Ep 6. What's the Universe Made of?

In NOVA Wonders season 1 episode 6, What's the Universe Made of?, viewers are taken on a journey to understand the building blocks of our universe. While scientists have made incredible progress in identifying the elements that make up our world, there is still much to learn about what the cosmos is made of.

The episode begins by exploring the periodic table of elements, which contains all the known building blocks of matter. The host explains that the table has a certain structure based on the unique properties of each element, and spins a wheel full of the elements to show how they combine to make many of the objects we use every day.

From there, we learn about experiments being conducted at places like the Large Hadron Collider, which can recreate conditions present at the very beginning of the universe. Scientists are able to identify new kinds of particles using these massive machines, but there is still much to learn about how these particles fit into the grand scheme of things.

As the episode unfolds, viewers are asked to consider the mystery of dark matter, which scientists believe makes up a significant portion of the universe's mass. Dark matter doesn't emit or absorb light, so it's invisible to traditional telescopes. However, scientists are developing new ways to detect this hidden matter and understand how it interacts with the rest of the universe.

Throughout the episode, stunning visualizations help viewers grasp the scale of the universe and the complex interactions that govern it. We see galaxies and clusters of galaxies, which are made up of billions of stars and planets. We also learn about the role of gravity and how it shapes the universe we see today.

The host interviews scientists from around the world who are conducting research on some of the most pressing questions in physics and astrophysics. Viewers will meet researchers who are studying the effects of black holes on their surroundings, and others who are trying to understand the nature of dark energy, which is believed to be responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe.

As the episode draws to a close, viewers are left with a sense of wonder and curiosity about the universe we inhabit. There is still so much we don't understand about the world around us, but scientists are making incredible progress in unraveling its mysteries. Whether you're a seasoned physicist or a curious beginner, this episode of NOVA Wonders is sure to inspire deeper thinking about the universe and what it's made of.