Human Universe (2014) [repost]

In this spectacular series, Professor Cox offers an original new perspective on human life: the story of a group of apes that evolved to leave their home planet and step out into the universe. Humans are curious creatures. Of all the species on Earth, we alone ask questions. This series tackles the greatest questions we've ever asked.

Ancient civilisations thought comets were Gods. They believed them to be bringers of life or harbingers of doom - these strange, magical, mysterious things that moved through the sky, fiery streaks of light that tore across the heavens.

For thousands of years, stars have been the prime example of something unattainable and unknowable—places so far away that we can learn almost nothing about them. Yet amazingly, astronomers have been able to discover exactly what stars are made of, how they are born, how they shine, how they die, and how they play a surprisingly direct role in our lives. Over the past century, this research has truly touched the stars, uncovering the essential nature of the beautiful panoply of twinkling lights that spans the night sky.

Mathematics is a poem. It is a lucid, sensual, precise exposition of beautiful ideas directed to specific goals. It is worthwhile to have as broad a cross-section of mankind as possible be conversant with what goes on in mathematics. Just as everyone knows that the Internet is a powerful and important tool for communication, so everyone should know that the Poincaré conjecture gives us important information about the shape of our universe. Just as every responsible citizen realizes that the mass-production automobile was pioneered by Henry Ford, so everyone should know that the P/NP problem has implications for security and data manipulation that will affect everyone.