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Focal Point

2021

Seasons & Episodes

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EP1 3D Printing Mars Habitats Nov 14, 2021

NASA invited engineers and architects from around the world to design future habitats for Mars. Here's what they came up with.

EP2 Inside a Synthetic DNA Factory Nov 14, 2021

In this DNA factory, organism engineers are using robots and automation to build completely new forms of life.

EP3 Designer Pathogens Nov 14, 2021

Engineered bioweapons are the new security threat.

EP4 Radioactive Carbon Nov 14, 2021

The amount of carbon-14 doubled in our atmosphere between 1955 and 1963, a time when nuclear bomb tests were popping off in the desert. Bomb carbon is still everywhere: in our tissues, in the environment, and even in the deepest parts of the ocean.

EP5 The Hunt for Dark Energy Is On Nov 14, 2021

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) will measure dark energy's effect on the expansion of the universe. We dive into the mysteries of dark energy, the engineering behind DESI and what it may discover about the force that governs our universe.

EP6 Self-Aware Robots Nov 14, 2021

At Columbia's Creative Machines Laboratory, Hod Lipson and his students are building consciousness from the ground up. Starting with the most basic definition of what it means to be self-aware, they're building robots that can "imagine themselves."

EP7 Our Solar System's Edge Nov 14, 2021

Since launching in 1977, the Voyager space probes have traveled farther from Earth than any other man-made object. They've observed planets, swept past the Sun, and have left our solar system for a new great beyond for mankind: the interstellar medium.

EP8 Silicon Chips' Next Frontier Nov 14, 2021

Moore's Law is the golden rule in computing: the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years, while the cost halves. We've hit a physical limit on how small these transistors can get, but a few chipmakers are betting big on something new.

EP9 The Superheavy Atom Factory Nov 14, 2021

We've been slowly filling out the periodic table since the late 1800s. But as we push the periodic table farther and farther into the unknown, its familiar columns and rows are threatening to crumble under the weight of bizarre superheavy elements.

EP10 What Cells Actually Look Like Nov 14, 2021

There's a revolution happening in the field of biology thanks to a wave of new imaging techniques. One of the newly invented microscopes can capture 3D images and videos of cells inside living organisms to a scale never seen before.

EP11 Exotic Matter in Space Nov 14, 2021

Atomic physicists have built a cold-atom laboratory that can probe the strange and curious quantum world up close.

EP12 Deepfakes Aren't Going Away Nov 14, 2021

Since 2017, deepfakes have taken the internet by storm, rising to a point where politicians are worried that these altered videos could sway elections and even pose a national security threat.

EP13 Rocket-Powered Car Nov 14, 2021

Since 1997, the record for the world's fastest car has been held by Thrust SSC, which‚ travelling at 763 mph‚ became the very first car to break the sound barrier. Now, 22 years later, the same engineering team is looking to beat their own record.

EP14 Moon Water to Rocket Fuel Nov 14, 2021

Long the stuff of science fiction, mining for resources on the Moon is starting to come into focus. We meet a team of engineers who are figuring out how to turn the Moon's billion-year-old water into rocket fuel and breathable oxygen for astronauts.

EP15 The New Dark Matter Particle Nov 14, 2021

When it comes to dark matter, it might be time to leave WIMPS behind, as there's a new candidate that's been pulling ahead of its competitors in recent months: axions. Welcome to the new era of dark matter hunting.
5.5| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

Humankind's understanding of the universe is advancing at an unprecedented rate. This docu-series examines new breakthroughs, new technology and new ways of looking at the world.

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Director

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Discovery+

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Reviews

Supelice Dreadfully Boring
Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.
Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.