On the Dark Side

Includes 2 programs. Program 1: Cosmic Alchemy (60 min.) In the beginning, the universe started as a single point. Yet from this tiny beginning came all the matter that we can see around us today. How could pure energy become matter? Over the last century, a series of discoveries have shed light on our understanding of matter. This episode features the basics: fire, water, air, and gas, in addition to more complex findings of elements and matter, from the periodic table to Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Program 2: On the Dark Side (60 min.) In the 1950s, a young scientist discovered the stars in rotating spiral galaxies seem to be held together by an unseen force. Vera Rubin proposed that the space is filled with dark matter. This program looks at what we know about dark matter, which some scientists believe makes up 99% of the universe.