Through the Wormhole with subtitle

Science is a long way from answering the question posed in this program. But exploring it has proved a fertile avenue for investigation into what exactly is consciousness and self-awareness.

To the average person it seems obvious that the universe must have an edge. Yet most cosmologists think that like a ball, or more likely a bagel, the universe has no end, other then a temporal one - a beginning and, perhaps, an end. But several scientists agree with the common man that there is an edge to the universe and they have some definite ideas about what is beyond the edge and how to prove their case.

After a brief explanation of how we measure time this program takes a detailed look at how we perceive time. Then it's time for the physicists to present their ideas about what time is before Steve Weinstein talks about two dimensional time.

To scientists it looks like the weakness of gravity, the existence of dark matter and the big bang may all be dependent on how many dimensions there are to the universe. But are the three dimensions we're used to too few or too many? This program examines the pet theories of several scientists about the dimensionality of our universe, how they are going about proving their theories and why their theories don't agree with the three dimensions that seem obvious to us.

Several scientists have conducted experiments, although with somewhat questionable controls, that suggest humans may have a rudimentary capabilities for telepathy and precognition. This program reviews the studies and the scientists speculate about how these capabilities may work and why we might have them.

This program presents the scientific foundation for parallel universes. Then it reviews the various speculative ideas scientists are exploring about how universes form and how they interact. In our explorations we bump into our old cosmic friends; black holes, white holes, dark matter and the big bang.

Quantum theory, the best explanation of how atoms and anything smaller behave, is so weird even scientists who have mastered it find it baffling. But bit by bit scientists are finding maybe it's not so weird as comparable behavior is discovered in our every day world. It's just that no one noticed before.

The laws of physics allow a variety of ways to get around the universe faster than the speed of light. These prospects are explained along with the daunting engineering challenges of making them practical and safe.

This program reviews current thinking about what causes death and aging. Then it examines increasingly bizarre ideas about how to prevent them.

Mankind longs for proof that we are not alone in the universe, but the moment of first contact will certainly mean the end of the world as we know it. Whether that is a bad thing for humanity or the start of a great future is the subject of much debate.

Are races different on the inside as well as the outside? Is there such a thing as race at all? Or, could advances in technology create a superior race? The answers to these questions may tell us where humanity is headed.

The cosmos may be a superorganism, a collection of separate bodies acting like a single being. Scientists are probing this colossal creature for its beating heart, quantum-computing brain and even its offspring. Or are space & time illusions we created?

What is it that gives each one of us a unique identity? As we move through life our outer appearances transform almost entirely. Our opinions and ideas change. Are we all born with a permanent sense of self or can our identities be altered?

Can there be such a thing as nothing? Scientists are looking for answers in the mind-bending science of Quantum Mechanics. Their work may uncover what our cosmos is made of, how it came from nothing and when it might collapse into an empty void again.

What if death wasn't the end? Resurrecting bodies isn't enough. To truly live again, we must also resurrect our minds. Scientists are developing ways to digitally preserve the contents of our brains. We may rise again as software, embedded in new forms.

Researchers are uncovering the hidden forces that inflame our inner demons, looking for ways to neutralize the source of evil in the brain. Methods include learning impulse control and stimulating altruism. But can psychopaths who lack empathy be helped?

The subconscious has long been thought of as the source of our primal fears and desires. But scientists have discovered how the subconscious makes snap decisions that protect us from harm, and that it can be trained to actually heal our bodies of disease.

Can time tick on forever or will time itself end? It's possible that eternity already exists, and the future is traveling back in time to shape the present. Or time might even be a holographic projection, reaching back to us from the end of eternity!

Scientists have hunted for a particle to explain how matter came to exist in the universe. In 2012 they found it - the Higgs Boson, the God Particle. But the discovery raises many questions. And what if we owe our existence something else?

What defines the beginning of a life? New evidence reveals that inside all of us are traces of cells from our relatives, blurring the lines between one life and another. Technology is now giving birth to new life forms made of surprising components.

We are all at the mercy of the Sun: someday, it will bathe us in a fiery, planetary holocaust. How can we survive the death of our star? The technology to move ourselves to Mars or another “Earth” sounds like sci-fi, but almost within our grasp.

By studying the non-humans in our midst, the evolution of human language, and the psychology of super-intelligent beings, scientists are learning how alien minds might function.

Every person who has lived was created from the genes of one man and one woman, but human reproduction is about to undergo a revolution. Technology is close to making children from two fathers, or two mothers. If this is the case, will sex become extinct?

Our minds store our entire lives, our memories and our deepest desires and our brains are biological computers. Could brain hackers someday be able to rewrite our thoughts similar to how computer hackers hack email?

From our smartphones to our cars, we have robots that live and work beside us. We are designing them to think and move on their own. Is it possible that these objects evolve to be smarter than humans or will we choose to merge with the machines?

Do we live in the “real world” or is it all in our mind? Our perception of reality is controlled by society. Thanks to “the optimism bias”, we make unrealistic assessments about our own reality. Human senses capture only a small part of nature.

What if everything that has or will happen has already been determined? Until the discovery of quantum uncertainty, physicists were convinced free will does not exist. Now other scientists have stepped into the fray, arguing that free will is an illusion.

Is God worshiped in other worlds across the cosmos? How might alien deities differ from our own? Have advanced aliens discovered everything there is to know about the universe, or are they too looking for answers? The answer may lie buried on Earth.

Do you make your own luck or does luck make you? We find luck, good and bad, in casinos, basketball courts, genetics labs and the subatomic world. It's a journey that will radically revise your understanding of the laws of nature and the human brain.

Are the wealthy just born in the right place at the right time? Are the poor victims of a system designed to keep them down? Or do physics and biology determine who is rich and who is poor? Scientists have found that throughout history, the distribution of wealth is governed by hidden forces: DNA, environmental stress, patterns of human migration and even the laws of thermodynamics! Nature seems to demand winners and losers in life. But does this mean greed is king, and the rich can take what they want? Or does the cooperation among even the smallest microorganisms

The stability of the US, Europe, China, or any global power depends on high-speed digital communication. With a little imagination, could a few terrorists sabotage this massive network? Cripple a mighty nation? Perhaps even tear down modern civilization? Our increasing dependence on digital devices and global interactivity may be placing us in grave danger. Scientists around the world are dealing with new threats such as body hacking, Trojan Horse viruses, and brain-damaging Internet addiction. But what if the ultimate threat isn't an attack on technology, but the …

There could be an undiscovered species on Earth unlike anything we've ever known. Not in the ocean, but the ocean itself.

It is a nightmare that has stalked us for centuries: hordes of human beings transformed into mindless, bloodthirsty monsters that usher in the downfall of civilization. Could this nightmare ever become reality? Scientists have discovered pathogens that turn insects into the walking dead. New deadly strains of viruses are attacking humans every day. Mathematicians are calculating the likelihood of surviving a zombie virus outbreak. Neuroscientists are even discovering that we can easily lose conscious control of our bodies. If we were in the middle of a zombie …

Gravity is an unsolved mystery of the universe. Why do all objects that have mass pull on one another? New theories propose unexpected answers.

Humanity's potential seems limitless. But could we become as powerful as God? Scientific breakthroughs grant our species seemingly divine abilities.

Cosmologists agree that “dark matter” has helped shape our Universe, but now they need to figure out what dark matter is. What's going on in this hidden world? Could it have formed its own dark stars, planets, and even life forms?

If you had less than one second to make a life-or-death decision to shoot a man who might be armed with a lethal weapon, what would you do? Would the ethnicity of the man affect your decision?

We move around in space, but we are stuck in a prison of time moving ever forwards. Is our experience of the ticking clock merely a trick of the mind? Could science ever make the clock move backwards?

A dissection of the causes of terrorism.

Science reveals the line between male and female is blurred, and the battle of the sexes happens deep within our cells.