Provocative and Exquisitely Beautiful, the World's Greatest Living Scientist
Explores Potential Life in the Cosmos - Discovery Channel Presents the
Canadian Broadcast Premiere of INTO THE UNIVERSE WITH STEPHEN HAWKING, May 30

    
     - "I like to think of myself as an optimist, so in our vast, ancient
     universe, with its countless galaxies, almost any life form that is
             physically possible is likely to exist somewhere."
                         Professor Stephen Hawking -
    

TORONTO, April 29 /CNW/ - Igniting an international media frenzy, world-renowned theoretical physicist Professor Stephen Hawking makes some incredible claims - ones that redefine our view of life and our place in the universe - in the captivating new documentary INTO THE UNIVERSE WITH STEPHEN HAWKING. Could alien life be found on distant planets? Is time travelling the exclusive domain of science fiction? Delve into the mind of the world's most famous living scientist and explore the splendour and majesty of the universe as never seen before when Discovery Channel presents the Canadian Broadcast Premiere of INTO THE UNIVERSE WITH STEPHEN HAWKING on Sunday, May 30 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT.

In a special two-part broadcast event that will bend the mind, stretch the imagination and unleash the wonder of our universe, consider the possibility of intelligent alien life and time travel as brilliantly imagined by Hawking. Cutting-edge effects, digitally enhanced NASA footage and live action combine to bring Hawking's extraordinary vision of the universe to the screen for the first time. Definitive, provocative, surprising and exquisitely beautiful, INTO THE UNIVERSE WITH STEPHEN HAWKING is a fascinating look through the mind's eye of one of the finest brains on the planet.

Premiering at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, the first hour of INTO THE UNIVERSE WITH STEPHEN HAWKING asks the compelling question: Are we alone? The episode titled "Aliens" travels from the moons of Jupiter to a galaxy perhaps not so far away in search of intelligent life. Hawking introduces possible alien life forms - in stunning CGI - that face the same universal trials of adaptation and survival as the residents of Earth. Hawking calculates the odds of making "contact" - although he cautions against it: "if aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America. Which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."

To view the full release, hyperlinks to video and access photography, go to ctvmedia.ca/discovery.

For further information: Jodi Cook, Discovery Channel, [phone] or [email protected]; Shannon Hall, Discovery Channel, [phone] or [email protected]