He is the human embodiment of Pinocchio. Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America, tells one lie after the next. Incredibly, he has told over 7000 lies since taking office in January 2017. But what Trump practices in the political arena is actually a firm part of our own lives. Researchers believe that every one of us tells a lie between twice and 80 times a day. But there are very different kinds of lies.  Scientists distinguish between lies with a fraudulent intent and little fibs or social courtesies, which many don’t actually consider to be lies. The latter are the cement that keeps society together. But how can you detect a lie? Are humans the only species capable of misleading their equals? Harald Lesch provides some answers to these questions in Lesch’s Cosmos:The Truth Behind the Lie.

WRITER & DIRECTOR: Birgit Tanner     CAMERA: Adnane Korchyou     EDITOR: Claudia Spoden     COMMISSIONING EDITOR: Christina Schrader (ZDF)