Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman

Hosted by Morgan Freeman, Through the Wormhole explores the deepest mysteries of existence - the questions that have puzzled mankind for eternity (Who-or what-am I? Are we alone? How did this begin? What happened before that?). This series will bring together the brightest minds and best ideas fromthe very edges of Science--Astrophysics, Astrobiology, Quantum Mechanics, String Theory, and more - to reveal the extraordinary truth of our Universe.

There are a lot of questions asked (and answered, sometimes surprisingly so) in the course of the eight episodes that make up the first season of iThrough the Wormhole/i, a science documentary hosted by actor Morgan Freeman. Not just any questions--big questions, cosmic questions, the kind that humans have been asking since the dawn of time. For instance: Can science somehow prove the existence of the Creator? (Could be. One scientist suggests that what people claim are visions of and visitations from God are in fact the result of stimulation of the brain's right temporal lobe, and he invented a "God helmet" to prove it.) Is time travel possible? (Sure. All we have to do is figure out how to make a machine that goes as fast as the speed of light.) What happened before the Big Bang, when the universe was created? (That one's a little tough to explain in a sentence or two.) Are we truly alone, or is there other life somewhere out there? (Many among the astrobiologists who spend a lot of time studying such things are convinced that the universe--or universes, as there may be many more than one--is so incomprehensibly vast that there must be.) These and other topics make for fascinating viewing. To be sure, those who aren't especially scientifically or mathematically inclined may find some of it to be tough sledding; explanations of how gravity might combine with electromagnetism and the so-called weak and strong forces to form a single, unifying force, how "quantum nonlocality" (in which particles are instantly teleported across vast distances) works, or what "retro-causality" means are complex, to say the least. But while the approach is serious and very detailed, it's also entertaining, with lots of visual interest (by way of animation, film clips, visual effects, and such) and often rather amusing (scientists rendered to look like aliens, a fellow who uses a glass of red wine to illustrate his point), and Freeman makes an excellent guide. And with the second season of the series having already aired, fans already have a lot more to look forward to. i--Sam Graham/i