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Particles of Thought: Bob and Mike’s Big Idea

1hr 11m 13s

The universe loves making things complicated. From minerals and microbes to languages and societies, complexity keeps showing up — but why? Astrobiologist Mike Wong and mineralogist Bob Hazen think we’re missing a law of nature to explain this phenomenon. Hakeem sits down with them to understand their bold new idea: what they call a Law of Increasing Functional Information.

Aired: 09/22/25
National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies and Viking Cruises. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.
Extras
From fruit flies to snake venom, evolutionary biologist Sean Carroll explains what drives evolution.
Can we really bring extinct species back? Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro says yes.
See how ingenuity and teamwork keep the crew alive and doing science 250 miles above Earth.
Astronauts and Mission Control relive terrifying moments during construction of the ISS.
Dive into how Earth’s weirdest microbes could help us spot extraterrestrial life.
Find out why deadly flash floods are on the rise and how we can protect ourselves from them.
Explore mysterious 9,000-year-old Stone Age megastructures found in the Arabian Desert.
What is speech, really? Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis explores the science behind how we speak.
Discover how two revolutionary ancient inventions changed the course of humanity forever.
Follow ancient humans’ journey into an icy and perilous new land.