与霍金一起了解宇宙
英国著名物理学家史蒂芬•霍金近日发出警告,称外星生物可能真的存在,但是人类与他们接触可能会带来毁灭性的后果。在“探索”频道新近推出的纪录片《与霍金一起了解宇宙》中,霍金指出外星生物在消耗尽自己星球上的资源后便会乘坐大型飞船到他们能够到达的星球掠夺资源,并将那里开拓成为他们的殖民地;如果有外星生物到访地球,那将会像当年意大利航海家哥伦布登陆美洲大陆一样,最后给人类带来毁灭性的灾难。   68岁的霍金在片中谈论了他对宇宙外星生命问题的最新思考。他认为外星生命几乎肯定存在於宇宙的许多其他地方——不仅是活在行星之上,甚至还可能存在於恒星中心,甚或是漂浮於行星间的广阔宇宙。   霍金认为外星人存在的理论依据,超乎寻常的「简单」。他指出,宇宙有1000亿个银河系,每个都包含上亿计恒星,在这样一个庞大空间裏,地球不大可能是唯一演化出生命的行星。「我觉得,纯粹出於数学脑筋去想,单是如此巨大的数字,就足已令『外星人存在』的想法显得完全合理。真正的挑战是,去发现外星人到底是什么样子。」   《与霍金一起了解宇宙》这纪录片耗3年多制作,期间霍金曾多次坚持对剧本作大幅修改。Discovery执行制作人史密森(John Smithson)说:「他希望能制作一个既能娱乐大众、又能娱乐科学界的节目,考虑到其复杂性,这是一项很难的工作。」(简介转自Dexter)
欢迎来到印度
学习如何在日益拥挤的星球上生存也许是我们人类的终极挑战,但有一个地方,拥有的世界人口六分之一印度,人们却特别适应生活在这么拥挤的土地上。这个系列高清纪录片将带我们进入印度最密集的地区加尔各答和孟买,了解这里人们的生活现状及生存压力。   BBC 2012年播出,用3集记录印度的底层人如何在人多地少的环境中工作。印度现在有人口 12亿,占世界的六分之一,每个家庭都有很多孩子,对于穷人来讲,这可是一个很大的负担,看看印度人是如何在他们的国土上为了生活奋斗的。   Learning how to survive on an increasingly crowded planet is probably our ultimate challenge. But there is one place, home to over a sixth of the world's population, which is already making a good shot at adapting: welcome to India. This observational series casts aside the usual preconceptions about the sub-continent, and lets a few of India's 1.2 billion show how their world really works.   With astonishing access into the densest districts of Kolkata and Mumbai, it celebrates the impressive resourcefulness, resilience and absolute pragmatism of those living and working there, and reveals the psyche needed to get ahead in the biggest of crowds.   Part 1.   This episode follows two main characters as they employ all their ingenuity to carve out a home. With more people moving to cities in India than anywhere else on earth, securing that place you can call home is vital for nurturing your family's future.   Part 2.   Johora started out as a rag-picker, but through building a bottle recycling business on a railway embankment, she has big ambitions for her family of seven kids. And it is not just small waste. Kanye uses a blowtorch to cut up ships discarded by the rest of the world, helping satisfy India's thirst for steel. And Ashik buys up beef fat from the abattoir, and proudly renders it down to make tallow. It looks disgusting, even before he is plagued by a maggot infestation. But this thrifty use of 'waste' may well be destined for your soap or cosmetics.   Part 3.   With India destined to become the most populous nation on earth by 2026, you have got to be highly tactical in your search for a better life. It is not just about you and your dreams today - it is about the family over generations to come. Prakash and Mangesh are brothers in their early twenties from an illegal settlement surrounded by the buzz of downtown Mumbai. Prakash is deckhand on a yacht while striving to realise his dream and launch a Bollywood career. But his family make it clear his sole purpose is to earn enough to fund in their joint future: his brother Mangesh's course in software engineering. Swapan, a merchant in a hectic fish market, works so hard for his family's future that his wife knows he is ruining his health. And Sujit, who crafts disposable clay tea cups in Kolkata, hardly dares dream of seeing his family hundreds of miles away.
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