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Neil deGrasse Tyson builds a Frankenstein athlete on Sports Sci-Q

Ever wonder what a Frankenstein athlete might look like? Yahoo Sports and Neil DeGrasse Tyson join forces on a new series answering all of those burning sports science questions that have perplexed fans for ages. Joined by StarTalk hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice, Sports Sci-Q is the new series you didn’t know you needed...until now!

Video Transcript

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: What I like is the idea that, let's find reflexes out there that are much greater than that of humans. And gene splice it into humans.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

GARY O'REILLY: Hey Neil, we know that we've got athletes extending their careers. With all sorts of physiological advantages. But what if we Frankenstein an athlete? What if I said it's important to have really great vision? I'll give him the compounded eyes of a fly.

NEIL: What I like is the idea that, let's find reflexes out there that are much greater than that of humans. And gene splice it into humans. So Frankenstein, we're building a Frankenstein here Gary. So Zoom vision, high reflexes, and can run fast. So get some of that from cheetah maybe.

GARY: I need some cartoon speed.

NEIL: Cartoon speed.

GARY: That's what I want. Cartoon speed, yeah.

CHUCK NICE: You want road runner speed.

GARY: I want an NFL player that can catch their own pass.

NEIL: Oh, yea OK.

CHUCK: That already exists. You haven't been on YouTube lately.

NEIL: Wait that would be an illegal receiver downfield, I think.

CHUCK: No you right, yeah you couldn't pass it to yourself if you were the quarterback. But you would definitely be the most popular quarterback in the NFL.

[LAUGHING]

NEIL: Run Forrest, run. So then you have to have good catching ability. So you need sticky hands. Which they already try to do that, maybe. Has that been outlawed yet?

CHUCK: They've got the gloves.

GARY: Give the athlete gecko hands.

NEIL: Gecko hands, right. The sticky hands. Because there's tactile, and so you get gecko hands. You want fly eyeballs, I'll give you that, that's fine. I was going to give him eagle eyes but fly eyeballs are good too. Reflexes of a cat.

GARY: Mongoose.

NEIL: Mongoose reflexes, very nice. Have you seen a mongoose fight a cobra? Oh my gosh. Cobra strikes and mongoose said, no you're not. The mongoose is just so casually getting out of the way of this lightning fast strike. You know speed and agility seems to be more important in more sports than strengthen does.

GARY: But I need pain threshold. I need a high pain threshold.

NEIL: Pain threshold, so who would that be?

CHUCK: Armadillo.

NEIL: What? How do you know this, Chuck?

CHUCK: Aren't they bullet proof? I don't know.

[LAUGHING]

NEIL: The armor, of course, stupid me. If you drive in Texas, you'll see some flattened armadillos. They may be bulletproof, but they're not automobile wheel proof.

[LAUGHING]

Gary, so we just made your Frankenstein athlete.

GARY: I am beside myself with joy.

[LAUGHING]