Ep 4. The Explorer

The episode begins with the introduction of Henry Bates, a famous naturalist who explored the Amazon rainforest in the mid-1800s. His discoveries of new species and his theory of mimicry changed the way scientists understood the natural world.

The host, Brian Cox, then introduces modern-day explorer Andres Ruzo, who is on a mission to find the boiling river in the Peruvian Amazon. Ruzo describes his curiosity about this natural wonder he had heard about from his grandfather and how he chased his childhood dream of finding it.

Moving on, the episode takes us to the Antarctic where scientists are conducting research on how the Earth was formed. They are drilling into the ice to study the air bubbles trapped inside, which can provide valuable information about the Earth’s atmosphere in the past. Cox meets with glacial geologist Sarah Aciego, who explains how they can uncover clues about the Earth’s climate and the evolution of life on the planet by studying these samples.

Next, the show visits the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest scientific instrument, located at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Cox talks to physicist Pedro Ferreira about the purpose of the collider and how it is used to study the fundamental building blocks of our universe.

Returning to the Amazon, the show highlights the research of ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin, who is studying the medicinal properties of plants used by indigenous tribes. Plotkin explains how these tribes have an extensive knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants, which could be beneficial in modern medicine.

The episode then shifts to space exploration with an interview with Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. She shares her experiences of living on the International Space Station (ISS) and how her perspective on life changed after seeing the Earth from space. Cox also talks to astrophysicist Chris Lintott about the search for extraterrestrial life.

The episode ends with a conversation with archaeologist Albert Lin, who uses cutting-edge technology to uncover hidden archaeological sites. Lin shares his experience of exploring the mountains of Mongolia with the help of satellite imagery and drones. He believes that this technology can be used to discover archaeological sites that were once thought to be lost forever.

Overall, this episode of Mind of the Universe explores the human desire to explore and understand the world around us. From exploring the depths of the Amazon rainforest to the vastness of outer space, humans have been driven to explore and make new discoveries. The episode showcases some of the modern-day explorers who are continuing the tradition of scientific discovery.