Plot Synopsis

Based on his acclaimed new book with science writer Leonard Mlodinow, "The Grand Design," Professor Stephen Hawking reveals an original and controversial theory. He argues that scientific obsession with formulating a single new model may be misplaced, that by synthesizing existing theories we may discover the key to understanding the universe's deepest mysteries. In each one-hour episode, Professor Hawking investigates a different cosmic issue: "The Meaning of Life"; "The Key to the Cosmos"; and "Did God Create the Universe?" From Descartes to the latest advances in quantum physics and from Newton's ground-breaking discovery or gravity through the hidden extra dimensions to a muti-verse of billions more universes, Professor Hawking uses physics to answer questions like these: What can the laws of physics tell us about who and what we humans really are? Do we have free will or are we just complex biological machines working to the laws of nature? Why does the universe exist and why does it follow rules and laws? What's the point of the enormous, endless cosmos, and why is it so perfectly tuned so as to allow life to exist?