new logo for Science after five years. This rebrand was done by Sibling Rivalry, a New York–based design agency.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://vimeo.com/196529021 |title=Science Channel Refresh |date=2016-12-21 |last=Rivalry |first=Sibling |access-date=2025-04-20 |via=Vimeo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Science Channel Rebrand — Sibling Rivalry |url=https://siblingrivalry.com/studio/science-channel-rebrand/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220521200100/https://siblingrivalry.com/studio/science-channel-rebrand/ |archive-date=2022-05-21 |access-date=2025-04-21 |work=Sibling Rivalry |language=en-US}}</ref>

===High definition===
The channel launched a [[High-definition television|high-definition]] simulcast feed that broadcasts in [[1080i]]; it was launched on September 1, 2009, along with [[Discovery Channel]] HD, [[TLC (TV network)|TLC]] HD and [[Animal Planet]] HD.

==Programming==
Science Channel broadcasts a number of science-related television [[Television program|series]] originally produced by or aired on [[Discovery Channel]], such as ''Beyond Tomorrow'', among others. Discovery Communications has also produced a few programs specifically for Science, such as ''MegaScience'' and ''What The Ancients Knew''. Programs from other Discovery Networks channels, [[PBS]] and the [[BBC]] are either regularly or occasionally aired on the network. Television series produced in the 1990s, such as ''[[Discover Magazine (TV series)|Discover Magazine]]'' and ''[[Understanding (TV series)|Understanding]]'', are carried on the network's weekday schedule. Science also broadcasts programs such as ''Moments of Impact'' and ''[[An Idiot Abroad]]''. The channel has experienced some [[channel drift|drifting]] from its intended format throughout its existence, increasingly adding reruns on several [[science fiction]] series such as ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'' and ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'' to its schedule in recent years.
===Series===
Below is a selected list of ''Science'' series.
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''Against The Elements''
*''[[Alien Encounters (TV series)|Alien Encounters]]''
*''All-American Makers''
*''America's Lost Vikings''
*''[[Are We Alone?]]''
*''[[BattleBots]]''
*''[[Before We Ruled the Earth]]''
*''[[Beyond Tomorrow (TV series)|Beyond Tomorrow]]''
*''Black Files Declassified''
*''[[Brainiac: Science Abuse]]''
*''Brink''
*''[[Build It Bigger]]''
*''[[Building Giants (TV series)|Building Giants]]''
*''Building the Ultimate''
*''[[Catch It Keep It]]''
*''Chaos Caught on Camera''
*''Close Encounters''
*''Colossal Construction''
*''Conspiracies Decoded''
*''Cooper's Treasures: The Legend Continues''
*''[[Cosmic Quantum Ray]]''
*''[[Cosmos: A Personal Voyage]]''
*''Curse of the Bermuda Triangle''
*''[[Nik Wallenda: Beyond Niagara|Danger by Design]]''
*''[[Dark Matters: Twisted But True]]''
*''[[The Day the Universe Changed]]''
*''Deconstructed''
*''[[Destroyed in Seconds]]''
*''[[Discover Magazine (TV series)|Discover Magazine]]''
*''[[Download The True Story of the Internet]]''
*''Ecotech''
*''Engineered''
*''Engineering Catastrophes''
*''Exodus Earth''
*''The Explosion Show''
*''[[Extreme Engineering]]''
*''Extreme Ice Machines''
*''Extreme Machines''
*''Factory Made''
*''Forbidden History''
*''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'' (re-runs)
*''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'' (re-runs)
*''Futurescape with [[James Woods]]''
*''[[The Gadget Show]]''
*''[[Head Games (game show)|Head Games]]''
*''[[Head Rush (TV series)|Head Rush]]''
*''[[How Do They Do It?]]''
*''[[How It's Made]]'' (see also [[List of How It's Made episodes]])
*''[[How the Universe Works]]''
* ''[[Human Universe]]''
*''Hurricane Man''
*''[[An Idiot Abroad]]''
*''If We Built It Today''
*''[[Impossible Engineering]]''
*''Impossible Fixes''
*''Ingenious Minds''
*''Invention Nation''
*''[[It's All Geek to Me]]''
*''[[Junkyard Wars]]''
*''[[Killers of the Cosmos]]''
*''Legends of the Deep''
*''[[List of An Idiot Abroad episodes#Lost Luggage (2013)|Lost Luggage]]''
*''Living with Dinosaurs''
*''Lost World Of Pompeii''
*''[[Mammals Vs. Dinos]]''
*''[[Mantracker]]''
*''Mega Machines''
*''[[Meteorite Men]]''
*''[[Miracle Planet]]''
*''[[The Moaning of Life]]''
*''[[Monster Bug Wars]]''
*''Monster Ships''
*''Mummy Mysteries''
*''Mutant Planet''
*''Mysteries of the Abandoned''
*''Mysteries of the Missing''
*''[[MythBusters]]''
*''[[MythBusters Jr.]]''
*''[[MythBusters: The Search]]''
*''NASA's Unexplained Files''<ref>{{cite web|title=NASA's Unexplained Files|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3952194/?ref_=tt_rec_tt|access-date=23 November 2016|date=27 March 2012}}</ref>
*''[[Oddities (TV series)|Oddities]]''
*''Outrageous Acts of Psych''
*''[[Outrageous Acts of Science]]''
*''[[Paleoworld]]''
*''[[Patent Bending]]''
*''Phantom Signals''
* ''[[The Planets and Beyond]]''
*''Popular Science's Future of...''
*''[[Prophets of Science Fiction]]''
*''[[Race to Escape]]''
*''[[Raging Planet]]''
*''[[ReGenesis]]'' (re-runs)
*''Savage Builds''
*''Sci Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible''
*''Science of the Movies''
*''Secret Nazi Ruins''
*''Secrets Of The Underground''
*''Shipwreck Secrets''
*''Skyscrapers: Engineering the Future''
*''Solar Empire''
*''[[Space's Deepest Secrets]]''
*''Species of Mass Destruction''
*''Strange Evidence''
*''Strip The City''
*''Strip The Cosmos''
*''[[Stuck with Hackett]]''
*''[[Stuff You Should Know#TV show|Stuff You Should Know]]''
*''[[Survivorman]]''
*''[[Terra Nova (TV series)|Terra Nova]]'' (re-runs)
*''[[Through the Wormhole]]'' (''with [[Morgan Freeman]]'')
*''[[Tomorrow's World Today]]''
*''T-Rex: New Science, New Beast''
*''Tracking Africa's Dinosaurs''
*''Triassic Giants''
*''Truth Behind the Moon Landing''
*''Underground Marvels''
*''[[Understanding (TV series)|Understanding]]''
*''Unearthed''
*''Unearthing Ancient Secrets''
*''Unearthing Ancient Secrets 2''
*''Unearthing Ancient Secrets 3''
*''Unexplained and Unexplored''
*''[[The Unexplained Files]]''
*''Utah's Dino Graveyard''
*''What Could Possibly Go Wrong?''
*''[[What on Earth? (American TV program)|What on Earth?]]''
*''[[Wonders of the Solar System]]''
*''[[Wonders of the Universe]]''
*''World's Strangest''
{{div col end}}

===Specials and miniseries===
*''2057'' – Predictions on the future technology of the body, city, and the world.
*''Base Camp Moon'' – Returning to the Moon, harvesting Moon dust for oxygen/water, robotics ([[Robonaut]]), etc.
*''[[The Challenger Disaster]]'' – A biography surrounding the mystery of the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|titular tragedy]], starring [[William Hurt]]. Science's first foray into dramatic programming, its premiere on the channel will be simulcast on sister network Discovery Channel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/10/discovery-channel-science-channel-challenger-disaster-620557/|title=Discovery To Simulcast Science Channel's First Scripted Film 'Challenger Disaster'|last=de Moraes|first=Lisa|work=Deadline}}</ref>
*''[[The Critical Eye]]'' – An eight-part series examining pseudoscientific and paranormal phenomena.
*''[[Dinosaur Revolution]]'' – A four-part miniseries on the natural history of [[dinosaur]]s. The last two episodes were planned to air on Discovery Channel, but a last-minute schedule change landed them on Science.
*''[[Exploring Time]]'' –  A two-hour television [[Documentary film|documentary]] [[miniseries]] about natural [[Time perception|time scale]] changes 
*''Extreme Smuggling''
*''Futurecar'' – New technology may be used to create advanced cars and sometimes funny cars in the future.
*''[[Hawking (2004 film)|Hawking]]'' – About the early work of British [[Theoretical physics|theoretical physicist]] [[Stephen Hawking]].
*''[[Hubble Live]]'' – Launch of Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' on NASA's Servicing Mission 4 (HST-SM4), the eleven-day fifth and final mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope
*''A Life In Memory'' – An hour-long documentary about [[Memories]], and [[PTSD]] and the ways they effect our lives. "Barney recalls the day he was hit by a car: his back was broken, and his wife was killed. Today, he will be given a pill to erase the memory of that tragic day for good. At a treatment center in Montreal, PTSD patients are given a second chance at life."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8174557|title=Nerd TV alert: A Life in Memory, Science Channel, 10/19 9pm ET|work=democraticunderground.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2008/04/08/science-channel-explores-full-spectrum-of-science-with-in-depth-engaging-programming-27209/20080408science01/|title=Science Channel Explores Full Spectrum of Science with In-Depth, Engaging Programming|work=thefutoncritic.com}}</ref>
*''[[List of An Idiot Abroad episodes#Lost Luggage (2013)|Lost Luggage]]'' – Rebroadcasts of ''[[An Idiot Abroad]]'' episodes from previous seasons, each including two new "Lost Luggage" segments filmed at [[Ricky Gervais]]' home in England in which Gervais and [[Karl Pilkington]] hold brief discussions.
*''[[Race to Mars|Mars Rising]]'' – A six-part series on possible future missions to Mars.
*''NextWorld'' – Predicting the future of the world, humanity, and life.
*''Outlaw Tech''
*''[[Perfect Disaster]]'' – Predicting violent [[natural disasters]] that could happen in the near future.
*''[[Prophets of Science Fiction]]'' – Biographies of some of the greatest [[science fiction]] authors.
*''Punkin Chunkin'' – A one-hour condensed version of the World Championship [[punkin chunkin]] contest in [[Sussex County, Delaware]]. Traditionally aired on [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]].
*''[[Science of Star Wars (miniseries)|Science of Star Wars]]'' – Explains how the cutting edge technology of ''[[Star Wars]]'' might be useful and possible to implement in everyday life.
*''[[Tank on the Moon]]'' – Concentrates on Russian attempts to launch an unmanned rover to the Moon before the successful American [[Apollo program]].
*''Uncovering Aliens'' - 2013 mini series of 4 episodes.
*''What the Ancients Knew'' – Rediscovered innovations of the ancient world.
*''The Planets''
*''The Planets and Beyond''

==International==
There are international versions of Science in [[Southeast Asia]], Europe, France, United Kingdom, Italy, India, Sweden, Turkey, Canada, Latin America and Australia. The channels are branded '''Discovery Science''' and do not broadcast all of the same shows as the US channel.

==See also==
* [[List of documentary channels]]
* [[Discovery Science (disambiguation)#TV channels]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.sciencechannel.com/ Science Channel]

{{Warner Bros. Discovery Networks}}
{{Warner Bros. Discovery}}

[[Category:Science Channel| ]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Discovery networks]]
[[Category:English-language television stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1996]]