"Water is the driving force of all nature." - Leonardo da Vinci Water makes most of earths surface and most of our human bodies ... but do we really know the secrets of this amazing element. From agriculture, to factories and hydropower, we put water to work in a million different ways every day. And yet water acts outside all known physical laws of nature. At a time of global climate change, understanding the mysteries of water is critical. Every living thing needs it to survive ... Our ignorance of its...

Thomas M. Jessell, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, examines the neural circuits that control our movements. Neural circuits give us a glimpse of how brain wiring and circuit activity control specific behaviors, including the movement of our limbs. Consider baseball player Lou Gehrig's remarkable hand-eye coordination, or the purity of cellist Jacqueline du Pré's tone. Yet, both examples also remind us of the fragility of the motor system: Gehrig succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and du Pré...

The search for Earth-like planets is reaching a fever-pitch. Does the evidence so far help shed light on the ancient question: Is the galaxy filled with life, or is Earth just a beautiful, lonely aberration? If things dont work out on this planet Or if our itch to explore becomes unbearable at some point in the future Astronomers have recently found out what kind of galactic real estate might be available to us. Well have to develop advanced transport to land there, 20 light years away. The question right now: is...

Beyond the gate of time lies a civilization with seven thousand years of celebrated heritage. A cradle of civilization a tolerant world empire a crossroad of civilizations a world of artistic forms and shapes a kaleidoscope of architectural marvels recreated for the first time: IRAN Seven faces of a...

In this short 10 minute video, neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran outlines the fascinating functions of mirror neurons. Only recently discovered, these neurons allow us to learn complex social behaviors, some of which formed the foundations of human civilization as we know...

Superstars Of Speed Brilliant BBC documentary. Jeremy Clarkson finds out why it is that some people can go faster than others. He plays slaps with F1 champion Michael Schumacher, plays tennis against Greg Rusedski, and goes for a spin, literally! with one of Britain's top test...

James May commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings. He meets three of the men who walked on the moon, before experiencing the thrill of weightlessness, and the bone-crushing G forces of a Saturn V rocket launch. Finally, he puts on a space suit and flies to the edge of space in a U2 spy plane, where he looks down at the curvature of the earth and upwards into the black infinity of space. Please excuse the initial advertisement, these are the hosts adverts and have nothing to do with us....

Fulfilling a life long dream to be an astronaut, James May was given the opportunity to fly to the edge of space in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane. To do this he first had to spend three days training with the United States Air Force at Beale Air Force Base and then learning how to use a space suit correctly. Following this he was taken on a 3 hour flight reaching the edge of space (an altitude of over 70,000 feet), piloted by instructor pilot Major John "Cabi"...

For thousands of years the holy lands of the Middle East have run with blood. Here the scars of battle fought between three of the great religions of the world are etched into the earth. But the deepest wound was made by a war between Christians and Muslims, that began in the 11th century and fought for 200 years. At stake: A tiny strip of land just a few hundred miles long, but with the greatest prize, Jeruzalem. Now this holy war’s past is a legend, but there were those who saw it with their own...