Carnegie Institution of Washington

September 27, 2004

CARNEGIE SCIENTISTS ON PBS NOVA ORIGINS:

HOW EARTH, LIFE, AND THE UNIVERSE BEGAN

-A FOUR-PART SERIES THIS WEEK-NOVA PRESENTS ORIGINS

September 28 & 29, 2004, from 8 to 10 PM ET on PBS

www.pbs.org/nova/origins

Who would have predicted that a hot spot left over from the Big Bang would eventually lead to the Earth, the cosmos—and to us? NOVA covers all the exciting steps in between on Origins, a four-part miniseries on the beginnings of Earth, life, and the universe featuring three Carnegie Institution scientists. It airs on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 28 and 29, 2004, from 8 to 10 PM ET on PBS (check local listings). Robert Hazen, Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory scientist, served as science consultant on the project.

Each program shows scientists grappling with different parts of the puzzle, with a common question: What happened to turn the universe into a place where life exists?

--The series’ first hour, Origins: Earth is Born, gives viewers a spectacular glimpse of the tumultuous first billion years of Earth—a time of continuous catastrophe.

--Episode two, Origins: How Life Began, zeroes in on the mystery of exactly how life arose. James Hall, a former Carnegie-NASA Astrobiology Institute associate, is among those interviewed.

--Episode three, Origins: Where are the Aliens? explores such provocative questions as: Would “E.T.s” resemble us or the creatures of science fiction? And are life-bearing planets rare or common? Carnegie Scientist Paul Butler, a world leader in the discovery of new planets, adds his expertise.

--Hour four starts with a bang—the Big Bang, and takes us back to where everything began. Origins: Back to the Beginning explores how the colossal forces of the early universe made it possible for habitable worlds to emerge. Alan Dressler of The Carnegie Observatories, a leader in the effort to characterize the dynamics and structure of the universe, is featured in this episode.