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Origins: Back to the Beginning
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Program Overview
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Origins: Earth is Born Program Overview
Origins: How Life Began Program Overview
Origins: Where are the Aliens? Program Overview
NOVA chronicles the discoveries that led to scientists' current
understanding of how the universe was formed.
The program:
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describes the serendipitous discovery of the Cosmic Microwave
Background (CMB) radiation, a faint energy signal believed to be
left over from the big bang.
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notes that initial studies of the CMB revealed a smooth, uniform
glow that gave no indication of any regions of density that may
have provided the basis for today's cosmic structures.
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explains that researchers sought a higher-resolution image of
the CMB to discover what happened during the big bang that made
it possible for the universe to evolve into its current form.
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relates findings by the 1991 Cosmic Background Explorer
satellite that first revealed hints of variations in the CMB.
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follows the scientific teams working on the Cosmic Background
Imager (CBI) and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)
as they compete to provide a higher-resolution picture of the
CMB.
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explains how elements are formed in a star—hydrogen and
helium fuse into increasingly heavy elements until a star
collapses and explodes, thereby providing enough energy for the
remaining iron to undergo reactions that create all known
remaining elements.
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speculates that a critical abundance of heavy elements is
necessary for life to form and that already enriched star
nurseries like the Eagle Nebula might be prime locations for the
development of solar systems with habitable planets.
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details scientists' discovery of thousands of galaxies rich in
heavy elements, leading some scientists to believe that life
could emerge almost anywhere in the universe.
Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after the program
is taped off the air.
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