I like Brian Cox, the scientist (what has just made me happy is that a google search on him brings him up ahead of the actor with the same name). Every documentary he has done is marvelous in its own way and he brings his enthusiasm to bear on the various subjects he deals with, which I find somewhat infectious. I went to the Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People show in Hammersmith just before Christmas (rebranded on BBC4 as Nerdstock!) and his 5 minute talk on Earth and its place in the cosmos was fantastic with some amazing photos to boot. He is now heading up a major new series on BBC 2 and BBC HD which, if you are quick, can be seen here.
Martian Sunset From Mars Rover
In the first episode he discusses the sun, its origin and it’s effect on our planet (and the rest of the solar system). I enjoyed the view back from the solar system of the sun and they broadcast the Mars Rover pictures of a Martian sunset. (I remember putting a photo of this in my diary when the pictures were first released and accompanied it with one sentence: “The Sun is so small, it breaks my heart.”) Finally he goes on to explain what will happen in 5 billion years as the sun reaches the end of its lifespan.
This left me wondering what the human race will be doing in 5 billion years, will we have avoided wiping ourselves out, will we have evolved or will a much superior form of intelligent life have taken over by then? I have always liked the idea that the human race is simply the universe trying to understand itself (a theory touched on by Douglas Adams of course) and that intelligence is what all atoms will tend generate given 13 billion years. But how much more will we know and what will we be capable of given another 5 billion? Damn these short life spans, I want to see infinity and understand.
