Focal Point
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.
Documentary
Episodes (15)
3D Printing Mars Habitats
NASA invited engineers and architects from around the world to design future habitats for Mars. Here's what they came up with.
Inside a Synthetic DNA Factory
In this DNA factory, organism engineers are using robots and automation to build completely new forms of life.
Designer Pathogens
Engineered bioweapons are the new security threat.
Radioactive Carbon
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.
The Hunt for Dark Energy Is On
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.
Self-Aware Robots
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."
Our Solar System's Edge
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.
Silicon Chips' Next Frontier
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.
The Superheavy Atom Factory
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.
What Cells Actually Look Like
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.
Exotic Matter in Space
Atomic physicists have built a cold-atom laboratory that can probe the strange and curious quantum world up close.
Deepfakes Aren't Going Away
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.
Rocket-Powered Car
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.
Moon Water to Rocket Fuel
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.
The New Dark Matter Particle
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.
