Aired
January 15, 2008
Our mastery of cold is something we take for granted, whether it s air conditioning and frozen food or the liquefied gases and superconductivity at the heart of cutting-edge technology. But what is cold? How do you achieve it, and how cold can it get? This two-part NOVA special brings the history of this frosty fascination to life with brilliant dramatic recreations of high moments in low-temperature research and the quest for ever-lower notches on the thermometer. In the second hour, The Race For Absolute Zero dramatizes the titanic rivalry between Scottish researcher James Dewar and Dutch physicist Heike Onnes, who plunged cold science to the forbidding realm at which oxygen and then nitrogen turn into liquids. The race continues today as scientists pioneer super-fast computing near absolute zero the ultimate chill of -459.67° F where atoms slow to a virtual standstill.
Episode 9 of Season 35 from NOVA — available to stream in HD on any device.
Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!
Recommended
El asesino de TikTok
Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese
Hunt For The Missing: Chicago
Contraband: Seized at the Airport
Dynasty: The Murdochs
Twisted Yoga
A Plan to Kill
The Proof Is Out There: Alien Edition
Born to Bowl
Homicide
Search for movies, TV shows, collections, manga, or people
Trending Now