Ask Dr. Science is a daily humorous radio sketch produced by the comedy troupe Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre

Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre

Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre is a comedy team best known for its radio sketches broadcast on National Public Radio. The group was formed in 1975 by University of Iowa students Bill Allard, Dan Coffey, Merle Kessler, Leon Martell, and Jim Turner. In 1976, the comedians moved to San...

. It is broadcast on many public radio stations, using a format that mixes elements of a commercial bumper

Commercial bumper

In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper or break-bumper is a brief announcement, usually two to 15 seconds that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercial break, and vice versa...

 and a public service announcement

Public service announcement

A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...

. A concerned citizen asks a question, which is answered by an expert, "Dr. Science." Not surprisingly, the questions are never answered correctly, and often are little more than a launching point for a non sequitur

Non sequitur (absurdism)

A non sequitur is a conversational and literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is a comment that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what it follows, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing....

 monologue

Monologue

In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...

 from Dr. Science. The show's motto is "He knows more than you do." The sketch always concludes with the disclaimer

Disclaimer

A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship...

 that he is "not a real doctor," although Dr. Science insists he has "a Master's Degree... in science!"

The program features two Duck's Breath members, Dan Coffey as Dr. Science and Merle Kessler as his assistant/announcer Rodney.

In the segment's earliest days, it was known as "Ask Mr. Science."

Other media

Coffey and Kessler wrote "The Official Dr. Science Big Book of Science Simplified!" in 1986.

In 1987, a Dr. Science television series on the Fox

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 network starred all five members of the Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre, as well as Denny Dillon. It ran for about 12 episodes.http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0309148/

During the early 2000s, the Warner Bros.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...

 website Entertaindom aired a series of CG

Computer-generated imagery

Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...

animated shorts featuring popular clips from the Ask Dr. Science radio broadcasts.