The Answer to (Almost) Everything
S01:E04 - Are We Too Many?
S01:E01 - Can We Control Clouds?
What makes clouds actually move and do we have any control over it?
S01:E02 - Can We Dig Through the Globe
As children, we all wondered if we could dig our way through the Earth. If we started digging in Paris and kept going downwards, we'd end up in the ocean after 12,700 kilometers, just off the coast of New Zealand. But it's not that simple.
S01:E03 - Can We Live on the Moon
The moon was thought to be a closed chapter. So why, 50 years after the last astronaut left Earth's natural satellite, is there a new rush to the moon?
S01:E04 - Are We Too Many?
How many people can the Earth actually sustain? And if there really are too many of us – which of us is actually too many?
S01:E05 - How Strongly Does Our Mother Tongue Shape Us?
We think in words. We usually do this in our native language. It allows us to put the world around us into words. But languages differ. The toolbox they provide can be completely different.
S01:E06 - Do We Need Corruption?
Whether it's buying the rights to host football world championships or bribing politicians: corruption works well until someone finds out about it.
S01:E07 - Do We Need More Stress?
Stress and we humans clearly don't have a love affair: In fact, 85% of us would prefer to have nothing to do with it at all.
S01:E08 - Whos Is Stealing Our Sand?
Whether it's a cell phone, glass, or underwear, sand is everywhere. Without it, there would be no houses, no roads. "Without sand, we would be lost," emphasizes environmental scientist Pascal Peduzzi.
S01:E09 - Do Dogs Really Love Us?
Anyone who owns a dog is convinced: the relationship between dog and human is something unique. A close, unbreakable bond, perhaps even love.
S01:E10 - What Power Do Smells Have?
Many people don't consider their sense of smell particularly important. However, if we had to give up one of our senses, surveys show that the majority would choose not to. In fact, 25 percent of students surveyed would rather lose their sense of smell than their smartphone.
S01:E11 - Who Owns the Ocean?
Who actually owns the sea? For centuries it was regulated like this: As far as a cannonball flew - that's how much sea belonged to one's own country.
S01:E12 - Is Mankind Evil
Humans lie, cheat, and wage war mercilessly. Sometimes it seems as if evil is inherently human. On the other hand, people can be good, love, and even make peace with their enemies. Which side of us is stronger?
S01:E13 - Can Animals Sense Beauty?
Sometimes nature appears to us humans like a gigantic catwalk, showcasing its full beauty. Is what we perceive as beauty in the animal kingdom "merely" a result of natural selection in reproduction?
S01:E14 - What Is Fantasy For?
In our minds, we often see and experience things that have little to do with reality. We spend a large part of our waking hours daydreaming. But imagination also plays a crucial role in focused thinking.
S01:E15 - Are We Sinking Into the Sea?
Who doesn't love the beach, the endless expanse of the sea – but will that very thing soon become a danger? It's a fact that climate change is causing sea levels to rise, but not all coastlines are affected equally.
S01:E16 - Does Everyone Have a Doppelganger?
New doppelgangers are constantly being discovered: people who look eerily similar to each other—without being related.
S01:E17 - Can Algorithms Make Us Healthy?
Our bodies contain a wealth of data: in our DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolism, and microbiome. If we could precisely read and analyze this data, we would be able to detect diseases much earlier than before.
S01:E18 - What Is Funny?
Adults laugh 20 times a day, children up to 500 times. But where does humor begin and where does it end?
S01:E19 - Will Catastrophe's Make Us Better?
What if disasters don't just kill and cause suffering? What if disasters were ultimately even helpful? After all, we survived the last great ice age; many large vertebrates didn't
S01:E20 - Can We Outsmert Our Genes?
Whether we are fat or thin, tall or short, have blue or brown eyes, whether we are musical or not—all of this is determined by our genes. But if we can't influence our genes themselves, perhaps we can influence their regulatory mechanisms that activate or deactivate certain genes?