Falling In the third episode, Professor Brian Cox takes on the story of the force that sculpts the entire universe – gravity.Gravity seems so familiar, and yet it is one of the strangest and most surprising forces in the universe. Starting with a zero gravity flight, Brian experiences the feeling of total weightlessness, and considers how much of an effect gravity has had on the world around us.
DestinyHaving explored the wonders of the solar system, Professor Brian Cox steps boldly on to an even bigger stage – the universe.Who are we? Where do we come from? For thousands of years humanity has turned to religion and myth for answers to these enduring questions. But in this series, Brian presents a different set of answers – answers provided by science.In this episode, Brian seeks to
Every winter, millions of us come down with colds, flu and stomach problems caused by viruses like Norovirus - the highly contagious vomiting bug which has swept the country this year. It has closed hundreds of hospital wards and infected well over a million people. Flu figures are also higher than last year and are still climbing, plus we have seen high cases of a little known but extremely nasty
Last century, earthquakes killed over one million, and it is predicted that this century might see ten times as many deaths. Yet when an earthquake strikes, it always takes people by surprise.So why hasn’t science worked out how to predict when and where the next big quake is going to happen? This is the story of the men and women who chase earthquakes and try to understand this mysterious force
Black holes are one of the most destructive forces in the universe, capable of tearing a planet apart and swallowing an entire star. Yet scientists now believe they could hold the key to answering the ultimate question – what was there before the Big Bang? The trouble is that researching them is next to impossible. Black holes are by definition invisible and there’s no scientific theory able to ex
There is an idea once thought to be so radical that just mentioning it was thought to be pure insanity, but now scientists from around the world are daring to believe that it is actually true. They think that our universe is not alone its just one of an infinite number of weird and wonderful worlds. Some where life is familiar, others where things turned out a little differently.Some of these
Journey back in time to the birth of our solar system to examine whether the key to our planet’s existence might have been the explosive shockwave of an ancient supernova. Meet a chemist who has yielded a new kind of “recipe” for natural processes to assemble and create the building blocks of life. And see how the head louse, a creepy critter that’s been sucking our blood for millions of years, is
Over the last few years it has been clear to see that Britain's weather has become quite a bit more extreme, especially the winter season. The winter of 2014 was the wettest on record, with deadly storms battering Britain for months, causing misery for millions with many costal towns seeing a dramatic increase in flooding and before this there was a run of cold winters, record breaking temperature
