The Quest to Reach Absolute Zero

Today on Far Future Horizons we present a scientific saga concerning a remarkable group of pioneers who wanted to reach the ultimate extreme: absolute zero, a place so cold that the physical world as we know it doesn't exist. Electricity flows without resistance, fluids defy gravity and the speed of light can be reduced to a mere thirty eight miles (sixty one kilometres) per hour.

This documentary features a strange cast of eccentric characters, including: Clarence Birdseye (of frozen food fame); Frederic ‘Ice King’ Tudor, who founded an empire harvesting ice; and James Dewar (best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask), who almost drove himself crazy by trying to liquefy hydrogen.

The quest to reach the holy grail of extreme cold - absolute zero is a quest as elusive as the speed of light.

Reaching such cryogenically extreme low temperature is considered the gateway to many new exciting technologies, such as nano-construction, neurological networks and quantum computing. The possibilities, it seems, are limitless.

This documentary is available from from PBS Home Video.

The Quest to Reach Absolute Zero Full Episode 
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