Thursday 5 November 2009

Horizon on Black Holes, BBC2, 3rd November

I get pretty pessimistic about the coverage of science on the media in general and the BBC in particular, so it was with some relief that I can report that this week's 'Horizon' was an altogether more challenging watch than is the norm for the flagship science show.

The highly contentious area of theoretical physics was explored in some depth, particularly the point at which Einstein's theory diverges from current thinking about the nature of gravity. The role of Black Holes in determining the size of galaxies was also considered. The programme went on to ask if a unified theory of everything might be just around the corner.

The second biggest question humankind can ask after 'what is the point of Davina McCall' must surely be 'how did the universe begin?' Horizon failed to answer this inquiry, of course, but kept us up to date with the latest efforts to resolve the conundrum. No doubt 'Horizon' will return to business as usual next week; the insidious blend of reality TV and populist 'human interest' stories once again holding sway. In comparison, programmes like Tuesday's offering seem all the more precious.

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