In the premiere of this two-part series on gravitational lensing, host Dr. Jeffrey Zurek steps away from volcanic mass movements to investigate the ultimate heavy-lifters: galaxies and black holes. While Newtonian gravity explains why a physics book hurts when dropped on your foot, it fails to explain the warped light of the distant cosmos.

Joining the show is Dr. Georgios Vernardos, an Assistant Professor and expert in astrophysics, to break down how mass and energy curve the very fabric of space-time. We explore the research process behind these discoveries—from the supercomputer simulations used in the movie Interstellar to the 1919 solar eclipse expedition that made Einstein a household name. This episode sets the stage for understanding how we use nature's own ...