All language subtitles for Finding Life in Outer Space 1080p EN SUB

♪

Narrator: PLANET EARTH.

[WAVES CRASHING]

OUR HOME.

WE ARE PART

OF AN ASTOUNDING
INTERDEPENDENT ECOSYSTEM,

COATING ITS SURFACE...

CONTAINING A DIZZYING VARIETY
OF ANIMALS AND PLANTS.

LIFE IS AMAZING.

BUT IT’S INCREDIBLE
IT EXISTS AT ALL.

♪

EXTREME FORCES
DOMINATE THE COSMOS.

[EXPLOSION]

IT COULD NOT APPEAR
MORE HOSTILE

TO THE EXISTENCE AND SURVIVAL
OF FRAGILE ORGANISMS.

[EXPLOSION]

PLANET EARTH HAS LONG SEEMED
A UNIQUE OASIS

IN A VIOLENT, BARREN UNIVERSE.

♪

[CLICKING AND WHIRRING]

BUT GROUNDBREAKING SCIENCE
IS NOW CHALLENGING THIS VIEW.

Man: HOW, WHEN, AND WHERE

LIFE MIGHT HAVE ARISEN
IN THE UNIVERSE--

IT’S PROBABLY
THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

THAT MODERN SCIENCE
CAN HOPE TO ADDRESS.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS ARE REVEALING

THE INCREDIBLE ALCHEMY
OF STARLIGHT.

Man: UV PHOTONS CAN COME IN
AND BREAK A MOLECULE IN HALF.

Narrator: THEY ARE UNCOVERING
EXPLOSIVE SECRETS

ABOUT THE ORIGINS
OF LIFE ON EARTH.

Man: WE WERE
LITERALLY GOBSMACKED

AT THE RESULTS WE GOT.

Narrator: AND DETECTING
TELLTALE TRACES

OF LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS.

Man: THAT’S BIG, THAT’S HUGE.

I DON’T SEE WHY LIFE WOULDN’T
HAVE STARTED ON MARS.

Narrator: AND AS NEW TECHNOLOGY
BRINGS THE SKIES ABOVE

INTO EVER-SHARPER FOCUS,

THE CONCLUSIONS
ARE MIND-BLOWING.

Woman: WHEN I GO OUT AT NIGHT
AND LOOK AT THE SKY,

I DON’T SEE THOSE PINPOINTS
OF LIGHTS AS STARS;

I SEE THEM AS PLANETARY SYSTEMS.

Narrator:
MANY SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE

WE ARE NOT ALONE.

Man: EARTH AND LIFE ON EARTH
IS NOT UNIQUE.

ALL THE CLUES ARE POINTING
IN THAT DIRECTION.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

♪

Narrator: LIFE IS ASTOUNDING.

INSIDE EVERY CELL OF EVERY PLANT
AND EVERY CREATURE

LIES A STAGGERINGLY
COMPLEX WORLD

SUSTAINED BY INTRICATELY
CONSTRUCTED ORGANIC MOLECULES.

Chris McKay:
THE SIMPLEST CELL ON EARTH

IS THE MOST COMPLICATED THING
WE CAN IMAGINE.

ALL SORTS OF MOLECULAR MACHINES
WORKING TOGETHER,

PROCESSING INFORMATION,
PROCESSING MATTER,

PROCESSING ENERGY,

ALL TO ENSURE THE SURVIVAL
AND THE REPRODUCTION

OF THIS LITTLE
TINY ORGANISM.

Narrator:
HOW SUCH COMPLEX STRUCTURES

EVER CAME INTO EXISTENCE

HAS LONG BEEN ONE OF EARTH’S
GREATEST MYSTERIES.

BUT 21st-CENTURY SCIENCE

HAS STARTED TO LOOK BEYOND
OUR PLANET FOR ANSWERS

AND COME TO SOME
INCREDIBLE CONCLUSIONS.

Jeremy Drake:
THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE

IS ACTUALLY CENTRAL

TO THE WHOLE QUESTION
OF THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION

OF LIFE ON EARTH.

WITHOUT THE REST
OF THE UNIVERSE,

WE WOULDN’T BE HERE.

Narrator: IT STARTS WITH
THE UNIVERSE’S BUILDING BLOCKS--

ATOMS.

ALL GIANT ORGANIC MOLECULES,
LIKE DNA,

CONTAIN COUNTLESS ATOMS
IN INTRICATE FORMATION.

MOSTLY THE BIG FOUR--

HYDROGEN, OXYGEN,
CARBON, AND NITROGEN--

WITH A SPRINKLING
OF HEAVIER ELEMENTS.

BUT WHERE DO THE ATOMS
ORIGINATE?

AND HOW DID THEY COME TO FORM
THESE STRUCTURES?

IT TURNS OUT

THAT TO UNCOVER
THE SECRETS OF LIFE

WE MUST TRACK THE EVOLUTION
OF THE COSMOS ITSELF.

♪

13.8 BILLION YEARS AGO...

THE UNIVERSE BEGINS
WITH THE BIG BANG.

♪

WITHIN A SECOND,

IT COOLS ENOUGH
FOR PARTICLES TO FORM.

AND WITHIN A FEW
HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS,

THESE PARTICLES COMBINE,

FORMING THE FIRST SIMPLE ATOMS--

HYDROGEN AND HELIUM.

THESE ANCIENT ATOMS ARE
THE FOUNDATIONS OF EVERYTHING.

♪

AT THIS EARLY STAGE
OF THE UNIVERSE’S EVOLUTION,

THE INGREDIENTS DO NOT YET EXIST

TO MAKE EVEN THE MOST
BASIC MOLECULES OF LIFE.

AND AS SPACE EXPANDS,

THESE ATOMS ARE IN DANGER
OF DISSIPATING INTO THE VOID.

BUT ALREADY
THEY FEEL THE FORCE

OF GRAVITY.

UNDER ITS INFLUENCE,

EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS
WILL COME TOGETHER.

Natalie Batalha:
GRAVITY IS A FUNDAMENTAL DRIVER

FOR THE CREATION OF STRUCTURE
IN THE UNIVERSE.

THE UNIVERSE WAS
A RELATIVELY UNIFORM VOLUME

OF HYDROGEN AND HELIUM

THAT WAS RAPIDLY COOLING
BECAUSE OF THE EXPANSION.

BUT THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS.

THERE WERE REGIONS THAT WERE
SLIGHTLY OVER-DENSE.

AND WHERE YOU HAD
THOSE OVER-DENSE REGIONS,

GRAVITY WAS ABLE TO KICK IN

AND CREATE EVEN MORE
OVER-DENSE REGIONS

THAT LED TO ALL THE STRUCTURE
AND COMPLEXITY

THAT WE OBSERVE
IN THE VISIBLE UNIVERSE TODAY.

Narrator: OVER A FEW
HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS,

GRAVITY CREATES SPIRALING
REGIONS SO DENSE,

THEIR TEMPERATURES
NOW RAPIDLY INCREASE.

THE SWIRLING GASES
FORM HUGE DISCS

FAR LARGER
THAN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

TEMPERATURES IN THEIR CENTERS
SURPASS 100 MILLION DEGREES.

AND SUDDENLY,
THE FIRST STARS ARE BORN.

♪

FROM THIS MOMENT ON,

PRIMORDIAL STARS
APPEAR IN THEIR BILLIONS.

THEY CAST THE FIRST LIGHT
ON THE UNIVERSE.

BUT THEY WILL ALSO TRANSFORM IT.

THROUGH A QUIRK OF THEIR NATURE,

STARS WILL GENERATE
ALL THE RAW MATERIALS FOR LIFE.

♪

Batalha: STARS ARE INTERESTING.
THEY BEHAVE IN INTERESTING WAYS.

BUT THEY’RE ACTUALLY
QUITE SIMPLE STRUCTURALLY.

IT’S A BALL OF PLASMA

THAT’S BALANCED
BY GRAVITY PUSHING IN

AND GAS PRESSURE PUSHING OUT.

Narrator:
STARS STAVE OFF COLLAPSE

THROUGH THE POWER
OF NUCLEAR FUSION.

♪

SIMPLY PUT,

EXTREME GRAVITATIONAL
PRESSURE IN THE CORE

FORCES HYDROGEN ATOMS TO FUSE
INTO HEAVIER HELIUM,

RELEASING TREMENDOUS ENERGY.

♪

Drake:
THE STARLIGHT THAT WE SEE

ESSENTIALLY COMES FROM
EINSTEIN’S FAMOUS EQUATION,

E=MC2.

THE MASS OF THE PRODUCTS
OF THAT NUCLEAR FUSION

IS A LITTLE BIT LESS

THAN THE MASS OF THE PRODUCTS
THAT WENT INTO IT,

AND SO WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT
OF MASS LEFT OVER.

AND THIS LEFTOVER MASS
CAN BE CONVERTED INTO ENERGY.

Narrator: THE ENERGY KEEPS
THE STAR FROM COLLAPSING,

WHICH ALLOWS FUSION
TO CONTINUE.

THIS PROCESS NOW CREATES

ALL THE MISSING
INGREDIENTS OF LIFE.

Drake: STARS ARE ESSENTIALLY
THE CAULDRONS OF THE UNIVERSE

WHERE THE ELEMENTS ARE MADE.

♪

Narrator: INSIDE THE HELIUM
CORES OF MASSIVE STARS,

TOTALLY NEW ELEMENTS
ARE NOW FORGED.

FOR THE FIRST TIME,

HUGE QUANTITIES OF OXYGEN,
CARBON, AND NITROGEN

ARE FUSED INTO EXISTENCE.

Batalha: LO AND BEHOLD,
THAT’S EXACTLY THE STUFF

THAT OUR OWN HUMAN BODIES
ARE MADE OUT OF.

WE ARE LITERALLY MADE
OF STAR STUFF.

Narrator:
THE MOST MASSIVE STARS

CONTINUE TO CREATE
HEAVIER AND HEAVIER ELEMENTS.

BUT FUSION ENGINES
DON’T LAST FOREVER,

AND ALL STARS COME TO AN END--

THE BIGGEST WITH A BANG.

Batalha: BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE
ANY MORE ENERGY,

THERE’S NOTHING
TO SUPPORT THE STAR.

IT’S GONNA COLLAPSE
AND THEN DETONATE.

[RUMBLING]

Narrator:
13 BILLION YEARS AGO,

THE DEATH OF THE FIRST
GENERATION OF MASSIVE STARS

SPREADS NEW ATOMIC ELEMENTS
INTO THE VOID.

THE UNIVERSE REACHES
A CRUCIAL THRESHOLD.

FOR THE FIRST TIME,

IT CONTAINS EVERYTHING NECESSARY
FOR LIFE TO FORM.

ANCIENT HYDROGEN
HAS NOW BEEN JOINED

BY HUGE QUANTITIES OF OXYGEN,
CARBON, AND NITROGEN,

ALONGSIDE TRACES
OF THE HEAVIER ELEMENTS.

AND ASTRONOMERS HAVE DISCOVERED

THAT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY

THEY START ALONG
THE PATH TO LIFE.

Karin Oberg: AFTER YOU HAD
THIS FIRST GENERATION OF STARS,

YOU ENTER INTO A UNIVERSE
THAT’S FULL OF CHEMISTRY.

YOU HAVE SUDDENLY
A CHEMICAL UNIVERSE

WHICH YOU DID NOT HAVE BEFORE.

Narrator:
BY ANALYZING THE LIGHT

REFLECTED BY
INTERSTELLAR DUST CLOUDS,

ASTROCHEMISTS CAN DETERMINE
THEIR COMPOSITION.

OVER THE DECADES,

AS THEIR OBSERVATIONS
BECAME MORE PRECISE,

THEY MADE
AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY.

THE UNIVERSE
IS FILLED WITH WATER.

Oberg: WATER,

THIS REALLY IMPORTANT MOLECULE
HERE ON EARTH,

IS ONE OF THE MOST
ABUNDANT MOLECULES

THAT WE FIND IN SPACE.

Narrator: IN THE IMMENSITY
OF THE VOID,

INDIVIDUAL ATOMS
RARELY INTERACT.

BUT DUST GRAINS
OF HEAVIER ELEMENTS

FORMED FROM THE DEBRIS
OF EXPLODED STARS

TURN OUT TO BE A FORM
OF GALACTIC FLYPAPER.

Oberg: WE HAVE REALIZED
THAT WHERE THESE MOLECULES FORM

IS ON THE SURFACES OF THESE
TINY LITTLE DUST GRAINS.

THESE ARE LITTLE
INTERSTELLAR CATALYSTS.

Narrator:
GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY,

OXYGEN BONDS WITH HYDROGEN--

THESE TWO MOST ABUNDANT
REACTIVE ELEMENTS

FORMING HUGE AMOUNTS OF WATER.

CARBON AND NITROGEN JOIN THEM,

AND SIMPLE GASES,
INCLUDING AMMONIA AND METHANE,

ARE ADDED TO THE MIX.

THIS DUST CLOUD CHEMISTRY
APPEARS UNREMARKABLE.

BUT NEW DISCOVERIES SUGGEST

IT IS THE BASIS
OF EVERYTHING BIOLOGICAL...

BECAUSE IN THE HEART
OF THESE CLOUDS,

GRAVITY WAS ENSURING

THAT A SECOND GENERATION
OF STARS WAS TAKING SHAPE.

[EXPLOSION]

THE FIRST GENERATION
MADE THE ELEMENTS;

THE SECOND WOULD KICK-START
THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE.

♪

[EXPLOSION]

TEN BILLION YEARS AGO,

A SECOND GENERATION OF STARS

HAD FORMED IN THE HEARTS
OF ELEMENT-RICH DUST CLOUDS.

TODAY, EXPERIMENTS REVEAL
THEIR PRESENCE

MAY HAVE COATED
THE SURROUNDING DUST

WITH THE BUILDING BLOCKS
OF LIFE.

[RADIO CHATTER]

IN CUTTING-EDGE FACILITIES,

ASTROCHEMISTS RECREATE
THE EXTREME CONDITIONS

OF OUTER SPACE.

[BUBBLING]

DR. SCOTT SANDFORD LEADS A TEAM

AT NASA AMES
RESEARCH LABORATORY.

Scott Sandford:
WE’RE TRYING TO MAKE

A LITTLE PIECE OF SPACE
RIGHT HERE IN THE LABORATORY

SO WE CAN STUDY WHAT HAPPENS
IN THOSE KINDS OF ENVIRONMENTS.

[GAS HISSING]

AT THE SOUTH POLE
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINTER,

I THINK YOU GET DOWN
TO TEMPERATURES

THAT ARE SOMETHING LIKE

MINUS 60 OR 70 DEGREES
CENTIGRADE OR SOMETHING.

WE’RE LIKE 200 DEGREES
BELOW THAT.

[LAUGHS]

TEN DEGREES ABOVE ABSOLUTE ZERO.

Narrator:
SANDFORD’S ICE COLD EXPERIMENT

IS DESIGNED TO SHED LIGHT
ON A MYSTERY--

HOW SIMPLE MOLECULES IN SPACE
BECAME MORE COMPLEX...

BECAUSE ASTROCHEMISTS
HAVE DISCOVERED

THE UNIVERSE’S
SECOND GENERATION OF STARS

KICK-STARTED CHEMISTRY.

STARS GENERATE VISIBLE LIGHT,

BUT ALSO ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT

AT THE HIGH-ENERGY END
OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM.

Drake: THE ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT

IS ESSENTIALLY
LIKE VISIBLE LIGHT

EXCEPT IT’S MORE ENERGETIC.

IT CAN DO THINGS
THAT VISIBLE LIGHT CAN’T DO.

[SIZZLING]

Narrator: SANDFORD AND HIS TEAM
CREATE THEIR OWN UV LIGHT,

WHICH THEY FOCUS

ONTO A SUPER-COOLED
FILM OF MOLECULES,

SIMULATING THE SURFACE
OF DUSTY GRAINS

FOUND IN OUTER SPACE.

THEY HAVE DISCOVERED
THAT THE UV LIGHT

CREATES A CHAOTIC BURST
OF CHEMICAL ACTIVITY.

Sandford: THE UV PHOTONS
CAN HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY

THAT CAN COME IN
AND BREAK A MOLECULE IN HALF.

Narrator:
BOMBARDED BY THE UV RAYS,

THE SIMPLE MOLECULES
SPLIT INTO REACTIVE FRAGMENTS

BUT RECOMBINE INTO
MORE COMPLEX STRUCTURES,

BECAUSE BY CHANCE,

THE ABUNDANT CARBON ATOMS
WANT TO FORM MULTIPLE BONDS.

McKay: CARBON NATURALLY FORMS
MORE AND MORE COMPLEX MOLECULES.

IT NATURALLY BRINGS IN
NITROGEN AND OXYGEN ATOMS.

SO CARBON IS THE MASTER CHEMIST.

Narrator: CARBON-BASED MOLECULES
FORM THE BASIS OF ALL BIOLOGY,

AND IN RECENT DECADES,

ASTRONOMERS HAVE DETECTED TRACES
OF CRUCIAL BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES,

KNOWN AS AMINO ACIDS,

IN THE DUST AND DEBRIS
OF OUTER SPACE.

BUT THEY COULD BE
JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.

SANDFORD’S SIMULATIONS

HAVE PRODUCED AN INCREDIBLE
ARRAY OF ORGANIC MOLECULES,

INCLUDING THOSE FOUND
IN DNA ITSELF.

WITH THESE SIMPLE
BUILDING BLOCKS,

ALL OF LIFE CAN BE CONSTRUCTED.

McKay:
THINK OF LIKE A LEGO KIT--

LITTLE TINY BLOCKS
THAT KIDS PLAY WITH,

AND YOU STACK ’EM TOGETHER.

THAT’S WHAT BIOLOGY DOES--

MAKES WONDERFUL STRUCTURES
OUT OF THE SIMPLEST BLOCKS.

Narrator: EVIDENCE
THAT LIFE’S BUILDING BLOCKS

MAY BE COMMONPLACE
IN THE UNIVERSE

HAS LED A NEW GENERATION
OF SCIENTISTS

TO QUESTION THE UNIQUENESS
OF LIFE ON EARTH.

Sandford: THE UNIVERSE SEEMS TO
BE SORT OF HARDWIRED TO PRODUCE

ABUNDANT AMOUNTS OF VERY
COMPLEX ORGANIC MOLECULES.

Oberg: IT REALLY DOES SEEM
LIKE THE UNIVERSE IS SET UP

TO PRODUCE A RICH CHEMISTRY,

TO PRODUCE THE KIND
OF ORGANIC MOLECULES

THAT WE THINK ARE
SO IMPORTANT FOR LIFE.

Narrator: BUT THE HOSTILE
ENVIRONMENT OF OUTER SPACE

IS NO PLACE TO STICK
THE BUILDING BLOCKS TOGETHER.

♪

Oberg: STARLIGHT
IS ABSOLUTELY FUNDAMENTAL

TO CREATE CHEMICAL COMPLEXITY.

BUT IT’S REALLY
A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD.

SO IT CAN PROMOTE
BOTH CREATION OF MOLECULES,

BUT IT CAN ALSO DESTROY THEM.

Narrator:
THE HIGH-ENERGY RADIATION

EMITTED BY STARS

CONTINUALLY DEVASTATES THE VERY
MOLECULES IT HELPED FORM.

THE IRRADIATED
ENVIRONMENT OF SPACE

IS TOO UNSTABLE

FOR THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE
TO CONTINUE.

BUT BEGINNING
TEN BILLION YEARS AGO,

AS CLOUDS SETTLED
AROUND NEWBORN STARS,

OUT OF THE SWIRLING DUST,

NEW SANCTUARIES
WOULD START TO FORM.

♪

[WHIRRING AND BEEPING]

POWERFUL TELESCOPES

ARE TRANSFORMING OUR KNOWLEDGE
OF YOUNG STAR SYSTEMS.

[CLICKING AND WHIRRING]

Oberg: WE HAVE A NEW SET
OF EYES IN THE SKY.

WE HAVE THE ALMA TELESCOPE
DOWN IN CHILE,

WHICH IS THIS AMAZING ARRAY
OF 66 TELESCOPES

THAT’S WORKING IN UNISON.

Narrator: THE ALMA ARRAY

HAS A MAGNIFICATION TEN TIMES
THAT OF PREVIOUS TELESCOPES.

ITS EXTRAORDINARY DEFINITION
ALLOWS US TO WITNESS

HOW YOUNG STAR SYSTEMS
EVOLVE OVER TIME.

♪

ONE SUCH YOUNG STAR
IS TW HYDRAE...

[BEEPING]

LYING 175 LIGHT YEARS
AWAY FROM EARTH.

ALMA’S POWER
MEANS WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE

THE STAR’S DISC OF DUST

AND HOW IT IS MARKED
BY CIRCULAR GROOVES.

ASTRONOMERS BELIEVE THEY KNOW
WHAT GENERATES THEM.

FROM THE MOMENT A DISC FORMS,

DUST GRAINS ARE AGGREGATING
INTO LARGER PARTICLES,

WHICH GRAVITY DRAWS TOGETHER.

IN A FEW MILLION YEARS,

SOME MASSIVE ACCRETIONS
OF DUST AND ICE

ABSORB EVERYTHING
IN THEIR ORBITS,

CLEARING PATHS THROUGH THE DUST.

WE CALL THEM PLANETS.

♪

IN THE COLD OUTER ZONE
OF THE DISC,

GAS AND ICE GIANTS FORM.

LIKE JUPITER AND SATURN
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

THEIR CORES ARE MOLDED
FROM ICY DUST,

AND THEY ARE SMOTHERED IN
THE HYDROGEN AND HELIUM

THEY DRAW IN
FROM THE SURROUNDING DISC.

THEY ARE HOSTILE PLACES.

BUT CLOSER TO THE HOT STAR,

WHERE ITS RAYS
HAVE COOKED THE DUST

AND BLOWN AWAY
THE SURROUNDING GAS,

ANOTHER TYPE OF PLANET CAN FORM
FROM THE REMAINING DEBRIS.

♪

WE CALL THEM ROCKY PLANETS.

FREED FROM THE SMOTHERING GASES
OF THE DISC,

ROCKY PLANETS CAN FORM
THEIR OWN ATMOSPHERES...

FROM GASES LEACHED
FROM THEIR OWN ROCKS.

IT CAN LET HEAT
DOWN TO THE SURFACE

BUT PROTECT IT FROM THE WORST
OF THE STELLAR RADIATION.

AND IF THEY ARE JUST THE RIGHT
DISTANCE FROM THEIR STAR,

SOMETHING SPECIAL CAN HAPPEN.

♪

WATER CAN BECOME LIQUID.

BY CHANCE, THE UNIVERSE HAS
CREATED THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT

FOR A MORE GENTLE CHEMISTRY
TO TAKE PLACE.

McKay:
FROM THE BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE,

WHY PLANETS ARE SO USEFUL

IS BECAUSE THEY ALLOW WATER
TO BECOME LIQUID.

IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE.

PLANETS ALLOW FOR LIQUID WATER,

LIQUID WATER ALLOWS FOR LIFE.

[THUNDER]

Narrator: BUT MYSTERIES REMAIN.

HOW COULD OCEANS OF WATER
REACH THE SURFACE?

AND HOW COULD CHEMISTRY
BECOME BIOLOGY?

[THUNDER]

FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO,

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
WAS IN ITS INFANCY.

BUT SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING

ON A ROCKY PLANET
CLOSE TO THE SUN.

THE EARTH WAS BECOMING
A WATER WORLD.

♪

THIS CRUCIAL CHANGE
WOULD MAKE HER

A SANCTUARY FOR LIFE.

Oberg: LIQUID WATER IS
ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL FOR LIFE.

IT IS AMAZING, THE NUMBER
OF ELEMENTS AND MOLECULES

THAT CAN BECOME DISSOLVED

AND THEREFORE REACT TO FORM
MORE COMPLEX MOLECULES.

Narrator: THE EARTH’S ORBIT

LIES IN WHAT SCIENTISTS REFER TO
AS "THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE,"

A DISTANCE FROM OUR SUN

WHERE THE TEMPERATURE
IS JUST RIGHT

FOR LIQUID WATER
TO POOL ON HER SURFACE.

BUT THERE IS A MYSTERY.

SOME BELIEVE GOLDILOCKS PLANETS

SHOULD LACK THE RESOURCES
TO FILL THEIR OWN OCEANS.

Oberg: THE PROBLEM WITH FORMING
IN THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE

IS THAT YOU’RE FORMING
TOO CLOSE TO THE STAR

TO FORM FROM ICY GRAINS.

AND THAT MEANS
THAT YOU FORM DRY.

WE SEE AN EARTH THAT HAS LARGE
AMOUNTS OF WATER ON THE SURFACE.

SO THE QUESTION IS

WHERE DID ALL THAT WATER
COME FROM?

Narrator: THE ANSWER
MAY LIE IN THE HEAVENS.

THEN, AS NOW,

THE SOLAR SYSTEM WAS FILLED
WITH ASTEROIDS AND COMETS,

FORMED ALONGSIDE THE PLANETS

FROM THE SAME
ICY GRAINS OF DUST.

BUT IT’S BELIEVED
THAT FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO

THE SOLAR SYSTEM WAS UNSTABLE.

SOME GAS GIANTS
MIGRATED IN THEIR ORBITS,

THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL

DISTURBING MILLIONS
OF THESE PROJECTILES,

HURLING SOME TOWARDS THE EARTH.

♪

THESE ICY ROCKS COULD HAVE
DELIVERED MORE THAN ENOUGH WATER

TO FILL THE OCEANS.

[RUMBLING]

Oberg:
HAVING AN EARLY INSTABILITY

IN YOUR PLANETARY SYSTEM

AND PLANETS MOVING AROUND,
STIRRING THINGS UP,

MIGHT BE VERY IMPORTANT
TO DELIVER WATER

TO OTHERWISE DRY, ROCKY PLANETS.

AND I THINK FROM
A CHEMISTRY POINT OF VIEW,

WHAT’S REALLY
INTERESTING ABOUT THAT

IS THAT THE WATER
DID NOT COME ALONE.

Narrator: BURIED IN THEIR ICE
WERE ORGANIC MOLECULES--

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE.

WHEN ORGANIC MOLECULES
ENCOUNTERED LIQUID WATER,

MIRACLES COULD HAPPEN.

♪

HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CHILE
LIES EL TATIO,

A VOLCANIC GEYSER FIELD.

DR. MARIA EUGENIA FARIAS

IS AN EXPERT
IN THIS UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM.

Maria Eugenia Farias:
TATIO IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE,

BUT ALSO IT IS LIKE
A TIME MACHINE.

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PLACE

TO STUDY
THE EARLY EARTH CONDITIONS.

BECAUSE HERE WE ARE OVER
4,000 METERS OVER THE SEA LEVEL,

HERE THERE IS A LOT
OF UV RADIATION,

AND WE HAVE THESE GEYSERS

PRODUCED BECAUSE
OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

THOSE ARE SIMILAR CONDITIONS
TO THE EARLY EARTH.

♪

Narrator:
FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO

THE SURFACE OF THE YOUNG EARTH

WAS ALIVE
WITH VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

ORGANIC MOLECULES OF CARBON,
HYDROGEN, NITROGEN, AND OXYGEN

MIX WITH TRACES
OF PHOSPHORUS, SULFUR,

AND OTHER MINERALS
BLED FROM THE HOT ROCKS.

THIS INHOSPITABLE
COCKTAIL OF CHEMISTRY

IS READY TO TRANSFORM
THE UNIVERSE.

Farias: IN PLACES LIKE THIS,
CHEMISTRY BECAME BIOLOGY.

Narrator:
BUT JUST HOW IT HAPPENED

REMAINS A MYSTERY.

McKay: WE UNDERSTAND LIFE
FROM BIOLOGY LOOKING DOWN.

AND WE UNDERSTAND LIFE
FROM CHEMISTRY LOOKING UP.

BUT WE HAVEN’T YET GOT
THOSE TWO ENDS TO MEET.

THERE’S STILL
A GAP IN THE MIDDLE

CALLED "THE ORIGIN OF LIFE."

♪

Narrator: CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND.

IN THE LABORATORIES
OF THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL,

DR. JOHN SUTHERLAND LEADS A TEAM
DEDICATED TO CLOSING THAT GAP.

John Sutherland:
LIFE MUST COME FROM CHEMISTRY.

IT MUST BE POSSIBLE TO PRODUCE
LIFE FROM CHEMISTRY.

AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE
TO RECREATE THAT PROCESS

IN A LABORATORY.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS LIKE DR. SUTHERLAND

BELIEVE THAT THE SECRET
TO THE ORIGIN OF LIFE

AND ITS EVOLUTION

LIES WITH A CERTAIN
FRAGILE, FLEXIBLE,

SELF-REPLICATING MOLECULE

CALLED RIBONUCLEIC ACID,

OR RNA.

Sutherland:
DNA BEARS ALL THE HALLMARKS

OF BEING THE PRODUCT
OF EVOLUTION,

ITS ANCESTOR BEING RNA.

AND RNA LOOKS TO US
LIKE THE PRODUCT OF CHEMISTRY.

Narrator:
THE LARGE RNA MOLECULE

NATURALLY SELF-ASSEMBLES FROM
MUCH SIMPLER MOLECULAR RUNGS.

BUT FOR YEARS,

SUTHERLAND’S TEAM
HAVE TRIED TO DETERMINE

HOW AN ANCIENT
PREBIOTIC CHEMICAL SOUP

COULD NATURALLY
GENERATE RNA RUNGS

FROM EVEN SIMPLER MOLECULES.

FINDING THE CORRECT BALANCE
OF CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS,

TEMPERATURES,
AND RADIATION LEVELS

REMAINS A CHALLENGE.

BUT SUTHERLAND BELIEVES

THAT AT THE HEART
OF THE KEY REACTIONS

LIES ONE MOLECULE--

HYDROGEN CYANIDE.

Sutherland: HYDROGEN CYANIDE
HAS CERTAIN CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

WHICH ARE HIGHLY CONDUCIVE

TO PRODUCE
MORE COMPLEX STRUCTURES.

Narrator: THE PROBLEM IS

THAT TO FORM
ENOUGH HYDROGEN CYANIDE

REQUIRES A HUGE BURST OF ENERGY,

EQUIVALENT TO AN ENDLESS
LIGHTNING STORM.

THIS HAD LONG BEEN THOUGHT
UNREALISTIC.

BUT THE TEAM
HAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED

THE ANSWER MAY LIE
BEYOND THE CLOUDS,

IN ANOTHER GIFT
FROM OUTER SPACE.

IN THEIR SEARCH FOR THE ORIGINS
OF LIFE ON EARTH,

SOME SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE

VITAL CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ON THE SURFACE

MAY HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED
BY METEOR STRIKES

THAT WERE COMMONPLACE EVENTS
FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO.

[EXPLOSION]

NEW EXPERIMENTS
HAVE DEMONSTRATED

THAT WHEN THE LARGEST METEORS
VAPORIZE ON IMPACT,

THE INCREDIBLE TEMPERATURES

GENERATE
A HIGH-ENERGY CHEMISTRY,

CREATING HUGE QUANTITIES
OF A KEY REACTIVE MOLECULE--

HYDROGEN CYANIDE--

WHILE THE IMPACT CRATER

FORMS THE PERFECT HYDROTHERMAL
VOLCANIC ENVIRONMENT

FOR ORGANIC CHEMISTRY.

♪

WHEN JOHN SUTHERLAND’S
TEAM IN ENGLAND

RECENTLY SIMULATED
THIS CHEMICAL SCENARIO,

THE INGREDIENTS
SPONTANEOUSLY PRODUCED

MANY KEY MOLECULES THEY HAD
BEEN STRUGGLING TO FORM.

♪

Sutherland: WE WERE
LITERALLY GOBSMACKED

AT THE RESULTS WE GOT.

IT COULD BE THAT LIFE STARTS

AS A RESULT OF REALLY AGGRESSIVE
EVENTS TAKING PLACE

IN THE EARLY
SOLAR SYSTEM HISTORY.

THESE INCESSANT IMPACTS
WERE ACTUALLY GIVING RISE

TO A VERY, VERY
INTERESTING CHEMISTRY

THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY GIVE RISE

TO THE MOLECULES
REQUIRED FOR LIFE

AND LIFE ITSELF.

Narrator: IT LOOKED LIKE THEY
MIGHT HAVE HIT UPON THE PROCESS

THAT HAD GENERATED
THE FIRST RNA MOLECULES.

THE EVIDENCE IS COMPELLING,
BUT THE PROOF REMAINS ELUSIVE.

WHAT WE DO KNOW
IS THAT AT SOME STAGE

BETWEEN 4 BILLION
AND 3.5 BILLION YEARS AGO,

SINGLE-CELLED ORGANISMS,
THE SIMPLEST FORM OF LIFE,

EVOLVED FROM THE CHEMICAL SOUP

AND GAINED A FOOTHOLD,

SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS

BECOMING INCREASINGLY
ROBUST AND ADAPTIVE.

THE VOLCANIC STREAMS
OF EL TATIO

ARE SOME OF THE MOST
INHOSPITABLE ENVIRONMENTS

ON THE PLANET.

BUT EVEN HERE,

THESE SIMPLE FORMS OF LIFE
CAN THRIVE.

Farias: I LOVE BACTERIA.
THEY ARE AMAZING.

THEY ARE SO SIMPLE,

AND THIS IS
THEIR MAIN ADVANTAGE.

BECAUSE IF YOU ARE SIMPLE,
YOU CAN ADAPT QUICKLY,

AND YOU CAN LIVE IN THESE
EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS.

YOU CAN SEE
YELLOW, GREEN, PINK.

ALL ARE SURVIVING
AT HIGH TEMPERATURE,

HIGH UV RADIATION.

AND, IN FACT,
THEY ARE MAKING STONES,

JUST IN THE SAME WAY THEY DID
3.5 BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

Narrator: OVER TIME,

THE MINERAL EXCRETIONS
FROM MATS OF BACTERIA

CAN FORM DISTINCTIVE
STONY STRUCTURES--

STROMATOLITES.

3.7 BILLION-YEAR-OLD
FOSSILIZED STROMATOLITES

ARE THE EARLIEST RECORD
OF LIFE ON EARTH.

BUT MICROBE-MADE STRUCTURES

MAY ALSO HAVE LEFT
A RECORD OF LIFE ON MARS.

♪

FOR OVER A DECADE,

NASA’S MARS ROVERS

HAVE BEEN EXPLORING
THE RED PLANET.

NEW OBSERVATIONS HAVE NOTED
REMARKABLE SIMILARITIES

BETWEEN EL TATIO’S
GEYSER FIELD STROMATOLITES

AND ROCK FORMATIONS PHOTOGRAPHED
BY THE MARS SPIRIT ROVER.

♪

THESE APPEAR TO SUPPORT THE IDEA

THAT FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO

THERE WERE TWO LIVING PLANETS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

McKay: I DON’T SEE WHY LIFE
WOULDN’T HAVE STARTED ON MARS.

EARLY EARTH, EARLY MARS
ARE VERY SIMILAR.

AND THEY’RE SIMILAR
DURING THE TIME

WHEN WE KNOW LIFE
FIRST APPEARS ON EARTH.

THE MOST IMPORTANT
FEATURE OF EARTH

IS THAT IT HAS LIQUID WATER.

THE MOST CLEAR EVIDENCE
WE HAVE OF EARLY MARS

IS THAT IT HAD LIQUID WATER.

♪

SO WHATEVER YOU FANCY
IS NECESSARY

FOR THE ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH,

MARS WOULD HAVE HAD
THE SAME ENVIRONMENTS.

♪

Narrator: BUT TODAY,
MARS IS COLD AND DRY.

WATER PREDOMINANTLY EXISTS
IN THE POLES AS ICE.

SO WHAT HAPPENED TO HER OCEANS?

A CLUE LIES IN HER ATMOSPHERE.

IT’S A HUNDRED TIMES THINNER
THAN THAT OF EARTH.

McKay: THE THICKNESS
OF THE ATMOSPHERE

IS LIKE A SWITCH.

IF IT FALLS
BELOW A CERTAIN LEVEL,

WATER WILL NOT STAY AS LIQUID;

IT WILL JUST BOIL.

♪

Narrator: SOMETHING DESTROYED
THE ATMOSPHERE OF MARS.

MANY BELIEVE THE CULPRIT
WAS THE SUN.

♪

ALONGSIDE LIGHT AND HEAT,
OUR STAR RADIATES

INVISIBLE WAVES
OF SUB-ATOMIC CHARGED PARTICLES,

CAPABLE OF IMMENSE DESTRUCTION.

WE CALL THIS THE SOLAR WIND.

Drake: THE SOLAR WIND

IS ESSENTIALLY THE VERY
OUTER ATMOSPHERE OF THE SUN

THAT’S JUST FLUNG OUT INTO SPACE

WITH ENERGY GENERATED
FROM MAGNETIC FIELDS.

IT IS GOING FROM
500 KILOMETERS A SECOND

TO A THOUSAND KILOMETERS
A SECOND.

WHEN IT IMPACTS A PLANET,

THAT’S GONNA HAVE
SOME EROSION POWER

ON THE PLANETARY ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator:
FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO,

EVEN AS MARS’ OCEANS
WERE TAKING HOLD...

THE PARTICLES OF THE SOLAR WIND

WERE SMASHING INTO THE GASES
OF HER ATMOSPHERE.

OVER HALF A BILLION YEARS,
THEY SCOURED IT AWAY,

AND THE PLANET’S OCEANS
EVAPORATED INTO SPACE.

THIS POSES A BIG QUESTION.

HOW DID LIFE ON EARTH SURVIVE?

♪

LIKE ALL STARS IN THE UNIVERSE,

OUR SUN CONTINUALLY SPRAYS OUT

A STELLAR WIND
OF CHARGED PARTICLES.

BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO,

ITS CONSTANT SCOURING DESTROYED
THE ATMOSPHERE ON MARS,

ENDING ANY CHANCE OF LIFE
DEVELOPING ON ITS SURFACE,

WHICH POSES THE QUESTION,

HOW DID LIFE ON EARTH
SURVIVE ITS ONSLAUGHT?

♪

THE ISLAND OF SVALBARD,
HIGH IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.

♪

DR. LISA BADDELEY
IS HEADING TO THE OFFICE.

♪

Lisa Baddeley: WE ARE ABOUT
A THOUSAND KILOMETERS

SOUTH OF THE NORTH POLE.

IT CAN GET
QUITE DIFFICULT SOMETIMES

WHEN, YOU KNOW,
IT’S MINUS 40 DEGREES.

AND THEN SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET
A COMPLETE WHITE-OUT.

SO, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO RELY
COMPLETELY ON THE GPS UNIT.

Narrator:
LISA BRAVES THE CONDITIONS

BECAUSE THIS IS
THE BEST LOCATION

TO STUDY A UNIQUE SPECTACLE

VISIBLE FROM JUST
A FEW POINTS ON EARTH.

Baddeley:
AND HERE WE ARE.

Narrator:
SHE’S HERE TO WITNESS A BATTLE

BETWEEN OUR PLANET AND OUR STAR.

♪

Baddeley: WELL, YOU MAY NOTICE

THAT WE’VE GOT THE DOMES
AND THE CAMERAS

ARE ALL POINTING UPWARDS.

SO WE’RE HERE TO STUDY
A VERY UNIQUE PHENOMENA

THAT WE SEE IN THE SKY OVERHEAD.

Narrator:
IN THE HIGH ATMOSPHERE ABOVE,

THE CONFLICT PLAYS OUT,

24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR.

THE CORE OF THE EARTH
IS MOLTEN IRON.

AS THE CORE ROTATES,

IT GENERATES
A POWERFUL MAGNETIC FIELD.

THIS CREATES
A PROTECTIVE BUBBLE,

DIVERTING THE CHARGED PARTICLES
OF THE SOLAR WIND

AWAY FROM THE ATMOSPHERE.

THE BATTLE IS CONTINUOUS.

BUT THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT
IS WEAKEST NEAR THE POLES,

AND SOME PARTICLES
SHOOT THROUGH...

TO IMPACT ATOMS
IN THE ATMOSPHERE,

CREATING ONE OF
THE GREATEST SHOWS ON EARTH--

THE AURORA BOREALIS.

♪

Baddeley:
WHEN THE WHOLE SKY IS LIT UP

GREEN AND RED AND DANCING,

YOU CAN SIT OUT THERE FOR HOURS
WITHOUT REALIZING.

IT’S AN AMAZING THING TO SEE.

YOU CAN SEE HOW,
HOW DYNAMIC IT IS,

AND YOU CAN ALSO SEE,

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU CAN SEE
LIKE LITTLE PATHS.

AND THAT IS ACTUALLY THE EARTH’S
MAGNETIC FIELD LINES.

AND THESE PARTICLES
ARE TRAVELING DOWN

THESE MAGNETIC FIELD LINES
AND INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: WHAT THEY HIT
AND WHAT ENERGY THEY HAVE

DETERMINES THE COLOR
OF THE LIGHT PRODUCED.

IT’S BEAUTIFUL,

BUT SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT
AN AURORA ALL OVER THE PLANET

WOULD EVENTUALLY BRING AN END
TO LIFE ON EARTH.

MARS’ DRAMATIC DECLINE

SHOWS JUST HOW VITAL
THIS SHIELD CAN BE.

McKay: EARLY IN ITS HISTORY,

MARS DID HAVE A MAGNETIC FIELD.

WE KNOW THAT FROM OBSERVATIONS
ON THE GROUND

AND FROM ORBIT.

IT WAS PROTECTED,
THEN IT LOST ITS PROTECTION.

Narrator: MANY BELIEVE

THAT MARS’ FAILURE TO RETAIN
HER WATERY ENVIRONMENT

WAS THE RESULT OF HER SIZE.

McKay: MARS IS TEN TIMES
LESS MASSIVE THAN THE EARTH.

IT’S A SMALL GUY.

AS A RESULT OF THAT,

IT CANNOT MAINTAIN THE ACTIVE
CONVECTIVE MOLTEN CORE

THAT EARTH HAS.

ALL OF MARS’ TROUBLES

REALLY TRACE BACK TO THE FACT
THAT IT’S TOO SMALL.

Drake: THE EXAMPLE OF MARS
IS VERY INSTRUCTIVE.

SO LIFE-SUSTAINING
ENVIRONMENTS ON PLANETS

ARE NOT NECESSARILY FOREVER,

THEY’RE NOT NECESSARILY
FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS.

THEY MAY ONLY LAST
A FEW HUNDRED MILLION YEARS.

LIFE ON CERTAIN PLANETS COULD BE
A VERY TRANSIENT PHENOMENON.

♪

Narrator: BUT IF A PLANET
DOES STAY STABLE,

THE LIFE IT NURTURES CAN
TRANSFORM ITS ENVIRONMENT,

WHICH IS USEFUL,

BECAUSE INITIALLY,
LIFE WAS FORCED TO STAY SMALL.

McKay: WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
LIFE ON EARTH,

WE USUALLY MEAN TREES
AND ANIMALS AND BIRDS

AND THE THINGS THAT WE CAN SEE.

BUT, IN FACT,
THAT’S JUST MINOR DETAIL.

LIFE ON EARTH
IS MICRO-ORGANISMS.

Narrator: FOR NEARLY
THREE BILLION YEARS,

SINGLE-CELLED MICRO-ORGANISMS
WERE THE ONLY LIFE ON EARTH.

THEY STAYED SIMPLE BECAUSE
THEY LACKED A SOURCE OF ENERGY

THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO GROW
MORE STRUCTURALLY COMPLEX.

BUT BY CHANCE, A SPECIES
OF BACTERIA EVOLVED

THAT WOULD CHANGE THE GAME.

ITS DESCENDANTS STILL POPULATE
THE LAKES OF THE ATACAMA DESERT

IN CHILE.

Farias: THIS MAT,
IT’S MADE OF BACTERIAS.

EACH LAYER HAS A COLOR,

AND IT MEANS A DIFFERENT
BACTERIAL COMMUNITY.

IF WE KEEP ON TAKING AWAY,

WE WILL FIND THIS GREEN LAYER.

Narrator:
THESE ARE CYANOBACTERIA.

AS A BY-PRODUCT
OF THEIR LIFE CYCLE,

THEY PRODUCE OXYGEN.

Farias: YOU CAN SEE HERE,

THESE BUBBLES ARE OXYGEN.

♪

Narrator:
2.45 BILLION YEARS AGO,

THE CYANOBACTERIA
BECAME SO ABUNDANT,

THEY BEGAN TO FILL THE AIR
WITH OXYGEN.

THE GREAT OXYGENATION EVENT
HAD PROFOUND CONSEQUENCES.

FREE OXYGEN
WOULD BE THE ENERGY SUPPLY

THAT ALLOWED LIFE TO GROW

INTO COMPLEX
MULTI-CELLULAR ORGANISMS.

WITH ACCESS TO OXYGEN,

LIFE WENT
FROM BUILDING ROCKS...

♪

TO BUILDING SKYSCRAPERS.

McKay: WE WOULDN’T BE HERE

IF THOSE LITTLE GREEN
MICRO-ORGANISMS

HADN’T PRODUCED
ALL THIS POLLUTION

AND CONTAMINATED THE PLANET
IRREVERSIBLY WITH OXYGEN.

WE NOW RELY ON IT.

WE CALL IT FRESH AIR.

Narrator:
MANKIND HAS COME A LONG WAY.

BUT EVER SINCE
WE FIRST LOOKED UP,

WE HAVE SEARCHED
FOR SIGNS IN THE STARS

THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE.

NOW, 21st-CENTURY TECHNOLOGY

ALLOWS US TO TAKE THAT SEARCH
TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

[RUMBLING]

THE QUEST FOR LIFE
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

HAS ALREADY BEGUN.

TODAY, PROBES SCOUR MARS,

AND SOON, NASA MAY SEND
OTHERS FURTHER.

Oberg:
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF MOONS

IN THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM

THAT HAVE LIQUID WATER

AND THEY HAVE ORGANICS.

AND I SEE NO REASON

WHY THEY SHOULDN’T
HAVE LIFE ON THEM

IF THAT IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED
FOR LIFE TO ORIGINATE.

McKay:
ENCELADUS, IN PARTICULAR--

MOON OF SATURN

WITH A GEYSER OF ORGANIC-RICH
WATER COMING OUT.

WE CAN JUST FLY THROUGH IT AND
SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE OF LIFE.

I WANT TO DO THAT.

WE’RE GONNA LOOK FOR
THE MOLECULAR SKYSCRAPERS,

THESE MOLECULES OF DESIGN

THAT ARE BUILT BY LIFE

AND THAT WILL BE PRESERVED

EVEN AFTER
THE ORGANISMS ARE DEAD.

WE’LL FIND THEM
IN THE SOILS ON MARS,

WE’LL FIND THEM IN THE ICE
IN EUROPA,

WE’LL FIND THEM
IN THE PLUME OF ENCELADUS,

AND THEY WILL TELL US
THAT THERE WAS LIFE HERE.

Narrator: BUT IF IT TURNS OUT

THAT LIFE REQUIRES
A PLANET LIKE OUR OWN,

WITH SURFACE WATER,

WE NEED TO LOOK FURTHER AFIELD.

THE KEPLER SPACE TELESCOPE
WAS LAUNCHED IN 2009.

IT AIMED TO DETERMINE

IF ANY PLANETS
ORBITED NEARBY STARS.

INCREDIBLY, IT DETECTED THEM
ALMOST EVERYWHERE IT LOOKED.

WE NOW BELIEVE
THAT IN OUR GALAXY

ONE IN FIVE STARS HOSTS
A POTENTIALLY HABITABLE PLANET.

Batalha:
THE FIELD OF EXOPLANET RESEARCH

HAS TRANSFORMED COMPLETELY.

WHEN I GO OUT AT NIGHT
AND LOOK AT THE SKY,

I DON’T SEE THOSE PINPOINTS
OF LIGHTS AS STARS;

I SEE THEM AS PLANETARY SYSTEMS.

KEPLER HAS FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED
THE WAY I PERCEIVE THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: THE CHALLENGE
IN THE COMING DECADES

IS TO DISCOVER SIGNS OF LIFE
ON THESE ALIEN WORLDS.

A NEW GENERATION OF GROUND
AND SPACE-BASED TELESCOPES

IS SET TO TRANSFORM THE SEARCH.

Oberg: THE NEXT BIG EXCITING
TELESCOPE TO COME ALONG

IS THE JAMES WEBB
SPACE TELESCOPE, OR JWST.

THIS TELESCOPE WILL BE ABLE TO
LOOK VERY CLOSE TO THE STAR

AND REALLY SEE
WHAT THE CHEMISTRY LOOKS LIKE

RIGHT WHERE
ROCKY PLANETS ARE FORMING.

Narrator: ON EARTH, ONE
OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECTS

IS THE GIANT MAGELLAN TELESCOPE.

Drake:
THE GIANT MAGELLAN TELESCOPE

SHOULD BE ABLE
TO LOOK AT THE ATMOSPHERES

OF NEARBY PLANETS.

AND THIS IS CRUCIAL
FOR SEARCHING BOTH

FOR SIGNS OF LIFE,
FOR SIGNS OF OXYGENATION

THAT WE THINK
IS THE SIGNPOST FOR LIFE,

BUT ALSO TO DETERMINE WHETHER
PLANETS ARE ACTUALLY HABITABLE.

Narrator: BREAKTHROUGHS
IN MANY FIELDS OF SCIENCE

HAVE MEANT THERE IS
NEW CONFIDENCE IN THE QUEST

FOR EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL LIFE.

Drake: THE FACT
THAT WE’RE NOW FINDING PLANETS

AROUND MOST STARS

AND THE FACT THAT WE’RE NOW
SEEING THAT CHEMICAL PROCESSES

THAT BUILD UP
ORGANIC MOLECULES IN SPACE

SEEM TO BE QUITE COMMON...

ALL THIS SEEMS TO BE POINTING
TOWARD THE DIRECTION

THAT LIFE IS MAYBE MUCH MORE
COMMON IN THE UNIVERSE

THAN WE MAY HAVE
PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

McKay: EARTH AND LIFE ON EARTH
IS NOT UNIQUE.

ALL THE CLUES ARE POINTING
IN THAT DIRECTION.

♪

Oberg: IF ALL THAT’S NEEDED

IS A ROCKY PLANET
AND WATER AND ORGANICS,

LIFE SHOULD BE ABUNDANT
IN THE UNIVERSE.

♪