The Euphio Question by Kurt Vonnegut

A way of producing and harnessing happiness is revealed when a physicist plays out the sound of dark matter during a local radio programme.

The sound lulls the listeners into a state of euphoria, producing an effect not unlike a large dose of sedative.

The ethical and moral implications of marketing this new found product become evident – as the temptation to make money and control huge numbers of people proves too great.

Kurt Vonnegut's mysterious short story.

Read by Stuart Milligan.

One of the outstanding figures of modern US literature, Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was a cult figure among students in the 1960s and 1970s with his classics of US counterculture. The bombing of Dresden by allied forces in 1945 was the pivotal moment of his life, which informed his best-known work ‘Slaughterhouse Five’.

Abridged and produced by Gemma Jenkins

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in November 2007.