History books traditionally depict the pre-Columbus Americas as a pristine wilderness where small native villages lived in harmony with nature.But scientific evidence tells a very different story: When Columbus stepped ashore in 1492, millions of people were already living there. America wasn’t exactly a New World, but a very old one whose inhabitants had built a vast infrastructure of cities,
From the producer: Shortly after I arrived in Siberia, our British editor, Andy Capper, texted me: “You’ll love Siberia. Everything is so close and the people are so nice.” He was of course being facetious (or British: same thing) because everything is 18 hours by train and the people are very mean indeed. Some might start out nice, but after the vodka starts flowing—which is always—so does
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 16717]
Across the United States, violent crime in prison is an everyday reality, with inmates routinely exposed to assault, riot, rape and murder.Anatomy of a Prison Murder examines the culture of institutional violence through the events that led to one burtal prison murder. Utah State Prison surveillance cameras capture this disturbing real-life account of the vicious stabbing of black inmate Lonni
If it wasn't possible to better the Soviets in the space race, which was really a race of technology armaments, what could be done? How could America offset the threat of superior weaponry? Throughout the history of rivalry and war, astute generals of lesser armies than their counterparts have used deceit and misinformation as a method to achieve victory.Surrounding the earth, beginning at an al
An intense scientific debate has ignited around a quiet but extraordinary family living in rural Turkey-a family with five adults who walk on all fours. Since bipedalism has long been considered one of the defining characteristics of modern humans, such a discovery raises fascinating questions about genetics, society, and the evolutionary history of our species. Is this the anthropological find of
These days it would appear that narcissists or narcissistic tendencies are becoming more and more common place in society as we know it. A certain element of this has been attributed to the fact that many media outlets have diagnosed Donald Trump with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, a disorder which has overtaken 'psychopath' and 'bipolar' in becoming the number one label to describe psychologi
Broadcast 14 November 2006.Clouds of alien life forms are sweeping through outer space and infecting planets with life – it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.The idea that life on Earth came from another planet has been around as a modern scientific theory since the 1960s when it was proposed by Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe. At the time they were ridiculed for their idea – kn
Louis Theroux travels out to Los Angeles to check out the world of plastic surgery, where breast enhancements, tummy tucks, muscle implants and the like are common procedures.Spending time in the surgeries of several plastic surgeons, Louis meets the doctors who carry out the operations and the people who feel they need work – whether it is a man looking to make his muscles look larger or a woma