Chemistry:The Mystery of Matter

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The Mystery of Matter
PBS-TheMysteryOfMatter-DvdCover.jpg
DVD cover
GenreDocumentary film
Created byStephen Lyons
Written byStephen Lyons
Directed byStephen Lyons; Muffie Meyer
Narrated byMichael Emerson
Theme music composerTom Phillips
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of episodesThree one-hour episodes
Production
Producer(s)Stephen Lyons; Moreno/Lyons Productions LLC; Oregon Public Broadcasting
CinematographyGary Henoch
Editor(s)Raoul Rosenberg
Running time3 h (180 min)
Release
Original networkPBS
Original releaseOctober 20, 2014 (2014-10-20)[1][2][3]

The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements is a 2014 American documentary miniseries,[1][2][3] which premiered nationwide on August 19, 2015.[4][5][6] The PBS documentary, in three-episodes of one hour each, was directed by Stephen Lyons and Muffie Meyer.

The series, which took ten years to make,[7] describes the search for the basic chemical elements that form matter by focusing on the lives and times of seven scientific visionaries.[4][5] Hosted by actor Michael Emerson, the series depicts the creative process of the scientists, with actors describing the process of discovery in the scientists' own words and reenacting their major discoveries using replicas of their original laboratory equipment.[4]

Episodes

No. Episode[4] Original air date (nationwide)

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Participants

The documentary is narrated by Michael Emerson and includes the following participants (alphabetized by last name):

Gallery

The seven featured scientists

Cast and advisors

Reviews and criticism

According to Carman Drahl of Forbes , "Chemists will quickly recognize the life stories of giants in their field. This show wasn’t designed just for chemists, however. The target audience includes teachers, students, and curious TV viewers."[5] The series, based on a National Science Foundation project description, tells "a 'detective story' of chemistry, stretching from the ancient alchemists to today's efforts to find stable new forms of matter".[9] Mark Dawidziak, of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, quotes the historical advisor, Alan Rocke: "[The series] portrays science as [a] very human process. People see it is a very mechanical process. A great humanity is revealed by these stories, but also the unfolding process of how science actually comes to these understandings of nature."[7] Erica K. Jacobsen, of the Chemical Education Division of the American Chemical Society, found the series to be "an excellent tool for bringing students a different view of the periodic table and those involved in its history".[3]

See also


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Staff (October 13, 2014). "OPB to Premiere New PBS Chemistry Series". Oregon Public Broadcasting. http://www.opb.org/pressroom/pressrelease/new-pbs-chemistry-series-premieres-on-opb/. Retrieved August 28, 2015. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Staff (June 16, 2014). "The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements". Oregon Public Broadcasting. http://www.opb.org/pressroom/pressrelease/the-mystery-of-matter/. Retrieved August 27, 2015. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jacobsen, Erica K. (November 23, 2014). "The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements". ChemEd X (American Chemical Society). http://www.jce.divched.org/blog/mystery-matter-search-elements. Retrieved August 27, 2015. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Staff (2015). "The Mystery of Matter - Episode Guide". PBS. https://www.pbs.org/program/mystery-matter/. Retrieved August 26, 2015. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Drahl, Carmen (August 20, 2015). "PBS's The Mystery Of Matter And Its Message For Chemistry". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carmendrahl/2015/08/20/pbs-the-mystery-of-matter-chemistry/. Retrieved August 27, 2015. 
  6. Halford, Bethany (August 16, 2015). "PBS Docudrama Brings Discovery Of The Chemical Elements To Life". Chemical & Engineering News. http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i32/PBS-Docudrama-Brings-Discovery-Chemical.html. Retrieved August 27, 2015. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Dawidziak, Mark (August 22, 2015). "CWRU professor Alan Rocke featured in PBS series 'The Mystery of Matter'". Cleveland Plain Dealer. http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2015/08/case_western_professor_alan_rocke_featured_in_pbs_series_mystery_of_matter.html. Retrieved August 27, 2015. 
  8. Staff (August 19, 2015). "Periodic table authority Eric Scerri is featured in PBS documentary". UCLA Newsroom. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/dept/faculty/periodic-table-expert-eric-scerry-is-featured-in-pbs-documentary. Retrieved September 27, 2015. 
  9. Staff (2010). "Project Details - The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements (Full-Scale Development)". National Science Foundation. http://informalscience.org/projects/ic-000-000-001-776/The_Mystery_of_Matter:_Search_for_the_Elements_(Full-Scale_Development). Retrieved August 28, 2015. 

External links