Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
to
to
Exclude
Only includes titles with the selected topics
to
In minutes
to
1-250 of 1,237
- Watson and Crick race to find the structure of DNA before Linus Pauling, Maurice Wilkins, or Rosalind Franklin can find the key to unlocking the secret.
- Reports of the intense investigations into three mummified bodies found in various places around the globe.
- Hidden deep beneth the Earth's surface lie one of the most destructive and yet least under-stood natural phenomena in the World. Super Volcanoes. One of the largest Super volcanoes is in Yellowstone National Park in the USA.
- Many theories about Russia's unsinkable Kursk submarine sinking in August 2000 are explored and analyzed.
- The extraordinary saga of a document lost for hundreds of years, that could have changed the course of history.
- A boy whose penis was burnt off when a circumcision goes wrong is turned into a girl as an attempt to prove a theory about gender identity.
- Imagine if every time you saw someone called Derek you got a strong taste of earwax in your mouth. It happens to James Wannerton, who runs a pub. Derek is one of his regulars. Another regular's name gives him the taste of wet nappies. For some puzzling reason, James's sense of sound and taste are intermingled. Dorothy Latham sees words as colours. Whenever she reads a black and white text, she sees each letter tinged in the shade of her own multi-coloured alphabet - even though she knows the reality of the text is black and white. Spoken words have an even stranger effect. She sees them, spelled out letter by letter, on a colourful tickertape in front of her head. Both James and Dorothy have a mysterious condition called synaesthesia, in which their senses have become linked. For years scientists dismissed it, putting it in the same category as séances and spoon-bending. But now, synaesthesia is sparking a revolution in our understanding of the human mind.
- When a baby boy's penis is burnt off during a circumcision, his parents turn to a noted sexologist who suggests he be raised as a girl. Ultimately, it leads to serious consequences.
- Examines a theory that many earthquakes are related, and that they can 'trigger' other quakes, thus providing a method for predicting earthquake occurrences, both temporally and spatially.
- New research into the human brain and asks are we programmed to believe in God?
- No one quite knows what happened in the tropical aquarium of a German zoo two decades ago, but according to biologists, experiments with a tropical seaweed unleashed a hybrid algae which is now decimating marine life in the Mediterranean. It was in the late 1980s that Alexandre Meinesz, a professor of biology at France's University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis on the Mediterranean coast, first detected the spread of a new species of algae along the French coastline. Horizon follows Meinesz on a scientific detective story as he attempts to unravel the source of this alien algae, alert the authorities to the danger and find a solution.
- Near a small lake in West Africa, hundreds of people and animals are found dead from asphyxiation. Scientists must find out what happened in order to prevent it happening again.
- It seems the speculation wasn't absurd enough. Parallel universes really do exist and they are much stranger than even the science fiction writers dared to imagine.
- The history of neutrino related discoveries which made scientists re-think their fundamental theories of the universe.
- The story of an archeological find, that changes our image of bronze-age Central Europe.
- A controversial theory posits that for millions of years Earth was entirely ice covered.
- Horizon examines supermassive black holes and the recent discovery that they are crucial to the formation of galaxies. Supermassive black holes were originally hypothesized to explain active galaxies and quasars, but later were discovered to be at the center of many ordinary galaxies including our own.
- Experts voice their concerns that the Gulf Stream, that vast current of water that keeps us warm, could be cut off, leading Britain to develop a climate similar to Alaska. Our ports could be frozen over and ice storms could ravage the country. Discoveries and developments in Greenland, Russia, the Atlantic and the Arctic have fuelled fears that this climate catastrophe could happen within the next century - or even in 20 years' time. Horizon assesses the evidence.
- Following two passionate archaeologists, Giuseppe Orefici and Egle Barone-Visigalli, this documentary tries to solve the enigma of a little-known Pre-Columbian civilization: the Nasca.
- The discovery of a mummified girl, with a full inscription identifying her as a 'lost' Persian princess creates scientific excitement as mummification is unknown in ancient Persia.
- The story of physicist Richard Feynman's fascination with - and efforts to visit - a remote country in the center of Asia, called Tannu Tuva, "the land where the reindeer meets the camel".
- The rise and fall of Gene Therapy.
- 1947, a British civilian version of the wartime Lancaster bomber took off from Buenos Aires airport on a scheduled flight to Santiago, but never made it. Instead it vanished when it was apparently just a few minutes from touchdown.
- As Albert Einstein lay on his deathbed, he asked only for his glasses, his writing implements and his latest equations. He knew he was dying, yet he continued his work. In those final hours of his life, while fading in and out of consciousness, he was working on what he hoped would be his greatest work of all. It was a project of monumental complexity. It was a project that he hoped would unlock the mind of God.
- Biology stands on the brink of a shift in the understanding of inheritance. The discovery of epigenetics - hidden influences upon the genes - could affect every aspect of our lives.
- Millionaire optometrist Robert Graham believed that many intellectuals were dying childless, yet less-intelligent people were constantly reproducing. He wanted to bring thousands of geniuses into the world to ensure the future of the human race. In the early 1980s, he established a Repository for Germinal Choice - a sperm bank stocked full of 'donations' solicited from some of the world's most brilliant men; and he began with Nobel Laureates. This is the story of an endeavor that many agree laid the foundations for modern sperm banks.
- Horizon explains how North America could fall victim to a megathrust earthquake.
- A day in the life of the cigarette. A love of nicotine unites all peoples across the globe, regardless of colour, wealth or creed. Where religion and politics have failed, tobacco has succeeded, but at what cost? For over 50 years people have been knowingly paying for the pleasure of tobacco with their lives, making man's fatal tryst with the cigarette one of the weirdest love affairs ever.
- Every parent wants their child to be healthy, but does this extend to picking their genes for them?
- A psychological investigation of the mind of suicide bombers, and of normal people in general.
- Looks at the theory that birds are descended from certain dinosaurs. Looking at examples of feathered dinosaur fossils, the film talks to scientists working in this controversial area.
- Horizon examines how observations of supernova in distant parts of the universe has provided evidence of the accelerating expansion of the universe. This new evidence suggests the existence of a new type energy in space which may have significant implications for the ultimate fate of the universe.
- This is a film that demands action. It reveals that we may have grossly underestimated the speed at which our climate is changing. At its heart is a deadly new phenomenon. One that until very recently scientists refused to believe even existed. But it may already have led to the starvation of millions. Tonight Horizon examines for the first time the power of what scientists are calling Global Dimming.
- In the mid-1990s, a team of American science students took on the might of the Las Vegas casinos, and came home with millions of dollars. Hardworking engineering students during the week, they became high-rolling gamblers by the weekend and proved that, in one game at least, the house doesn't always win. The game was blackjack, and the students were from the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Their audacious winnings marked the climax of an arms race between casino and player that began 40 years earlier with maths professor Edward Thorp. He realised that the one feature of blackjack that made it different from other casino games also made it possible to beat. In most gambling games - roulette, dice, slot machines, the lottery - events in the past do not determine the future. The odds are the same on every roll of the dice or spin of the wheel. Winning streaks or losing streaks may occur, but they are only one possible result from the set of all possible outcomes. A fair coin that has shown heads ten times, still only has a 50% chance of showing heads on the next flip. Casinos and bookmakers make certain that the odds are always stacked slightly in their favour. In other words, over time, the house will always win. Changing odds Thorp realised that because of the unique way blackjack was played, the odds were not always the same in every round. After each hand is played, the used cards are put to one side, and not shuffled back into the deck. They are effectively removed from the pool of available cards in the next round. So in any given hand, the odds of getting an ace will decrease if an ace has been played in previous rounds. Aces are beneficial to the player, so having a smaller proportion of aces in the deck shifts the odds further in favour of the house. Previous gamblers had realised this fact, but no one had the insight to come up with a practical system to take advantage of this phenomenon. The basic rules of blackjack are simple. To win a round, the player has to draw cards to beat the dealer's total and not exceed a total of 21. The dealer must draw cards until a total of 17 or greater is reached. Thorp calculated that as the game continued and cards were removed after each round, if the remaining deck became richer than average in certain types of cards, it became advantageous to the player. Although the winning margin is still subject to the luck of the draw, this meant that using perfect strategy, with a large bankroll and playing enough hands, the player was more than likely to come out on top. A player would start off each deck playing minimal stakes. Then by keeping track of the cards leaving the deck, they would determine a point when the odds switched in their favour and lay down larger and larger bets as the deck became more and more favourable. Playing perfect basic strategy without card counting, the player's average expectation is between -0.6% and 0%. Using perfect high-low card counting and playing perfect strategy, the player's average expectation is between +0.4 and +1.14%. So a £100 bet will yield on average £101.14 in return, playing a single deck game. Testing the system Thorp announced his strategy at the American Mathematical Society in 1960 and news quickly spread. He was approached by the mysterious 'Mr X', a gambler and businessman with strong links to the underworld, who was eager to see whether his strategy could make real money. Mr X put up $10,000 to test the system. Unaware of Mr X's mobster links, Thorp agreed, and playing according to his strategy in Reno casinos, managed to more than double his bankroll in two days of play! In 1962, Thorp published Beat the Dealer - A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty One. Immediately casinos in Nevada were inundated with wannabe card counters, eager to make a quick buck. Four years later, the second edition outlined the new high-low count, a system with just as much power but easier to use. The casinos, terrified of losing money, decided to change the rules to make life harder for the card counters. They increased the number of decks, they shuffled more often and at one point even changed the winning payoffs. Dealers and pit bosses learned how to spot card counters, and asked anyone suspected of counting to play another game or leave the casino. Life for card counters became increasingly tough, and the counting systems became more complicated in order to try and keep up a marginal edge over the casinos. Card counting became a hazardous and unprofitable occupation. In 1971, Keith Taft, an electronics engineer from California, was frustrated at his low winnings from counting. He decided to develop a portable computer that could count cards for him. With his son Marty, he built 'George', probably the world's first portable computer, specifically to count cards at blackjack. The player tapped in the value of each card played using their toes, and the computer would buzz back the amount to bet and whether to stick or twist each round. The computer was able to calculate precisely the advantage or disadvantage each card gave to the player, and thus accurately predict the optimum playing strategy. The Tafts' computer allowed them to move back to the winning margins that Thorp had enjoyed 10 years earlier. Keen to capitalise on their success, the father and son team set up a home workshop to design and build new computers, which they sold for $10,000 apiece. But it didn't take long for the casinos to catch up with the Tafts. In May 1977, after a long winning streak, Marty Taft was escorted into the backroom of a Nevada casino. Security guards forcibly searched him, found his computer, and sent it away to the FBI. Soon after the law was changed to ban all computing devices in casinos. Raising the stakes In the early 1990s, however, a new breed of counters emerged. They had a greater level of resources, training and attention to detail than the casinos had ever encountered. Semyon Dukach, Katie Lilienkamp and Andy Bloch were all studying at MIT when they heard of card counting as a way to make extra money. MIT had a history of card counting. Indeed, Ed Thorp himself had developed the original system whilst at MIT, using one of the most powerful computers in the world at that time. MIT counters played in teams, usually of three or more. Each individual was given a specific role. Some would simply watch tables, and wait for favourable situations to appear (the 'spotters'). They would call in the expert strategist (the 'controller') who would fine-tune exactly when was the optimum moment to play, and how much to bet according to the cards being played. The controller would secretly signal to a 'big player' who would then join a table and place a massive bet at exactly the right moment. The key was that by only betting when the odds were well in the big player's favour, the big player could maximise potential profit, and also avoid being spotted as a counter. By watching a number of tables at any time, the team could select only those with the greatest promise of a good return. The big player simply looked like a rich, arrogant young gambler who got lucky on a single bet. The MIT players went to great lengths to conceal both their own identities and their team play. They would work relentlessly to exploit any edge they could find - inexperienced dealers, poor shuffling or lax security. They also recorded exactly how much profit they managed to make from each situation, and honed their skills to be incredibly close to optimum play. The trio played blackjack all over the world on and off throughout most of the 1990s, making money wherever they played. Their exploits only came to an end when Griffin Investigations, a private agency hired by casinos, identified the members of the MIT teams after months of surveillance. From that point on a team player even entering a casino would be swiftly ejected. Card counting still occurs wherever blackjack is played, though as casino technology advances it becomes harder and harder to make anything but a small profit. Facial recognition technology, computerised blackjack tables and rule changes are slowly eating away at the small advantage possible through counting. But the lure of easy money makes it unlikely the casinos have seen the last of the counters. For 40 years they have found ways to make profit, and their ingenuity is bound to succeed again.
- H5N1 Bird Flu jumps the species barrier and becomes a global pandemic. This drama documentary based in Cambodia, USA and the UK explores what is known so far about avian flu and looks at what might happen if a human pandemic occurs.
- The extraordinary story of how a mysterious gem in one of Tutankhamun's necklaces led to the discovery of a dramatic new cosmic threat.
- This discusses selfishness and cooperation, arguing that evolution often favors co-operative behavior, and focuses especially on the tit-for-tat strategy of the prisoner's dilemma game.
- Theoretical physicist Richard Feynman tells his story.
- Tells the story of the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep, the first cloned copy of an adult mammal, and the scientific possibilities it opens up. Charts the struggle of the scientists Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell and their team at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh to achieve this breakthrough in embryology, and examines the ethical implications raised by cloning.
- Documentary with dramatic reconstructions about the life of Joey Deacon, a man whose severe Cerebral Palsy led him to be incarcerated in an asylum until people learned to understand him.
- 1964– 59m7.2 (28)TV Episode
- 1964–6.1 (17)TV Episode
- Documentary looking at examples of curious aerial and visual phenomena which lead to misinterpretation of ordinary objects, and how simple investigations and techniques such as image enhancement are used to identify them. Interesting concepts introduced which show how human sight may not always see what it thinks it is seeing.
- The adventures of Richard Feynman, physicist, as told by his colleagues, family and friends - and himself.
- The adventures of Richard Feynman, physicist, as told by his colleagues, family and friends - and himself.
- Looks at the laws defining the use of weapons used against "soft targets". The design of weapons and projectiles causing differing amounts of suffering.
- A documentary about a major mental health issue. Are people who hear voices necessarily insane? Some psychologists believe they are not or that at least talking about the voices can offer a viable alternative to lifelong medication.
- Looks at the move away from categorizing blind people in just one category. 85% of "blind" people have some residual vision which they can be helped to use more effectively.
- A portrait of Professor Ian McColl, surgeon at Guys Hospital, London.
- Actor and comedian Tony Slattery, as he searches for a better understanding of the mental health problems he has had for the past 25 years.
- The story of a man, who lost the sense, that tells the brain, where his body is in space, and how has he overcome this deficiency.
- Documentary where Richard Dawkins challenges William Paley's theories on creationism and takes on Paley's descendants, it won the Sci-Tech Award for Best Science Documentary of the year.
- Series exploring topical scientific issues. The search for extra-terrestrial life has been going for 50 years - but there's been a recent breakthrough. Astronomers have discovered a new planet called Gliese 581 c. It is the most Earth-like planet ever found. It orbits a star and may have habitats capable of supporting life. NASA hopes to find 50 more Earth-like planets by the end of the decade, all of which increases the chance that alien life has begun elsewhere.
- A look at the ability of individuals to make appropriate choices correctly, whether based on innate knowledge or precognition.
- To celebrate the 30th anniversary of its launch, this film tells the remarkable story of how Hubble revealed the awe and wonder of our universe and how a team of daring astronauts risked their lives to keep it working.
- Professor Lesley Regan, one of the UK's most well-respected (and glamorous) medical experts, turns her scientific eye on the world of cosmetics. She's just turned 50, and is out to create an experimentally proven beauty cabinet. Unafraid to examine the wrinkles, age spots and broken veins on her own face, Professor Regan explores just what makes us look old, and if we can slow down the ageing process. The extraordinary world of cosmetic testing is revealed, from the British hair lab which makes New York tap water, to the volunteers sun-bathing for science. Sun damage, cellulite and balding all face Professor Regan's scrutiny as she discovers which cosmetics do - and don't - have the scientific evidence to back up their claims.
- Former Conservative MP, Michael Portillo pushes his body to the brink of death in an investigation into the science of execution. As the American Supreme Court examines whether the lethal injection is causing prisoners to die in unnecessary pain Michael sets out to find a solution which is fundamentally humane. To do so he examines the key methods of execution available today: he discovers why convicts can catch on fire in the electric chair, learns how easy it is to botch a hanging and inhales a noxious gas to experience first hand the terror of the gas chamber. Armed with some startling evidence Michael considers a completely new approach. Will it be the answer? There is only one way of finding out - to experience it himself.
- The story of how the Carbon 60 molecule was discovered.
- Searching the possibility of time-travel.
- Examines the impact on the marine wildlife and and environment after the Sea Empress oil tanker ran aground off the South West Wales coast in February 1996.