42 - The Answer to Almost Everything

How beautiful life would be without fear: we could cross rocky gorges on a tightrope carefree, or dare to perfrom breakneck actions. But unfortunately we are afraid of many things - even those that are not dangerous at all. Why does fear have such a hold on us? And wouldn't it be much better if there were no fear at all?

Does life actually have a soundtrack? From the first moment we are surrounded by noise and sound. No matter where we are, no matter what we do, we hear something. To what extent do noises and sounds influence us? Do we even all hear the same thing? And when we hear a sound, do we all hear it the same way? Or different?

If we stop flying from now on, we will have a global logistics problem; numerous supply chains would be interrupted. Continuing to fly as before is not an option either, because flying is considered a climate killer. Will we all be grounded soon or will we make a revolutionary energy transformation while flying? It's tricky, but the technologies already exist.

Artificial intelligence can recognize us, drive cars, operate surgeries with precision, create art and play perfect chess. Robots can do so many things. But what about artificial feelings? Will robots one day be our friends or partners? Can we love robots like a real human? And above all: Can they love us back?

We dream for up to six years of our lives. What if dreams were more than fantasy? If we could take the brilliant ideas we had in our dreams into reality? There is creative potential in our dreams that is mostly left untapped. Should we dream more - and make the most of our dreams?

Finding a remedy against aging is a dream of humankind. But the dream could turn into reality: Laboratories around the world are reporting successful rejuvenation in animals such as mice, nematodes and fruit flies. Aging research has long since achieved amazing things: animals live longer and age healthier. But can this be transferred to us humans?

If Elon Musk had his way, humans would soon inhabit Mars. But how realistic is that? And: Extreme cold, a thin CO2 atmosphere and cosmic rays await us on Mars. Why do we actually want to go there? Where does the Mars craze come from?

Long before the phrase “energy crisis”, the energy flows on earth were clearly distributed and well-dosed - until we humans got fire under control about 500 thousand years ago and began to actively use the energy flows of the earth for ourselves. We are now using so much energy that our planet is reaching its limits. Wouldn't it be clever to find an energy that protects the earth and the climate and is inexhaustible at the same time? But where do we find it, this perfect energy?

The Eldorado or a sunken ship - we humans have always dreamed of discovering a treasure. But dreams rarely come true as hoped. Today, with the help of solar cells, we can generate energy out of almost nothing. So how come we're still flushing tons of potential down the toilet? Is it maybe more than just "poop"?

Without a doubt, hatred has a destructive power. Hatred is purposeful and destructive. But does hate actually have a purpose? Why do people hate anyway? What is this emotion for, what is it good for? And are all humans endowed with the capacity to feel hate? Many questions, and science has by no means answered all of them.

It's an eternal childhood dream: time travel. How fantastic it would be to be able to jump back and forth into the past and future as you please? Just science fiction? Not quite: scientists from the fields of quantum physics, string theory and astrophysics are making it clear that time travel is theoretically possible - at least when it comes to the future. How might we succeed in building a time travel machine? And what is time anyway?

Mushrooms have hardly been researched. They are among the oldest and most diverse life forms on our planet. Plants were only able to develop through fungi in primeval times. They are at home everywhere: in the earth, in the air, in our bodies. And they form huge networks. They are intelligent even though they don't have a brain of their own. They make decisions and trade in the plants they live with. They possess insect bodies and turn them into zombies. Are mushrooms the secret rulers of the planet?

A life without colors? It’s hard to imagine, for humans, the animal kingdom and plant species. Starting with green and red, colors have had a significant impact on our evolution. Colors influence almost all life on earth. And even our choices. Where does the power of color come from and how do we manage to use it for ourselves?

We can't see inside other people - or can we? In everyday life, we constantly try to take a look behind the facades. We talk to a person about the weather and ask ourselves: Are they serious about what they are saying? What does she think about me? And while we're doing that, our brain is running at full speed, gathering countless pieces of information. But should we really rely on it? Can we crack another person's thoughts like a code? What strategies do we use to do this? And what are the consequences if we get it wrong?