How the Universe Works

The series examines the hypothesis that the orbital migration of Uranus and Neptune played a role in shaping conditions favourable to life on our planet. By tracing the giants' movements through the Solar System, it investigates how these shifts may have affected Earth’s early environment and biological development.

Uranus & Neptune: Rise of the Ice Giants is a programme presented as a single episode. It falls within the genre of factual documentary, focusing on the outer planets of our Solar System. The title signals that the episode will centre on the two ice giants and their broader significance. The heart of the episode is an investigation into how the shifting positions of Uranus and Neptune might have played a part in the emergence of life on our own planet. It asks whether the movement of these distant worlds could have had any bearing on the conditions that allowed life to develop on Earth. Throughout the broadcast, the narrative follows the idea that the migration of the two planets may have intersected with key moments in Earth’s biological history. By tracing the possible link between their orbital changes and the development of life, the programme highlights a hypothesis that connects planetary dynamics far beyond our world with the story of life here. In the closing sections, the episode encourages viewers to think about the wider Solar System’s influence on Earth’s habitability. It frames the discussion around the notion that the motion of Uranus and Neptune could have contributed, in some way, to the environment that eventually nurtured life, prompting a broader contemplation of how the cosmos may shape planetary evolution.