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Focal Point series intro

Our understanding of the universe is advancing at an unprecedented rate. This series examines new breakthroughs, new technology, and new ways of looking at the world.

Episodes

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Inside the Giant Mech Suit Made for Racing
Focal Point
S7 E4

Inside the Giant Mech Suit Made for Racing

This real-life human-driven mech suit can lift a car and climb over boulders, but it wasn’t built for combat — it was built to race.

NASA’s Future Telescopes Will Float at the Edge of Space
Focal Point
S7 E5

NASA’s Future Telescopes Will Float at the Edge of Space

Scientists and engineers at NASA are developing ways to send ultra cold and ultra large balloon telescopes to the edge of space, which could open up a brand new way of seeing the cosmos.

How Making Graphene Aerogel in Space Will Shape Future Exploration
Focal Point
S7 E6

How Making Graphene Aerogel in Space Will Shape Future Exploration

Scientists at this extreme lab want to make graphene aerogel in space.

The Solar Car Revolution Could Change EVs Forever
Focal Point
S7 E7

The Solar Car Revolution Could Change EVs Forever

The solar powered car revolution is coming — engineers are one step closer to harnessing the Sun to power your next car, giving the auto industry renewed interest in solar.

NASA Engineers Want This Steampunk Rover to Uncover Venus’ Secrets
Focal Point
S7 E8

NASA Engineers Want This Steampunk Rover to Uncover Venus’ Secrets

NASA JPL engineers are designing a new type of rover that could finally explore Venus’ hellish conditions.

Inside the Deep Sea Sub Exploring Earth’s Final Frontier
Focal Point
S7 E9

Inside the Deep Sea Sub Exploring Earth’s Final Frontier

Earth’s final frontier is the ocean floor.

Inside the Habitat Simulating Mars on Earth
Focal Point
S7 E10

Inside the Habitat Simulating Mars on Earth

Think you have what it takes to live on the Moon or Mars?

NASA’s Gold Mirrors Will Peer Back to the Cosmic Beginning
Focal Point
S7 E11

NASA’s Gold Mirrors Will Peer Back to the Cosmic Beginning

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is a time machine to the early universe, which uses massive golden mirrors to capture ancient light.

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Elements series intro

Elements is your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested in all the compelling, innovative and groundbreaking science happening around us.

Episodes

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Did Water Crash Into Earth From Space?
Elements
S6 E10

Did Water Crash Into Earth From Space?

Did water crash into Earth from space by way of a massive comet, or was it around long before our planet's formation?

Scientists Found Particle 'X,' Now What?!
Elements
S6 E11

Scientists Found Particle 'X,' Now What?!

For the first time ever, scientists at CERN have spotted a bizarre “X" particle in a recreation of the primordial soup that existed just moments after the Big Bang, using the LHC.

The Missing Pieces in the 6th Mass Extinction
Elements
S6 E12

The Missing Pieces in the 6th Mass Extinction

Recent biodiversity reports point to a drastic drop in species across the world, but on the local scale the results are more mixed.

The ISS Will Crash to Earth Soon, But Why?
Elements
S6 E13

The ISS Will Crash to Earth Soon, But Why?

NASA recently announced it will decommission the ISS by 2030.

Your Next Burger Could Be Made With Microbes
Elements
S6 E14

Your Next Burger Could Be Made With Microbes

Fermentation is a natural process that humans have been hacking for millennia.

NASA’s Solar Probe Did the Impossible, Here’s How
Elements
S6 E15

NASA’s Solar Probe Did the Impossible, Here’s How

The Parker Solar Probe just made a historic flyby of the Sun. For the first time, the satellite passed through the Alfvén Critical Surface, which is where the Sun's atmosphere ends.

How to Take the Perfect Nap
Elements
S6 E17

How to Take the Perfect Nap

PSA: Napping isn't just for kids!

Rockets Need Special Places to Launch, Here’s Where
Elements
S6 E16

Rockets Need Special Places to Launch, Here’s Where

Many of the U.S.'s most iconic rocket launches have taken place in a region on Florida's coast.

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Quizzes

Quiz | Elements | Light
Space & Innovation

Quiz | Elements | Light

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NORTHERN LIGHTS cover art
WATER WEIRDNESS cover art
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VOLCANIC LIGHTNING cover art
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States of Matter

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Hubble Spotted New Evidence That Dark Matter Is "Cold"
Elements
S4 E17

Hubble Spotted New Evidence That Dark Matter Is "Cold"

We don't know what dark matter is, because we can't detect it. But new observations from Hubble could illuminate dark matter's true identity—and the role it plays in the fate of our universe.

'Magic' Angle Graphene Is BACK...With An Even Bigger Twist
Elements
S3 E117

'Magic' Angle Graphene Is BACK...With An Even Bigger Twist

Scientists have unveiled a whole new world of physics that could lead to the superconductors we've been waiting for.

NASA Engineered a Box to Create the Fifth State of Matter in Space
Focal Point
S5 E16

NASA Engineered a Box to Create the Fifth State of Matter in Space

Atomic physicists at NASA are working to create an exotic state of matter...in space. And it turns out, the International Space Station is the perfect home base for these experiments.

How This New State of Matter Is Made With Lasers, Crystals, & Frustration
Elements
S3 E73

How This New State of Matter Is Made With Lasers, Crystals, & Frustration

Scientists were able to use lasers to create a "supercrystal." The key to making this happen? Frustration.

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Particle Physics

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The New Dark Matter Particle on the Edge of Physics
Focal Point
S6 E4

The New Dark Matter Particle on the Edge of Physics

The Axion Dark Matter Experiment (ADMX) is the world's first dark matter experiment that's hunting specifically for axions.

Japan’s Next Neutrino Hunter Could Revolutionize Particle Physics
Elements
S4 E18

Japan’s Next Neutrino Hunter Could Revolutionize Particle Physics

Japan approved construction for the world’s next largest neutrino detector—here's what we can expect.

This Superheavy Atom Factory Is Pushing the Limits of the Periodic Table
Focal Point
S5 E13

This Superheavy Atom Factory Is Pushing the Limits of the Periodic Table

As we push the Periodic Table of the Elements further and further into the unknown, its familiar columns and rows are threatening to crumble. What’s next for this science icon?

How Big Is a Proton? This Decade-Long Debate May Have Just Been Solved
Elements
S3 E102

How Big Is a Proton? This Decade-Long Debate May Have Just Been Solved

Scientists thought they knew the approximate size of a proton until a 2010 experiment came back with a very different number, creating the proton-radius puzzle.

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