The Universe in a Snowflake
Professor Brian Cox reveals how Earth's beauty is created by just a handful of forces. In this episode Brian looks at the stunning diversity of shapes.
Brian uncovers how the stunning diversity of shapes in the natural world are shadows of the rules that govern the universe. In Spain, he shows how an attempt by hundreds of people to build the highest human tower reveals the force that shapes our planet.
In Nepal, honey hunters seek out giant beehives that cling to cliff walls. The perfect hexagonal honeycombs made by the bees to store their honey conceal a mathematical rule.
Off the coast of Canada, Brian explains how some of the most irregular, dangerous shapes in nature - massive icebergs that surge down from Greenland and into shipping lanes of the Atlantic - emerge from a powerful yet infinitely small force of nature. Even the most delicate six-sided snowflake tells a story of the forces of nature that forged it.
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Clips
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Honey hunters in Nepal
Duration: 02:05
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Why do bees build hexagonal honeycombs?
Duration: 02:31
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Why Does Gravity Make Earth Round?
Duration: 02:22
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Why does ice float?
Duration: 02:15
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Brian Cox |
Executive Producer | Andrew Cohen |
Series Producer | Danielle Peck |
Producer | Matthew Dyas |
Director | Matthew Dyas |
Broadcasts
- Mon 4 Jul 2016 21:00BBC One except Wales & Wales HD
- Mon 4 Jul 2016 22:40BBC One Wales HD & Wales only
- Tue 5 Jul 2016 23:50BBC One except Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland HD, Scotland, Scotland HD, Wales & 1 more
- Wed 6 Jul 2016 00:40BBC One Wales HD & Wales only
- Wed 6 Jul 2016 00:50BBC One Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only
- Sat 9 Jul 2016 21:00BBC Two Scotland
- Sat 23 Jul 2016 02:00
- Thu 18 Jan 2018 21:00
- Fri 19 Jan 2018 02:00
- Tue 11 Jun 2019 23:00
- Thu 10 Oct 2019 20:00
- Fri 11 Oct 2019 01:30
- Sat 6 Jun 2020 09:00BBC Two except Scotland