Human Universe (2014) Season 1-(RiPSaLoT)

Human Universe (2014) Season 1



1 Apeman - Spaceman 2014-10-07

Of all the creatures to have ever crawled, swum or flown over the Earth, only one creature has evolved the ability to escape the planet - us. For Brian, our ascent marks the pinnacle of our achievements as a species. So who are we? How - from a universe made of stars, rocks and endless space - did our civilisation emerge?



2 Why Are We Here? 2014-10-14

Brian Cox tackles the question that unites the 7 billion people on Earth, why are we here?

Brian reveals how the wonderful complexity of nature and human life is simply the consequence of chance events constrained by the laws of physics that govern our universe. But this leads him to a deeper question - why does our universe seem to have been set up with just the right rules to create us? In a dizzying conclusion Brian unpicks this question, revealing the very latest understanding of how the universe came to be this way, and in doing so offers a radical new answer to why we are here.



3 Are We Alone? 2014-10-21

Brian Cox explores the ingredients needed for an intelligent civilisation to evolve in the universe - the need for a benign star, for a habitable planet, for life to spontaneously arise on such a planet, and the time required for intelligent life to evolve and build a civilisation. Brian weighs the evidence and arrives at his own provocative answer to the puzzle of our apparent solitude.



4 A Place in Space and Time 2014-10-28

Professor Brian Cox explores our origins, place and destiny in the universe. We all start our lives thinking that we are at the centre of the universe, surrounded by our family and the world as it spins around us. But the urge to explore is strong. Brian tells the story of how our innate human curiosity has led us from feeling that we are at the centre of everything, to our modern understanding of our true place in space and time - that we are living 13.8 billion years from the beginning of the universe, on a mere speck of rock in a possibly infinite expanse of space.

The story begins with Brian climbing to the summit of the spectacular fortified village of Ait-Ben-Haddou in the foothills of Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Here he reveals how, by watching the stars' motion across the night's sky, it was natural for us to believe we were at the centre of everything - a view that held sway for millennia.

It was in Renaissance Venice that our demotion from the centre of the universe began. Here, thanks to the artisan glass-blowers in the city, Galileo was able to build the first telescope and discover our position was not at the centre, rather just one of a number of planets that orbit the sun.



5 What is our Future? 2014-11-04

Brian concludes his exploration of our place in the Universe, asking the question what is next for the ape that went to space. He visits Northern Spain, exploring a cave which was home to our ancient ancestors. He also heads to the Arctic, to see what sets us apart from other species. Brian heads to the top of the world - Svalbard, were he unlocks the secret to our long term survival.