THE ALL-NEW SCIENCE LAUNCHES AN EXPLOSIVE SLATE OF PROGRAMMING FOR THE 2011-2012 UPFRONT

SCIENCE Is Discovery Communications' Home for Audacious Imagination

(New York, NY) - Fresh off the announcement of its new network name, logo and on-air look, SCIENCE today revealed its 2011-2012 Upfront slate. Discovery Communications' home for the thought provocateur, SCIENCE, presented an all-new lineup of series and specials at the company's Upfront presentation in New York. This latest content offering continues the network's legacy of leadership in deep-science programming, while broadening the boundaries of the genre to incorporate humor, science fiction and sports.

"SCIENCE always has challenged viewers to look beyond the known and rethink their reality," said Debbie Adler Myers, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SCIENCE. "We are the home for audacious imagination - and we're not afraid to take risks that expand your mind. This is reflected in our 2011-2012 Upfront lineup, which is the strongest in our network's history."

Headlining the slate is the second season of the network's highest-rated series ever, AN IDIOT ABROAD, featuring the minds behind "The Office" and "Extras," Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. In AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: THE BUCKET LIST, Gervais and Merchant send their reluctant friend, Karl Pilkington, around the world to sample adventures that "you must experience before you die". Also highlighting the lineup is the third season of THROUGH THE WORMHOLE WITH MORGAN FREEMAN, targeted for 3Q12. The second season of the series premieres on Wednesday, June 8, at 10:00 PM (ET/PT) on SCIENCE.

In late 2011, SCIENCE will premiere PROPHETS OF SCIENCE FICTION, led by Ridley Scott, the visionary director of "Blade Runner," "Alien" and "Gladiator." This epic, eight-episode series will profile the great minds of science fiction who influenced the future of technology. SCIENCE's original franchise SCI SPORTS also returns, including fan-favorite specials, PUNKIN CHUKNIN and LARGE DANGEROUS ROCKET SHIPS, as well as all-new events, FLYING ANVILS and KILLER ROBOTS: ROBOGAMES 2012.

Full listing of programming below:

NEW SERIES

Ridley Scott's Prophets of Science Fiction (4Q11) (8x60)

Hosted by Ridley Scott - the visionary mind behind "Blade Runner" and "Alien" - Prophets of Science Fiction reveals the secrets of the uncanny vision of science fiction's founding fathers. Episodes include an intimate look into the minds of legendary figures including Isaac Asimov, Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas to examine how their work often inspired future discoveries decades before they took place.

Agent of Invention (2Q12) (TBD)

Every backyard inventor has a million-dollar idea. They often pour everything they have into turning their dreams into a prototype. AGENT OF INVENTION follows the man that can make these dreams come true. He scours the country visiting the most insane "engi-nerds" looking for that one product that will be financial lightning in a bottle. The stakes couldn't be higher, as viewers experience what it takes to find the next big invention.

Will Wright Future Project (3Q12) (TBD)

See history and the butterfly effect through the mind of gaming genius Will Wright. We will race forward and backward through time to see the causes and effects of some of the most important and minute moments in our collective history. Each episode will unravel as a mystery as we explore worlds that have been, those that will be, and those that will never exist because of the choices that we make.

Weird Travel (TBD 2012) (TBD)

Casting the strangest people and places hidden from the world. From the moonshiners of Appalachia to the Bigfoot hunters of Southern Florida, WEIRD TRAVEL exposes some of the strangest subcultures found anywhere.

RETURNING SERIES

AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: the BUCKET LIST (1Q12) (8x60)

In the first season of AN IDIOT ABROAD, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant conducted the grandest social experiment in television history, as they forced their close-minded friend, Karl Pilkington, to travel around the globe to experience the Seven Wonders of the World. AN IDIOT ABROAD 2: THE BUCKET LIST again finds Pilkington sent out on a forced quest. This time, Gervais and Merchant send their reluctant friend around the world to sample adventures that "you must experience before you die." The only problem is that the trip might kill him.

Meteorite Men: Season 3 (4Q11) (8x60)

In search of extraterrestrial treasures, meteorite hunters, Geoff and Steve, are on the hunt for space rocks buried for thousands of years and older than the Planet Earth. The third season of the popular franchise will take viewers on some of the wildest adventures yet to find treasure from outer space.

How Its Made: Season 11 (4Q11) (26x30)

Dive into one of SCIENCE's signature shows for its eleventh season to find out how the everyday objects people use become the things they are.

Through The Wormhole with Morgan Freeman: Season 3 (3Q12) (TBD)

Hosted by Morgan Freeman, THROUGH THE WORMHOLE explores the deepest mysteries of existence - the questions that have puzzled mankind for eternity. What are we made of? What was there before the beginning? Are we really alone? These questions have been pondered by the most brilliant minds in history. Now, modern science may be able to provide us with answers.

MANTRACKER: SEASON 6 (3Q12) (TBD)

MANTRACKER is the ultimate game of wise wits meets survival skills: Two people take off into the bush with a map, a compass and a head start. Mantracker is on horseback, armed with a local guide and an arsenal of forensic skills. The challengers have 36 hours to reach a finish line some 25 miles away without getting caught, but how they escape is up to them.

SPECIALS

SCI SPORTS - Punkin Chunkin (4Q11) (1x120)

For 24 years, the great pumpkin has been at the center of the World Championship Punkin Chunkin, where "backyard engineers" test the limits of pumpkin physics during a three-day festival in Bridgeville, Delaware.

Karl Bushby Project (1x60)

Bushby is a British ex-paratrooper, walking adventurer and author, currently attempting to be the first person to completely walk an unbroken path around the world. Leaving his family behind, Bushby has spent the past 12 years on this quest. SCIENCE has exclusive access to his original footage from the most remote locations in the world over this time period.

SCI SPORTS: Killer Robots (2Q12) (1x60)

Every year robot maniacs from around the world converge in San Franscico for Robogames, a three day event that celebrates the culture of extreme robotics. The marque event is the Heavyweight Combat Division, the Super Bowl of robot fighting where 220 pound robots warriors fight to the death, with the last robot standing being crowned the king of killer robots.

SCI SPORTS: Flying Anvils (3Q12) (1x60)

While most people may not know what the sport actually is, anvil shooting is entwined in American history. Dating back to the Civil War, anvil shoots were originally a method of celebration and used to commemorate American independence. For this special, we'll dig deep into the culture of anvil shooting and focus on the premiere event, the national Anvil Shootout, where fanatic anvil crafters compete to see who can design the most aerodynamic piece of steel and launch it the highest.

SCI SPORTS: Large Dangerous Rocket Ships (3Q12) (1x60)

Every year, rocket enthusiasts from around the country descend upon Lucerne Valley, CA for the ultimate event in competitive rocketry - LDRS, otherwise known as Large, Dangerous Rocket Ships. From incredibly powerful rockets reaching altitudes of up to 100,000 feet to flying Port-O-Potties, these amateur engineers are here to show NASA how it's done.

Ridley Scott's Prophets of Science Fiction is produced by Ridley Scott for SCIENCE. SCI SPORTS - Punkin Chunkin, Flying Anvils, LDRS and Killer Robots are produced by Sharp Productions. The Karl Bushby Project and THE RIDE are produced by Relativity Real. Season 3 of Meteorite Men is produced by LMNO productions. HOW ITS MADE Season 11 is produced by Maj Productions. How Do They Do It Season 9 is produced by Wag Productions. Iron Doctors is produced by Departure. Agent of Invention is produced by Intuitive Productions. The Michael Crichton Project is produced by New Animal. The Will Wright Future Project is produced by Raw TV. Through The Wormhole with Morgan Freeman Season 3 is produced by Revelations/Incubator.

About SCIENCE:

SCIENCE, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), is home for the thought provocateur, the individual who is unafraid to ask the killer questions of "how" and "why not." The network is a playground for those with audacious intellects and features programming willing to go beyond imagination to explore the unknown. Guided by curiosity, SCIENCE looks for innovation in mysterious new worlds as well as in its own backyard. SCIENCE and the SCIENCE HD simulcast reach more than 68 million U.S. households. The network also features high-traffic online and social media destinations, including ScienceChannel.com, facebook.com/Science Channel and twitter.com/Science Channel.