42: The Answer to Almost Everything

42: The Answer to Almost Everything 2021

9.6 HD TV Show 2021-09-04 Returning Series

What would we be without mucus? Can we live on water? How much does life weigh? Finding out the answers is the aim of ARTE's new science show. In a nod to Douglas Adams's "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", where the figure 42 is the ultimate answer to all questions, 42 tries to provide the answers.

Season
Episode
Episode 1 — Can we dig our way through the Earth? Episode 2 — Could We Live on the Moon? Episode 3 — Should we use lotteries instead of elections? Episode 4 — How Much Does Life Weigh? Episode 5 — Will we move onto the water? Episode 6 — Can Algorithms Make Us Healthy? Episode 7 — What if there were no mucus? Episode 8 — How do we solve the nuclear waste puzzle? Episode 9 — What if Fear Didn't Exist? Episode 10 — What if the ice disappeared? Episode 11 — Do We All hear the Same Thing? Episode 12 — Are we too pessimistic? Episode 13 — Does the Perfect Song Exist? Episode 14 — Are we alone in space? Episode 15 — Why Do We Eat What We Eat? Episode 16 — What is the secret of light? Episode 17 — Can we save the trees? Episode 18 — What if dust didn't exist? Episode 19 — Geoengineering: Earth's Last Resort Episode 20 — Could Algae Save the Planet? Episode 21 — Will Messenger RNA Save Us From Cancer? Episode 22 — Will We Stop Flying? Episode 23 — Will We Like Robots? Episode 24 — The Purpose of Parasites Episode 25 — Could We Sleep Less? Episode 26 — Are Cryptocurrencies the Future? Episode 27 — Do We Live in a Black Hole? Episode 28 — The Power of Dreams Episode 29 — Where do people migrate to? Episode 30 — What Do Animals Talk About? Episode 31 — Are we getting dumber? Episode 32 — Do Computers Have Biases? Episode 33 — How can everyone be fed? Episode 34 — Are We Doing More Drugs? Episode 35 — Are We Ready for Mars? Episode 36 — Can we glimpse the afterlife? Episode 37 — Could we become immortal? Episode 38 — Could We Live Without Agriculture? Episode 39 — How dangerous is space weather? Episode 40 — Will we travel to Mars? Episode 41 — Can We Create Money from Nothing? Episode 42 — How do we end wars? Episode 43 — Is Space Being Stolen From Us? Episode 44 — What Power Do Thoughts Have? Episode 45 — Can We Trust Ourselves? Episode 46 — Are we more intelligent in swarms? Episode 47 — The Search for a Universal Theory Episode 48 — Can we turn crap into gold? Episode 49 — Are You Psychopathic? Episode 50 — How does a wave become rogue? Episode 51 — Do We Need Economic Growth? Episode 52 — Are we gambling away our lives? Episode 53 — Why do we have limits? Episode 54 — Where to Find Perfect Energy? Episode 55 — What if sharks disappeared? Episode 56 — Are Animals Self-Aware? Episode 57 — Why do We Fall in Love? Episode 58 — What if nature had a price? Episode 59 — Can we copy our blood? Episode 60 — Why do we hate? Episode 61 — Could We Bring Back the Wooly Mammoth? Episode 62 — Can seals go to court? Episode 63 — Do colors manipulate us? Episode 64 — Will there be a new 'human species'? Episode 65 — Is There a Male Fertility Crisis? Episode 66 — Can Cities Save the World? Episode 67 — When the Heavens Rain Down Episode 68 — Do Fungi Rule Us? Episode 69 — The A***hole Effect Episode 70 — How It All Ends Episode 71 — When Will the World End? Episode 72 — How to Travel Through Time? Episode 73 — Mind Reading: A Reality? Episode 74 — Surviving Our Polluted Planet Episode 75 — The Chaos of Chance Episode 76 — Who Owns the Sea? Episode 77 — Do Animals Appreciate Beauty? Episode 78 — Will a new wind soon blow? Episode 79 — Are we going to disappear beneath the waves? Episode 80 — Are We All Bisexual? Episode 81 — The Advent of Turbo-Evolution Episode 82 — Why do we lose our memory? Episode 83 — Humanity's True Nature Episode 84 — Can We Live Without Electricity? Episode 85 — What Happens When the Glaciers Disappear? Episode 86 — Could We Reach the Stars? Episode 87 — Is Lying Good For Us? Episode 88 — Will we one day be cryogenically frozen? Episode 89 — Will we run out of sand? Episode 90 — What's So Funny? Episode 91 — The Origin of Life Episode 92 — Does Punishment Work? Episode 93 — What Are Our Imaginations For? Episode 94 — Can We Trick Our Genes? Episode 95 — Amasia: The Supercontinent of the Future Episode 96 — Do Dogs Really Love Us? Episode 97 — Do We Need Corruption? Episode 98 — Are Animals Cleverer than Us? Episode 99 — Are Billionaires a Problem? Episode 100 — How strongly does our mother tongue shape us? Episode 101 — Do We Live in a Multiverse? Episode 102 — Does History Repeat Itself? Episode 103 — Are there too many of us on Earth? Episode 104 — Is stress good for us? Episode 105 — Do Disasters Make Us Better? Episode 106 — Is the Metaverse Real? Episode 107 — Do We All Have a Doppelganger? Episode 108 — Could We Programme Evoluton? Episode 109 — Is There an Upside to Climate Change? Episode 110 — Do We Need More Utopias? Episode 111 — Can we control clouds? Episode 112 — Does Sugar Make Us Stupid? Episode 113 — What if the poles reversed again? Episode 114 — What power do smells have? Episode 115 — Can We Shrink the Economy? Episode 116 — How Do Plants Live? Episode 117 — How to Become Popular Episode 118 — Do We Need to Have Power? Episode 119 — Should Humans Be Smaller? Episode 120 — Is AI Out of Control? Episode 121 — Are Invasive Species Always a Problem? Episode 122 — Would We Be Happier Without Happiness? Episode 123 — Why Do We Cry? Episode 124 — Could Sea Currents Change? Episode 125 — Could Matriarchy Be the Solution? Episode 126 — Are Aliens Like Us? Episode 127 — Is Pain Necessary? Episode 128 — Do Animals Have Better Societies? Episode 129 — How Powerful are Maps? Episode 130 — Does Quantum Physics Change Our Reality? Episode 131 — Why Do We Have Less Sex? Episode 132 — Has Slavery Made Us Racist? Episode 133 — Why Is Housing So Expensive? Episode 134 — Can We Make Friends with Our Enemies? Episode 135 — Can We Replace Pollination? Episode 136 — Are We Taking Enough Risks? Episode 137 — Who Really Were Our Ancestors? Episode 138 — Is a World Without Violence Possible? Episode 139 — Can We Remember Precisely? Episode 140 — What Holds the Universe Together? Episode 141 — Do We Need God? Episode 142 — What Protests Work? Episode 143 — How do Children Function? Episode 144 — Will We Grieve Differently in Future? Episode 145 — Do We Need Weapons for Peace? Episode 146 — What Should We Actually Eat? Episode 147 — Are We Ready for Aliens? Episode 148 — How Important is Our Microbiome? Episode 149 — Why Is Wealth So Unfairly Distributed? Episode 150 — What Makes Us Depressed? Episode 151 — Does the Perfect Code Exist? Episode 152 — Are We Ready for World Government? Episode 153 — Are We Wasting Period Blood? Episode 154 — Can We Feel Time? Episode 155 — How Does Water Create Life? Episode 156 — Are Cyborgs the Future? Episode 157 — Can We Save Truth? Episode 158 — Can We Cure Addictions? Episode 159 — Are We Too Curious? Episode 160 — What Did Dinosaurs Really Look Like? Episode 161 — Can We Outwit Viruses? Episode 162 — Where Does Madness Begin? Episode 163 — Should We Be Bored More Often? Episode 164 — How Powerful is Disinformation? Episode 165 — Why Do Civilisations Fall? Episode 166 — Should We Argue More? Episode 167 — How Mathematic is the Universe? Episode 168 — Is The World Better Than We Think? Episode 169 — How Smart Are the Animals We Eat Episode 170 — Does Failure Help Us Succeed? Episode 171 — Was Stone-Age Man Dumber Than Us? Episode 172 — The Age of Fire Episode 173 — Why Does Music Move Us? Episode 174 — Optimisation: Is It Making Us Mad? Episode 175 — Is a Superbug Pandemic Coming? Episode 176 — Can Humans Hibernate? Episode 177 — Does Society Need Alcohol? Episode 178 — ...We Make Free Decisions? Episode 179 — What was there before the Big Bang? Episode 180 — How Powerful Are Images? Episode 181 — How Does the Female Orgasm Work? Episode 182 — Is Space Debris Dangerous for Earth? Episode 183 — Can Our Brains Still Concentrate? Episode 184 — Why Do We Love Horror? Episode 185 — Does Planet Nine Really Exist? Episode 186 — Are We An Evolutionary Superspecies? Episode 187 — Are Wasps Game Changers of Evolution? Episode 188 — Why do we sing? Episode 189 — How monogamous are humans? Episode 190 — Why Do We Love Gold? Episode 191 — Do Emotions Control the Markets? Episode 192 — What if life were mirrored? Episode 193 — Do we need the alpha male? Episode 194 — Black Holes: A Future Energy Source? Episode 195 — Is Brain Washing Possible? Episode 196 — Why Are We So Competitive? Episode 197 — Do We Need Siblings? Episode 198 — Has Globalisation Failed? Episode 199 — How does trash change the world? Episode 200 — Is vacation really relaxing? Episode 201 — Can we change? Episode 202 — Is there another Earth in the universe? Episode 203 — Can AI Feel Us? Episode 204 — Does a Trauma Lie Dormant in Everyone? Episode 205 — What Lies Behind UFOs? Episode 206 — Can states go into debt indefinitely? Episode 207 — Does scrolling make teens stupid? Episode 208 — Can We Live Without Work? Episode 209 — Is there a female fertility crisis? Episode 210 — Is Loneliness Contagious? Episode 211 — How Do You Become a Genius? Episode 212 — Can We Stop Mass Extinction? Episode 213 — Can We Control Our Hormones? Episode 214 — Where Did the Antimatter Go? Episode 215 — Are Political Parties to Blame for Everything? Episode 216 — Episode 216 Episode 217 — Episode 217 Episode 218 — Episode 218 Episode 219 — Episode 219

Storyline

What would we be without mucus? Can we live on water? How much does life weigh? Finding out the answers is the aim of ARTE's new science show. In a nod to Douglas Adams's "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", where the figure 42 is the ultimate answer to all questions, 42 tries to provide the answers.

Original title 42 - Die Antwort auf fast alles
Release Date 2021-09-04
Status Returning Series
Director Max Mönch
Production mobyDOK
Network ARTE
Language French
Country Germany
Seasons 1
Episodes 216

Season 1

1 Can we dig our way through the Earth? 2 Could We Live on the Moon? 3 Should we use lotteries instead of elections? 4 How Much Does Life Weigh? 5 Will we move onto the water? 6 Can Algorithms Make Us Healthy? 7 What if there were no mucus? 8 How do we solve the nuclear waste puzzle? 9 What if Fear Didn't Exist? 10 What if the ice disappeared? 11 Do We All hear the Same Thing? 12 Are we too pessimistic? 13 Does the Perfect Song Exist? 14 Are we alone in space? 15 Why Do We Eat What We Eat? 16 What is the secret of light? 17 Can we save the trees? 18 What if dust didn't exist? 19 Geoengineering: Earth's Last Resort 20 Could Algae Save the Planet? 21 Will Messenger RNA Save Us From Cancer? 22 Will We Stop Flying? 23 Will We Like Robots? 24 The Purpose of Parasites 25 Could We Sleep Less? 26 Are Cryptocurrencies the Future? 27 Do We Live in a Black Hole? 28 The Power of Dreams 29 Where do people migrate to? 30 What Do Animals Talk About? 31 Are we getting dumber? 32 Do Computers Have Biases? 33 How can everyone be fed? 34 Are We Doing More Drugs? 35 Are We Ready for Mars? 36 Can we glimpse the afterlife? 37 Could we become immortal? 38 Could We Live Without Agriculture? 39 How dangerous is space weather? 40 Will we travel to Mars? 41 Can We Create Money from Nothing? 42 How do we end wars? 43 Is Space Being Stolen From Us? 44 What Power Do Thoughts Have? 45 Can We Trust Ourselves? 46 Are we more intelligent in swarms? 47 The Search for a Universal Theory 48 Can we turn crap into gold? 49 Are You Psychopathic? 50 How does a wave become rogue? 51 Do We Need Economic Growth? 52 Are we gambling away our lives? 53 Why do we have limits? 54 Where to Find Perfect Energy? 55 What if sharks disappeared? 56 Are Animals Self-Aware? 57 Why do We Fall in Love? 58 What if nature had a price? 59 Can we copy our blood? 60 Why do we hate? 61 Could We Bring Back the Wooly Mammoth? 62 Can seals go to court? 63 Do colors manipulate us? 64 Will there be a new 'human species'? 65 Is There a Male Fertility Crisis? 66 Can Cities Save the World? 67 When the Heavens Rain Down 68 Do Fungi Rule Us? 69 The A***hole Effect 70 How It All Ends 71 When Will the World End? 72 How to Travel Through Time? 73 Mind Reading: A Reality? 74 Surviving Our Polluted Planet 75 The Chaos of Chance 76 Who Owns the Sea? 77 Do Animals Appreciate Beauty? 78 Will a new wind soon blow? 79 Are we going to disappear beneath the waves? 80 Are We All Bisexual? 81 The Advent of Turbo-Evolution 82 Why do we lose our memory? 83 Humanity's True Nature 84 Can We Live Without Electricity? 85 What Happens When the Glaciers Disappear? 86 Could We Reach the Stars? 87 Is Lying Good For Us? 88 Will we one day be cryogenically frozen? 89 Will we run out of sand? 90 What's So Funny? 91 The Origin of Life 92 Does Punishment Work? 93 What Are Our Imaginations For? 94 Can We Trick Our Genes? 95 Amasia: The Supercontinent of the Future 96 Do Dogs Really Love Us? 97 Do We Need Corruption? 98 Are Animals Cleverer than Us? 99 Are Billionaires a Problem? 100 How strongly does our mother tongue shape us? 101 Do We Live in a Multiverse? 102 Does History Repeat Itself? 103 Are there too many of us on Earth? 104 Is stress good for us? 105 Do Disasters Make Us Better? 106 Is the Metaverse Real? 107 Do We All Have a Doppelganger? 108 Could We Programme Evoluton? 109 Is There an Upside to Climate Change? 110 Do We Need More Utopias? 111 Can we control clouds? 112 Does Sugar Make Us Stupid? 113 What if the poles reversed again? 114 What power do smells have? 115 Can We Shrink the Economy? 116 How Do Plants Live? 117 How to Become Popular 118 Do We Need to Have Power? 119 Should Humans Be Smaller? 120 Is AI Out of Control? 121 Are Invasive Species Always a Problem? 122 Would We Be Happier Without Happiness? 123 Why Do We Cry? 124 Could Sea Currents Change? 125 Could Matriarchy Be the Solution? 126 Are Aliens Like Us? 127 Is Pain Necessary? 128 Do Animals Have Better Societies? 129 How Powerful are Maps? 130 Does Quantum Physics Change Our Reality? 131 Why Do We Have Less Sex? 132 Has Slavery Made Us Racist? 133 Why Is Housing So Expensive? 134 Can We Make Friends with Our Enemies? 135 Can We Replace Pollination? 136 Are We Taking Enough Risks? 137 Who Really Were Our Ancestors? 138 Is a World Without Violence Possible? 139 Can We Remember Precisely? 140 What Holds the Universe Together? 141 Do We Need God? 142 What Protests Work? 143 How do Children Function? 144 Will We Grieve Differently in Future? 145 Do We Need Weapons for Peace? 146 What Should We Actually Eat? 147 Are We Ready for Aliens? 148 How Important is Our Microbiome? 149 Why Is Wealth So Unfairly Distributed? 150 What Makes Us Depressed? 151 Does the Perfect Code Exist? 152 Are We Ready for World Government? 153 Are We Wasting Period Blood? 154 Can We Feel Time? 155 How Does Water Create Life? 156 Are Cyborgs the Future? 157 Can We Save Truth? 158 Can We Cure Addictions? 159 Are We Too Curious? 160 What Did Dinosaurs Really Look Like? 161 Can We Outwit Viruses? 162 Where Does Madness Begin? 163 Should We Be Bored More Often? 164 How Powerful is Disinformation? 165 Why Do Civilisations Fall? 166 Should We Argue More? 167 How Mathematic is the Universe? 168 Is The World Better Than We Think? 169 How Smart Are the Animals We Eat 170 Does Failure Help Us Succeed? 171 Was Stone-Age Man Dumber Than Us? 172 The Age of Fire 173 Why Does Music Move Us? 174 Optimisation: Is It Making Us Mad? 175 Is a Superbug Pandemic Coming? 176 Can Humans Hibernate? 177 Does Society Need Alcohol? 178 ...We Make Free Decisions? 179 What was there before the Big Bang? 180 How Powerful Are Images? 181 How Does the Female Orgasm Work? 182 Is Space Debris Dangerous for Earth? 183 Can Our Brains Still Concentrate? 184 Why Do We Love Horror? 185 Does Planet Nine Really Exist? 186 Are We An Evolutionary Superspecies? 187 Are Wasps Game Changers of Evolution? 188 Why do we sing? 189 How monogamous are humans? 190 Why Do We Love Gold? 191 Do Emotions Control the Markets? 192 What if life were mirrored? 193 Do we need the alpha male? 194 Black Holes: A Future Energy Source? 195 Is Brain Washing Possible? 196 Why Are We So Competitive? 197 Do We Need Siblings? 198 Has Globalisation Failed? 199 How does trash change the world? 200 Is vacation really relaxing? 201 Can we change? 202 Is there another Earth in the universe? 203 Can AI Feel Us? 204 Does a Trauma Lie Dormant in Everyone? 205 What Lies Behind UFOs? 206 Can states go into debt indefinitely? 207 Does scrolling make teens stupid? 208 Can We Live Without Work? 209 Is there a female fertility crisis? 210 Is Loneliness Contagious? 211 How Do You Become a Genius? 212 Can We Stop Mass Extinction? 213 Can We Control Our Hormones? 214 Where Did the Antimatter Go? 215 Are Political Parties to Blame for Everything? 216 Episode 216 217 Episode 217 218 Episode 218 219 Episode 219