Horizon

The World of Buckminster Fuller

Horizon follows the work of R. Buckminster Fuller and his research of the geodesic dome.

Pesticides and Posterity

Dr. Frank Darling and Dr. Eric Edson discuss different environmental priorities.

A Candle to Nature

A reconstruction of a Michael Faraday lecture last given in December 1860.

Strangeness Minus Three

Horizon explores the findings of physicists at Brookhaven, Long Island, New York. Who, after two years and thousands of photographs, have identified a predicted new particle which has a unique characteristic: 'strangeness minus three'.

The Air of Science

Horizon looks at the work of the National Institute for Medical Research.

The Knowledge Explosion

Prof. Arthur C. Clarke, Derek Price and Nigel Balchin discuss the past and future of science.

The Amateur Scientist

The work of amateur scientists.

Tots and Quods and Woodgeries

Horizon investigates the 'Tots and Quots' and the 'Woodgeries' two groups set up by scientists before the second world war to discuss the future of science and how it effects society.

Science, Toys and Magic

Horizon takes a look at science in the spirit of Christmas.

Learning from Machines

At a time when the use of teaching machines is fast expanding, Horizon looks at the principles behind them and enquires into their success

The Technique of Change

Horizon profiles the Bell Laboratories in the United States. They are one of the most important research and development centers where more than 4000 scientists work with a budget of one hundred million pounds every year. Horizon investigates the possibility of setting up a similar research station in Britain.

Star Gazers

Horizon explores American plans to launch a space observatory to map the universe and learn how stars are created.

Science and Art

Horizon looks at the relationship between science and art, and also explores artists attitudes towards science.

The Great Computer Scandal / H-Bomb Detectors

Horizon investigates the states of big research computers in Britain. Also, Horizon looks at the H-Bomb Detectors and how British scientists have developed a nuclear explosion detector which has changed the political outlook for nuclear test controls.

Windows of the Soul / Elixir of Youth

Horizon follows experiments on the eyes being undertaken at the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago. The purpose of the experiments are to discover if our eyes can tell us things we might prefer to keep secret. In Romania, more than forty thousand people have been given Gerovital H3, in the belief that it will make them younger.

The Troubled Mind / Triple-A. S.

Horizon explores an American mental hospital, observing schizophrenic patients under treatment with remarkable new drugs. The American equivalent of the British Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, met in Berkeley, California between Christmas and New Year.

A Man of Two Visions / The Scientist Applied

A profile of Dr. Albert Copley, the famous hematologist, who is also known as an accomplished artist under the name of Alcopley. For a country striving to raise its productivity, the supply of applied scientists is tremendously important. Professor S. A. Tobias, an engineer, and Lord Todd, ex-chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council, discuss the problems of educating them and their importance in society.

The Dolphins that Joined The Navy / A Theory of The Earth

Horizon looks at the research of dolphins being conducted at a United States naval base in Port Magu, California. The research concentrates on the dolphin's abilities of navigation. The eminent Canadian geologist, Professor Tuzo Wilson, explains his new 'Froth on the Broth' theory of the structure of the earth to David Wilson.

Sons of Cain

Horizon probes into whether aggressiveness is our birthright and can society live without violence?

When Is a Body Dead? / How to Win Friends and Influence People

Medical advances have made it possible for 'life' to be maintained in an unconscious patient who has irrevocable brain damage and who might also be dependent on artificial aids to circulation and respiration. Is it now meaningless to define 'death' as the cessation of a heart beat? Why do so many people have difficulty In communicating, or in simply getting-on with other people? Psychologists have now begun to analyse aspects of social behaviour in a way which they believe will lead to more pleasant and more effective human relationships.

How Best to Make a Man / How Best to Make a Scientist

In this episode, Horizon looks at a new school of mathematics and physics near Novosibirsk in Siberia, Russia. This school uses a competition held for Russian school children to qualify new students.

Dynamo - The Life of Michael Faraday

Horizon profiles the life of the greatest physical scientist: Michael Faraday. Crucial events of his scientific career in science are reconstructed.

Migraine

Horizon looks at some research recently carried out into the migraine headache and the means to provide treatment for it.

An Ingenious Man - Sir H. John Baker

Horizon reports on Prof. Sir John Baker who is a distinguished British engineer, tracing his career beginning from his early work on airships.

Man's Best Friend

This episode covers interviews with surgeons and research workers discussing the need for animal experimentation in medical work.

Once a Junkie

In England addicts get their heroin, and often cocaine, on the National Health Service: our system has prevented the growth of a drug-based criminal world, but Americans say that our system only worked when we did not have a serious addiction problem. Now we do. Does our present system make it too easy for the casual drug experimenter to become a hard-core addict? Is there anything we can learn from the American situation?

Towns, Traffic and Tomorrow

Horizon explores the problem of increasing traffic in Britain.

The Man Makers

In this episode, Horizon looks into the advances in medical science.

Man in Search of Himself

This episode presents the view by G. M. Carstairs, social psychiatrist, about the pleasures and problems of life in Britain in 1968.

Inside Every Fat Man

Horizon probes into the problems of obesity and investigates cures for obesity using diets and drugs.

If Only They Could Speak

A report by Horizon examining animal intelligence and looking at the reasons why no other animal has matched man in mental ability.

The Miraculous Wonder: The Human Eye

Horizon investigates the importance of the eye, diseases of the eye, and current research on sight.

The Years of the Locust

In this episode, Horizon reports on how in the last 2 years, the desert locust has been breeding in Southern Arabia by the Red Sea.

The Gifted Child

Horizon reports on the problems associated with raising and educating children of very high intelligence.

The Last of the Polymaths

This episode is a biography of the late professor J. B. S. Haldane whose life is described by his family, friends, and critics.

Just Another World

This episode of Horizon centers on the study of the moon rock samples brought back to the earth by the Apollo 11 flight to the moon.

Henry Royce, Mechanic

Horizon investigates the history of the life and work of Sir Henry Royce, co-founder of the firm Rolls Royce Royce.

A Disease of Our Time - Stress

This is the first part of a two-part episode on diseases afflicting people today. Horizon looks at the issue of stress on the body.

A Disease of Our Time - Heart Attacks

This is the second part of a two-part episode on diseases afflicting people today. Horizon looks at the causes of coronary heart disease and modern techniques of treatment and cure.

Sex and Sexuality

Horizon exams the current scientific research into human sexual behavior.

Whose Coast?

In this episode, Horizon reports on how much of the sea coast around Britain is becoming polluted.

Wildlife - The Last Great Battle

In this episode, Horizon looks a the efforts of zoos to save animal species from extinction by breeding enough to ensure their survival in captivity

Great Ormond Street

In this episode, Horizon looks at the renowned British hospital for children, Great Ormond Street, and the Institute of Child Health.

A Bulldozer Through Heaven

Horizon explores the island of New Guinea and its cultural changes going on there.

Rumors of War

This episode of Horizon looks at the growing arsenal of nuclear weapons over the last 25 years and the effects it has on the arms race.

I'm Dependent - You're Addicted (I)

The first of a two-programme investigation in which Horizon and Man Alive have combined forces. This episode investigates the facts about drug abuse and experimental work undertaken in this area.

Kuru - To Tremble with Fear

Kuru is a unique disease of the people of New Guinea. Horizon goes with Prof. E. J. Field to find out why.

The Missing Link

In this episode of Horizon, you find out how feasible it is to build a 35 mile long tunnel between Britain and France.

Navajo - The Last Red Indians

Horizon explores the American Navajo indian tribe of New Mexico, in the United States.

How Much Do You Smell?

Why do humans have such a poor sense of smell as compared to animals? Horizon investigates why.

The Parasite of Paradise

This story by Horizon reports on Malaria in the country of Gambia, in West Africa.

The Day it Rained Periwinkles

Horizon investigates reports of strange phenomena and about what the scientific theory is about these phenomena.

Are You Doing This for Me Doctor, or Am I Doing It for You?

Horizon explores if a doctor's treatment of the patient is always in the best interest of the patient.

Epidemic

Horizon examines sources of infection that have, and could still, cause epidemics in Britain.

Worlds in Collision

This episode of Horizon features Immanuel Velikovsky and his theories about the solar system.

The Military Necessity

Horizon examines the doctrines and military strategies of the rival alliances of NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries.

The Curtain of Silence

Horizon looks into the problem of deafness in Britain.

Crime Lab

A jewel robbery, a hit-and-run, and the Case of the Skeleton in the Sand Dunes illustrate the work of forensic scientists and the police they assist. How do they discover the characteristics of an individual bullet as it enters a body? How are blood stains identified or microscopic flakes of paint? How do voiceprints and lie-detectors work? The crime labs of Britain and America have different priorities and different techniques. Each can learn from the other. They also have different success rates. Britain's is currently better. But how long can we hold out against a rapidly rising tide of drugs and violence? What can we learn from American experience?

A Matter of Self-Defense

This episode of Horizon explains how our body fights infections and cancers and brings us up-to-date on recent research in immunology.

Bird Brain - The Mystery of Bird Navigation

This episode of Horizon is about various experiments on migratory birds and homing pigeons to try and discover how they navigate.

Never Too Late to Learn

Horizon reports on the British Open University and how it operates.

The Great Fish Hunt

Horizon investigates how Britain has hunted fish in the past and how improved fish catching techniques have severely reduced fish stocks.

Pedal Power

This episode of Horizon is about the history of the bicycle and the possibility of it being able to ease the traffic problems in Britain.

The Writing on the Wall

In this episode, Horizon looks at connections between crime and poor housing design in the USA.

The Killer Dust

This investigative report by Horizon covers an investigation into the deaths of people who inhaled asbestos dust at Acre Mill, Yorkshire, England.

A Time to Be Born

Investigates the growing tendency in hospitals to induce childbirth by injecting hormones into mothers. The practice has become increasingly widespread in recent years, and this film asks if induction is desirable, necessary, and safe.

The Unsafe Sea

This episode of Horizon examines the problems of ship safety in the English Channel.

The Change of Life

Horizon investigates the symptoms of menopause and the various degrees in which it occurs.

Project Fido

This episode of Horizon shows the peril to man of the ever increasing dog population in the western world.

The Planets

By the end of 1974, Mars, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter had all been visited by spacecraft. For the first time scientists saw in sharp detail the continents, mountains, valleys and volcanoes of other worlds. Tonight's programme shows how these geological features give clues to the way the planets evolved; how they have helped scientists in their attempt to reach back 5,000 million years to understand the formation of the solar system itself.

The Transplant Experience

Horizon investigates heart transplant research and techniques perfected and currently used by Dr. Norman Shumway in Britain.

Intimate Strangers

This episode of Horizon is about symbiosis - the close association between two or more species for their mutual benefit.

A Fair Share of What Little We Have

Horizon reports on the country of Tanzania, a country that spends only one dollar per person on health services, and more than half of all children born there die before the age of five.

The Incredible Machine

This episode of Horizon explores what actually happens inside our bodies using new optical techniques.

King Coal Revived

Horizon examines the projected expansion of the coal mining industry.

A Question of Trust

In this episode of Horizon, we look at the need for confidence in the doctor to patient relationship.

A Smile for a Crocodile

Horizon documents the life of crocodiles and alligators, and their breeding and exploitation.

The Pill for the People

Horizon traces the history of the oral contraceptive pill through the last 60 years as told by its pioneers.

The Ape That Stood Up

Horizon looks at how recent excavations in Africa have changed the accepted ideas of man's origins and age.

The Human Animal

Horizon investigates Sociobiology, which is a study of human social behaviour based on zoological research into animal behaviour.

The Guinea Pig and the Law

In this episode, Horizon explores how animal experiments are carried out in Britain.

Hunters of the Seal

Horizon presents a story that depicts an astonishingly harsh way of life of the Netsilik Eskimos whose whole life is based on seal hunting.

Living Machines

Horizon investigates how biologists and engineers are pooling their ideas to understand how nature's machines work.

A Land for All Reasons

In this episode, Horizon examines the need for an objective approach to land management in Britain.

I Don't Want to Be a Burden

Horizon explores community and residential services available to the elderly in South Hampton, England.

Zero G

Horizon presents a report on zero gravity and the effects of weightlessness in spacecraft on humans.

The Message in the Rocks

Develops the theory that four and a half thousand million years ago the earth was formed thanks to the explosion of a huge star which provided the rocks, the minerals and the radioactivity from which life developed. These theories are based partly on analysis of a meteorite which dropped near a village in Mexico at the beginning of the seventies.

The Eddystone Lights

Horizon reports on last three attempts to build a lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks, near Plymouth.

The Forever Fuel

Horizon presents an investigation into the potential and problems of using hydrogen as an alternative to existing fuels.

In Search of Pegasus

In this program, Horizon looks at the effort and money spent on the horse to produce the perfect specimen.

The Keys of Paradise

Horizon follows the discovery of a chemical in the brain which has morphine-like properties.

Sweet Solutions

Horizon presents the history and research into the uses of sugar.

Bronze Age Blast-Off

In this documentary by Horizon, you are shown a revolution in archaeological dating has shown that metal technology was invented in Europe.

The Real Bionic Man

Horizon explores the current state of research into the development of artificial replacements for various parts of the body.

The Ghost Of The Amoco Cadiz

Documentary examination of the causes and conditions of the sinking of the Amoco Cadiz oil-tanker, in 1978.

You Are Old, Father William

Documentary examination on the process of ageing and some things that can be done about the problems of senility in old people.

Cleared for Take-Off

Documentary which looks at the danger points in flying an airliner on a routine flight from Gatwick to Los Angeles. Danger points are identified and we see research into airtraffic control, aircraft design, the role of the stewardess, avoiding mid-air collisions, electronic flight desks, whirlwind vortices and a new fuel additive that may virtually eliminate the instant conflagrations.

A Sporting Chance

Documentary on the ways in which athletes from different countries prepare for the Olympic Games and the artificial methods of improving performance, drugs and physiological methods

The Cancer Detectives of Lin Xian

Documentary film on cancer research in the remote Chinese valley of Lin Xian where the population suffers more than 100 times the incidence of oesophagal cancer than normal.

Spend and Prosper

Horizon presents a portrait of the renowned economist John Maynard Keynes, Cambridge Don, and Bloomsbury intellectual.

A Whole New Medicine

This episode of Horizon is about holistic medicine, health for the whole person, which uses unorthodox therapies.

The Qualyub Project

Horizon explores the research of Egyptian doctors in trying to control bilharzia, a disease caused by parasitic worms.

No One Will Take Me Seriously

Horizon investigates the reports about a number of scientists who do not conform to contemporary scientific theories.

Living with Dying

Horizon investigates the care given to the terminally ill by hospices.

A Is for Atom, B Is for Bomb

In this episode, Horizon presents a portrait of Dr. Edward Teller, whose opinions about nuclear war are highly controversial.

The Secret of the Snake

Profile of the snake, which presents a close-up look at how it kills and digests it's prey. Also shows how snake venom could be used in the treatment of many human ailments.

Finding a Voice

An examination of computer-based communication aids for the severely speech impaired. Follows the trip to America of Dick Boydell, a cerebral palsy sufferer without the power of speech. At the Artificial Language Research Laboratory in Michigan, he tries out some of the machines developed the re to help him find his own voice.

The Sea Beyond the Dunes

Documentary which looks at the wildlife of Pleasant Bay in New England marshland s of the Eastern USA, and their habitat.

Whatever Happened to the Energy Crisis?

Horizon explores what might happen when fossil fuel sources are depleted.

Notes of a Biology Watcher

Horizon documents how every one of us is owned and operated by other individuals; by hordes of hidden organisms.

The Cline Affair

Documentary on the first recorded instance of genetic engineering being carried out on a human, when in 1980, Dr. Martin Cline from Los Angeles operated on a 21 year old Israeli girl in Jerusalem to renew her defective blood system by implanting human genes. The programme examines the difficult ethical and moral questions surrounding the field of genetic manipulation and looks at the future of gene therapy.

Sizewell Under Pressure

Horizon investigates if Britain should build a United States designed nuclear power station that uses a pressurized water reactor at its core.

The Tropical Time Machine

Horizon presents a report by Dr. Alison Jolly who discusses the country of Madagascar, just off of the west coast of Africa. Madagascar's ecology and conservation programs are in conflict with most third world economies.

The Geneva Event

Horizon brings you a report about the discovery of two new, and unimaginably short-lived, subatomic particles called "W" and "Z".

How Much Can You Drink?

Horizon examines some of the effects that moderate amounts of alcohol can have on the body.

Talking Turtle

In the Horizon documentary, we look new ways of using computers in classroom and to what effect computers in our schools will have in future.

What Little Girls are Made of

Horizon investigates the way girls and boys were taught science and related subjects at schools.

The Intelligence Man

Sir Cyril Burt died in 1971, the most eminent psychologist of his age. Within two years the most bitter and disturbing scientific controversy since Piltdown Man saw Burt accused of lifelong faking and manipulation of phoney data. How and why was Burt allowed to get away with this?

Microworld!

Horizon looks at the research advances in physics and technology of microelectronics.

A New Green Revolution?

This episode of Horizon looks at the role of scientists in agriculture throughout the Third World countries.

Spies in the Wires

Horizon examines the various ways of committing computer fraud and at the efforts to prevent it and preserve our privacy.

Valley of the Inca

In this documentary, Horizon examines the work at an archaeological project in the Cusichaca Valley, Peru.

The Conquest of Parasites

Horizon presents this report on parasites, their life styles, and the diseases they cause in Third World countries.

Colourful Notions

Documentary about colour perception based on the theories of Dr. Edwin Land, which oppose the long-held three-receptor theory of colour vision

A World of Their Own

Horizon takes a look at consultant psychiatrists.

Decoding Danebury

Horizon looks at the way modern archaeologists extract information from a site dig.

A Mission to Heal

This Horizon episode is about a hospital in the African country of Kenya where the medical staff tells of a new approach to health care among the Pokot tribe.

Mystery of the Left Hand

In this episode, Horizon explores the characteristics of left-handed people.

The Theatre of War

Horizon examines new military technology which will come to dominate the battlefields of the future.

Are You a Racist?

Horizon presents a documentary about how white racists and black victims of racism volunteered to spend time in an isolated house living and talking about their prejudices.

Genesis

This Horizon episode is about the discovery of a molecular key which may literally unlock the mystery of life for all creatures.

Bitter Cold

Horizon presents a documentary on scientists who take themselves to Antarctica in 1980 to act as physical and mental guinea pigs.

The Mould, the Myth and the Microbe

Horizon explores the myth about the discovery of the antibiotic penicillin.

Outbreak: The Microbe Masters the Mould

In this episode, Horizon explores the question of when antibiotics were first developed it seemed infectious disease might be eliminated, so what has gone wrong?

Science...Fiction?

Horizon investigates the truths of science and it's theories.

The Twenty-Five Hour Clock

Report on research into biological body clocks, which can effect emotional and physical health and well-being.

The Search for the Disappeared

Report on how forensic scientists ae identifying individual victims amongst the people murdered by Argentina's military juntas, by examination and genetic testing of their remains.

The Blind Watchmaker

In this interview by Horizon, zoologist Richard Dawkins investigates an attack on evolution by scientific creationists, based on the book of the same name by the famous zoologist.

Riding the Stack

Astronauts and space shuttle designers talk about the risks of space flight, in the light of the space shuttle disaster of January 1986.

Bruno Bettelheim: The Man Who Cared for Children

Two part documentary on psychologist Bruno Bettelheim and his work with emotionally disturbed children.

Bruno Bettelheim: A Sense of Surviving

Two part documentary on psychologist Bruno Bettelheim and his work with emotionally disturbed children.

The Transpanted Brain

This episode of Horizon looks at a new approach that holds hope for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease.

Death of a Star

Horizon documents the first sighting of a star in supernova at its initial stages. The study of the spacial event provides fascinating insight into the life of our own universe.

Playing With Madness

In the report by Horizon, they looks at manic depression and how is now known that it has a strong genetic component.

The Canal in the Jungle

This episode of the Horizon explores the Panama Canal, now a billion dollar commercial sea crossroad between continents. The future of the canal is in danger because of damage to rain forests.

Death of the Working Classes

Horizon investigates how those who are born into a working class family are at greater risk of dying early than if born a child of the professional classes.

The Greenhouse Effect

This documentary report by Horizon examines the devastating effects of the Greenhouse Effect (earth's temperature rising) and how man is causing it.

The Book of Man

Horizon looks again at the Human Genome Project which aims to decipher or sequence all genes.

The Poison that Waits

Horizon reports on the abnormally high incidence of and the early onset of diseases such as senile dementia and Parkinson's disease on the island of Guam in the Pacific. Scientists have now linked the diseases to a poison in the native cycad fruit.

Perils of the Deep

In this episode, Horizon presents evidence that even diving in relatively shallow waters can cause serious long term damage to the brain and spinal cord.

Smart Weapons

This documentary by Horizon demonstrates how smart Weapons use computers to destroy targets, that until now, were only able to be threatened by nuclear weapons.

Wasting the Alps

Horizon looks at the damaging effects of pollution and tourism on the Swiss Alps in Europe.

In the Last Resort

Horizon answers the question: What are the alternatives for the elderly in Britain who can't live at home, or in a rest home or nursing home, or part of a sheltered accommodation?

Oil Spill

After the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, Horizon looks at tanker design and the technology used for dealing with major oil slicks.

Medicine 2000

Horizon reports on medical developments in Britain which could mean by the year 2000, health care will be very different.

Food Irradiation: Would You Buy It?

Horizon examines the history of research into irradiated food.

From Earth to Miranda

In this Horizon documentary, we look at how NASA launched the Voyager space probes to explore the planets of the outer solar system.

Encounter With Neptune

This report by Horizon presents the Voyager space probe close up encounter with the planet Neptune.

Guess What's Coming to Dinner?

Horizon looks at the potential implications of genetically engineering plants.

Sudden Death

Documentary considering the nature of sudden death, the effects of coronary heart disease and the part they play.

Keen as Mustard

This Horizon episode tells the story of the top secret experiments carried out to test the effects of mustard gas.

Smokers Can Harm Your Health

Horizon investigates the case against passive smoking and reveals new evidence of its danger.

Coming In from the Cold

Horizon reports on the new arms verification industry emerging due to the new arms control treaties.

Small Problems with the Mirror

Horizon follows astronomer's efforts to rescue the Hubble space telescope and restore its original planned performance.

Two Weeks to Save the Earth

Looks at the work of Earthwatch, and some of the many people who spend their holidays contributing to learning about the planet by helping on prehistoric digs, recording fish noises, tracking rodents, measuring grass an leaves and counting insects in places all over the world, often suffering much discomfort and boredom.

The Shadow of Breast Cancer

Horizon presents a new study that has highlighted the case of breast cancer.

Pest Wars

Horizon examines the advantages and disadvantages of biological pest control.

Molecules With Sunglasses

About the original discovery in 1985 of a third form of solid carbon, named Buckminsterfullerene after the architect who invented geodesic domes. The two scientists who discovered the material glimpsed it for brief seconds only in their lasers but neither they nor other scientists subsequently could make the substance last long enough in the laser to prove their theory. Then in 1990, a couple of physicists with an arc-welder in a bell-jar found they could make as much Buckminsterfullerene as they liked, and industrial applications opened up, with talk of new polymers, molecular ball-bearings, lubricants and super- conductors. Meanwhile, the original discoverers were turning back to the fundamental questions surrounding the discovery, such as how and why does it form; does it exist in space or is it the solution to one of the great mysteries of the universe.

In Search of the Noble Savage

Horizon explores the ecological track record of the North American Indians.

Malaria: Battle of the Merozoites

In this episode, Horizon look at attempts to persuade major respected organizations to do controlled trials on a synthetic malaria vaccine.

Awakening the Frozen Addicts

Horizons presents a report on a daring Swedish operation that transplants foetal tissue into the brains of Parkinson's disease sufferers.

Cheating Time

Horizon investigates the current benefits and disadvantages of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

TB - The Forgotten Plague

This Horizon episode is about the new and terrible threat from tuberculosis which kills more people than any other infection.

No Ordinary Genius (1)

This is the first part of a two-part Horizon series presenting a portrait of Richard Feynman, the American Nobel Prize winning physicist.

No Ordinary Genius (2)

This is the second part of a two-part Horizon series presenting a portrait of Richard Feynman, the American Nobel Prize winning physicist.

Mars Alive

This Horizon episode attempts to answer the question if it will be possible to 'terraform' Mars by creating a new atmosphere, and then adding water and plants to make the planet habitable.

Small Arms, Soft Targets

Horizon brings you the international campaign to frame the laws of war by limiting the design and use of weapons aimed at "soft targets".

The Last Mammoth

This Horizon documentary explores theories about the reasons for the extinction of mammoths including those which survived on the Island of Wrangel.

The Man Who Made Up His Mind

This is a Horizon episode that attempts to answer the question, "What is a mind?" and how does your brain create it? Gerald Edelman thinks he has the answer.

Genie

Horizon brings you the story about a 13 year old girl who had lived most of her life tied up in the back room of her parent's house since the time she was born.

Death Wish - The Untold Story

In this report by Horizon, we look at a type of cancer which cured itself. The cancer cells were killing themselves and finding out why may revolutionize future cancer treatment.

Air Crash - The Deadly Puzzle

Horizon reports on a team investigating the mysterious disappearance of an airliner in 1992 that was flying over the Panamanian jungle.

Tibet - The Ice Mother

Horizon presents a documentary on the ideas of Maureen Raymo's thesis on what triggered the last ice age.

Russia's Deep Secrets

Horizon follows an expedition from Russia's most advanced oceanographic exploration ship on a mission to clean-up and prevent radioactive contamination of the ocean by one of Russia's sunken nuclear submarines.

Bones of Contention

This episode of Horizon explores collections of the bones of thousands of Native American Indians in museums and universities across the United States.

Siamese Twins

Horizon presents the story of a pair of Siamese twins and the surgery they underwent to try and separate them.

Too Big Too Soon?

Horizon investigates whether the human growth hormone is really the new wonder drug of the 21st century.

Farewell Fantastic Venus

Horizon brings you the recent discovery of the real Venus as space probes, like the Magellan, shattered previous existing concerning its geology.

The Butchers of Boxgrove

Investigates the case of the "Boxgrove Man". Follows archaeologist Mark Roberts who tries to piece together the history of the first Englishman, from a shin bone nearly 500,000 years old, discovered in Boxgrove in Sussex.

Fermat's Last Theorem

Tells the story of mathematician Andrew Wiles who has made it his life's work to solve the puzzle of Fermat's last theorem that has baffled minds for three centuries.

A Miracle for Cancer ?

Examines the latest research aimed at conquering cancer. Includes research into vaccines for prostate cancer and skin cancer.

Nature's Numbers

Follows a group of biologists Conservation International who take a pragmatic approach to what species can be saved.They travel to the Bolivian rainforest to assess missing species.

The Gene Race

Follows two teams of researchers, in Britain and USA as they use radically different genetic techniques in the race to find an effective treatment against cystic fibrosis.

Masters of the Ionosphere

Psychedelic Science

Horizon reports on the resurgence in research on psychedelic drugs in the 1990's.

Fat Cats, Thin Mice

In this documentary, Horizon investigates obesity in Britain, following a woman, Heather Osborne, who weighs 322 pounds. We watch her progress through a stomach stapling operation and explore reports on a so-called fat free fat and two new drugs which have been marketed as the ultimate cure for obesity.

Shipwreck

Horizon follows the investigations into the origins of a 16th century shipwreck discovered off of the coast of the Channel Islands.

Genius of the Jet

This episode of Horizon presents a profile of the inventor Sir Frank Whittle and his idea for the first jet engine which changed the nature of air travel.

Smallpox on Death Row

In this episode, Horizon reports on the last lab samples of smallpox destined to be destroyed. But do we still have much to learn from this virus?

Silent Children, New Language

In this episode, Horizon investigates an amazing new sign language developed solely by deaf children and explores if we copy language from what surrounds us.

Saddam's Secrets

After the 1991 Gulf War, a UN Special Commission was set up to go into war-torn Iraq, seek out Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and destroy or disable them. This remarkable Horizon follows the tension of the inspectors' every move as they track down secret military bases, Scud missile launchers, the infamous super-gun barrels, decaying chemical weapons dumps, and the remains of the nuclear research establishment, cunningly hidden amongst debris and the innocent-looking rubble of post-war reconstruction. At each stage in the cat-and-mouse game with the Iraqi security forces, the UN team had to draw on cunning and courage to force their way into secret locations. Day by day, they recorded their progress on video, and charted the tensions of diplomatic stand-offs as the world was twice drawn close to another violent confrontation in the Gulf. The courage of the UN team, drawn from scientists from all over the world, is graphically revealed as they attempt to gauge the lethal nature of rusting canisters of poison gas, at Saddam's decaying chemical weapons store. After the immediate rush of successes, the inspectors' work became a steady process of attrition - grinding on against the stonewalling of their hosts. "The weapons programme is like layers of an onion. Every now and then, Saddam would allow us to peel one back, but there is always more underneath." But five years on, the inspectors had still not tracked down proof of the darkest of Saddam's secrets: his biological weapons programme. However, painstaking detective work revealed that huge quantities of the media needed for growing biological organisms had been imported, and Iraq finally admitted to having substantial biological weapons, which are cheaper and more simple to produce than nuclear and chemical weapons, yet have the same destructive power. Gradually the inspectors got close to the labs and animal testing stations where the lethal toxins had been produced. In addition to the most common biological warfare organisms, anthrax and botulinus, Iraq developed and tested strains of viruses never before adopted for weapons purposes. This was part of an ongoing international biological arms race to design novel weapons using gene-splicing or fibroviruses such as Ebola, Hanta fever and others.

Dr Miller and the Islanders

Horizon presents a documentary with Jonathan Miller who sets out for the Torres Strait, near Australia, to retrace the footsteps of the first British anthropological expedition 100 years ago. The expedition laid the foundations of modern anthropology's aims, ethos, and rules.

From Here to Infinity

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.

Pandemic

Horizon looks at the knowledge gained following the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918.

Elephants or Ivory

In this episode, Horizon reports from Africa on the effect that rising elephant numbers are having on humans and the natural environment.

Electric Heart

Horizon presents a documentary looking at the United States heart specialist, Michael DeBakey, and his work and research into making miniature pumps which could help make permanent artificial hearts in the future.

Sudden Death

In this Horizon documentary, we present Alfred Steinschneider's theory on cot death where gaps in breathing could be responsible for the death of many infants.

New Star in Orbit

Breath of Life

In this moving film Horizon follows the Loughran family in their fight to save the life of their daughter Sheila who suffers from cystic fibrosis. They lost their youngest daughter Ann to the disease in 1974 at the age of 15, and now as the health of their third daughter Sheila deteriorates, they must face the prospect of losing a second child. The current shortage of donor organs means that Sheila's only hope of survival is a rare and controversial operation that requires her two surviving siblings to undergo an arduous and potentially fatal operation. An X-ray of Shelia's lungs Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common genetic disease in this country and it is incurable. The lungs of people with cystic fibrosis become covered with a sticky mucus making them extremely susceptible to bacterial infection. Over time these infections badly scar the lungs, until eventually they stop functioning. The defective CF gene is harmless when only a single copy of the gene is inherited. However, both the Loughran parents carry the gene, giving any child they may have a 25% chance of being born with cystic fibrosis. In fact two of their four children were born with the condition. Horizon joins the family at a time when Sheila's health has deteriorated to such an extent that she requires oxygen 24 hours a day and has only months to live. Although on the waiting list for a donor lung, with 50% of patients dying while waiting to receive a transplant, Sheila's chances are not good. The family has become aware of a controversial new operation, pioneered in the UK by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub at Harefield Hospital. The technique, known as Living Donor Lung Transplantation, would involve removing Sheila's diseased lungs and, in an extraordinary three-way operation, replacing them with a lobe from one of the lungs of each her two siblings. There have been six of these groundbreaking operations carried out in this country. However, only three patients have lived longer than a month. There is a clear moral dilemma - with such a low success rate, is it ethical to put the lives of two healthy people at risk? Even if the operation is initially successful it may only give Sheila five more years to live, by which time her new lungs are likely to fail again. Damian Loughran Sheila's brother and sister, Damian and Josephine, feel compelled to do anything they can to save their dying sister. They undergo stringent tests before being certain that they are compatible donors and fit for surgery. They will have to face the risk of haemorrhaging and infection, both of which could potentially be fatal. After the operation both donors will be left with a 20-25% permanent loss of lung function. Despite these dangers, Damian and Josephine remain determined to proceed. As all three of their children are wheeled in for the 12-hour operation, Mary and Harry Loughran's emotion is apparent. A day later, Sheila is breathing with her new lungs, but it is not long before complications arise. She is unable to absorb food and develops an abscess on her lung. Sheila is kept under sedation and so is unaware of these complications. Sadly, three weeks after the operation, Sheila loses her fight for life.

The Mystery of the Miami Circle

Builders in Miami, Florida unearth a ring of holes. The State then pays $27million to preserve either a Native American village or remnants of a 1950s sewerage system.

The Missing Link

A trail from Greenland to Britain via Latvia offers new evidence into how evolution could have seen aquatic life form legs and walk.

Killer Algae

A tropical seaweed that escaped from an aquarium is endangering sea life in the Mediterranean and has gone on to infect the California coast.

Ecstasy and Agony

Tim Lawrence was an all-action stuntman until hit by Parkinson's Disease. Horizon follows his hopes of a more normal lifestyle using Ecstasy - a class A illegal drug.

Snowball Earth

The controversial theory that for millions of years the Earth was plunged into catastrophe - entirely smothered in ice up to one kilometre thick.

Taming the Problem Child

Two disruptive children are followed through a controversial treatment regime.

Helike - The Real Atlantis

On a winter night in 373 BC, the classical Greek city of Helike was destroyed by a massive earthquake and tidal wave. The entire city and all its inhabitants were lost beneath the sea. What has bewitched archaeologists about Helike is that it was engulfed just when ancient Greece was reaching its height; when the philosophy and art that inspired the western world for thousands of years were invented. Its destruction was one of the most appalling tragedies of the classical world and most probably the reality behind the myth of Atlantis. But now, unlike Atlantis, a team of archaeologists may have found Helike - a lost city from the heyday of Greek civilisation. If it is as well preserved as everyone hopes, Helike could be a time capsule from this crucial time in human development. For centuries there had been just no sign of it. All archaeologists had to guide them were obscure and often contradictory ancient texts. So, despite numerous expeditions trawling the waters off the coast of Greece and vast amounts of money and technology thrown at the problem, no one could find anything except two small coins, unearthed over a hundred years ago. Then, in 1988 Dora Katsonopoulou and Steven Soter took up the challenge. Dora had grown up with the legend from childhood and was determined to find the archaeological treasure on her doorstep. Together they went back to basics and re-examined the ancient texts. These said that Helike had sunk into a poros, which everyone had taken to mean Gulf of Corinthe. But Dora thought that a poros could also be an inland lagoon. If she was right, the lost city which had inspired Atlantis might not be under the sea, as everyone thought, but somewhere inland. Studying the geology of the region, earthquake expert Iain Stewart argues that a large earthquake could well cause an inland lagoon. Small recent earthquakes in the region have caused ground liquefaction - a terrifying phenomenon where the ground literally turns to water beneath your feet. If the same had happened on a much larger scale then the whole city could have been plunged downwards, taking much of the city below sea level. But the earthquake in 373 BC could also have had a second more devastating effect. As well as liquifaction recent earthquakes have caused chunks of coastline to fall into the sea. If this happened on a large scale underwater landslides could cause a large wave, or tsunami. This would race across the Gulf of Corinthe, ricochet off the opposite bank and come charging back again, to crash over the sunken plain and fill in the lagoon. Dora's theory makes sense, except for one thing. There is no lagoon in the region today. There is, though, a trail of clues that explains what could have happened. An ancient bridge that is strangely nowhere near water shows how river sediment coming down from the mountains changes the shape of the plain - over hundreds of years the lagoon would have silted up, hiding the lost city beneath solid ground. A host of boreholes drilled into the plain and a remote cave with the legend attached to it have helped pinpoint where the now underground city might lie. Slowly Dora and Steven have pieced it all together, but there have been several false starts along the way. The first lot of ruins they found were Roman - a settlement built hundreds of years after Helike's disappearance to honour the famous lost city. Next they found ruins that turned out to be prehistoric - an early bronze age settlement built 2,500 years before Helike. It wasn't until 2001 that Dora and Steven at last got their breakthrough. Whilst Horizon was filming, the team uncovered ruins from classical Greece. Securely dated by coins and pottery, the team are convinced they have at last found the city they've been looking for. It will take years to uncover Helike's riches, but for the first time in thousands of years, we have glimpses of the lost city that inspired Atlantis.

The Mystery Of Easter Island

On Easter Day 1722, Dutch explorers landed on Easter Island. A civilisation isolated by 4,000km of Pacific Ocean was about to meet the outside world for the first time in centuries. The strangers were about to find something very strange themselves - an island dotted with hundreds of huge stone statues and a society that was not as primitive as they expected. The first meeting was an immense clash of cultures. (Bloody too: the sailors killed ten natives within minutes of landing.) Where had the Islanders originally come from? Why and how had they built the figures? Modern science is piecing together the story, but it is far too late for the Easter Islanders themselves. They were virtually wiped out by a series of disasters - natural and man made - that brought a population of 12,000 down to just 111 in a few centuries. The Island's inhabitants today all have Chilean roots, making solving the mysteries even harder. There is no one to ask about the first people of Easter Island. Although fragmentary legends have been passed down, only science can hope to explain the rise and fall of this unusual civilisation.

Living Nightmare

Sleeping is an essential part of everyone's life yet it remains little understood is barely understood. You might think it's a relaxing recharge but in fact your brain is working harder at times overnight than when you're conscious in the day. Fresh insight into why and how we sleep has come from studying people with sleep disorders, especially sufferers of narcolepsy. The condition means that people fall asleep many times a day, completely out of the blue. A less known symptom is paralysing attacks, that can cause narcoleptics to fall to the ground - unable to move - several times a day. If a way can be found to ease their symptoms, it could open the way to helping any of us to control our sleep patterns and perhaps even to go without rest while staying alert. Gaynor Carr has been nodding off routinely since the age of seven. Her narcolepsy has made holding down a job impossible and made her question the idea of ever having children. Gary Beattie used to work in construction, until he fell asleep 7m up a ladder. He not only loses consciousness, his body becomes paralysed in a so-called cataleptic attack. Both of them say that showing emotion sparks the paralysing attacks and that has forced them to avoid laughing and crying. Bill Baird worked in finance but describes his stockbroking days as a race. The emotion of closing a deal would bring on a fit; he had constantly to hope he could get a client's signature before his almost inevitable collapse. His sleep is restless, with vivid nightmares when he is able to hear his surroundings while seeing terrifying hallucinations.

The Demonic Ape

In a film that is in turns charming, disturbing and poignant, Horizon explores the relationship between science and the chimpanzee. It began with a magical story. A young girl ventured alone into the jungle and befriended a group of chimpanzees. What she saw became the stuff of scientific legend. But then, last year came a terrible tragedy. Frodo, one of the chimpanzees she had helped make famous, killed a human baby. That shocking act brought into focus a huge debate about the relationship between humans and chimps, and what these primates have taught us about the origins of our own behaviour. The saga of how Jane Goodall went into the jungle to study the chimps of Gombe in Tanzania has inspired novels and movies. Her observations revealed that chimpanzees were in many ways like humans. They used tools, had culture and even language. And what's more they had empathy. They were also capable of savage brutality against their own kind. Just like us. In fact many began to think that the origins of aggressive human male behaviour could be traced back to our shared evolutionary ancestry with chimps. In other words, men are genetically programmed to be violent. But then came some disturbing questions.

The Moscow Theatre Siege

With the help of doctors and scientists in America, Germany and Britain, Horizon unpicks the mystery of the Moscow theatre siege. In October 2002, Chechen terrorists took a thousand people hostage in a Moscow theatre and threatened to kill them. The problem was how to get them out alive. A bloodbath seemed inevitable. Three days later Russian special forces stormed the theatre using a secret gas to knock everybody out. 129 hostages died - apparently killed by the very gas that was meant to save them. Horizon investigates the mystery substance, and why so many died. The Russian authorities insisted their secret weapon was not lethal. The claim provoked contempt from the victims families, and incredulity among doctors and scientists around the world. But were the Russians actually right? The Russians offered just one clue. And in Germany there was a scientist who had the means to test it: a urine sample taken from one of the survivors shortly after he was freed. Horizon follows as extremely sensitive tests are performed to find out if the Russians were telling the truth, and uncovers a deeper secret.

Global Dimming

Horizon producer David Sington on why predictions about the Earth's climate will need to be re-examined.

Einstein's Unfinished Symphony

The unpredictable results of the Theory of Relativity. Horizon brings you the second part of a two-part series on Albert Einsten. In the summer of 1939 Albert Einstein was on holiday in a small resort town on the tip of Long Island. His peaceful summer, however, was about to be shattered by a visit from an old friend and colleague from his years in Berlin. The visitor was the physicist Leo Szilard. He had come to tell Einstein that he feared the Nazis could soon be in possession of a terrible new weapon and that something had to be done.

Einstein's Equation of Life and Death

The story of Einstein's most famous equation E=mc² – its role in the creation of the atom bomb and our understanding of the beginnings of the Universe. Horizon brings you the second part of a two-part series on Albert Einsten. In the summer of 1939 Albert Einstein was on holiday in a small resort town on the tip of Long Island. His peaceful summer, however, was about to be shattered by a visit from an old friend and colleague from his years in Berlin. The visitor was the physicist Leo Szilard. He had come to tell Einstein that he feared the Nazis could soon be in possession of a terrible new weapon and that something had to be done.

Living with ADHD

In this documentary, Horizon investigates Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is one of the most feared and misunderstood of all medical conditions. Despite over 200 scientific papers being published on this neurological condition every year, it remains stigmatised and controversial. Some doctors don't even believe it exists. Yet it is estimated that as many as 3-5 percent of the childhood population, and over one million adults in the UK are affected by ADHD. These people are often described as stupid, lazy, disorganised, wild, out of control or woozy on drugs. But the reality is altogether more complex, and deeply moving.

Space Tourists

Is a space tourism revolution just around the corner?

Waiting for a Heartbeat

The story of three women as they attempt to overcome the odds and give birth to a baby.

A War on Science

Horizon explores a new theory of evolution.

The Lost City of New Orleans

The coastline that protects the city of New Orleans is sinking into the ocean. Horizon explores what can be done to save the city if it is worth saving at all.

Most of Our Universe Is Missing

Only 4% of our universe is made from stuff we understand. Horizon explores the 96% that is made up of the elusive substance 'Dark Matter'.

Winning Gold in 2012

An investigation into the scientific approach to sporting success, as demonstrated by the former East Germany and latterly Australia. British children are already in training for the London Olympics and the programme looks at what it takes to produce a successful modern Olympian.

My Pet Dinosaur

What if dinosaurs were still alive today? Would we hunt them, farm them - or even keep them as pets? It's a palaeontologist's dream: the chance to live in a world where dinosaurs are not something to be dug out of the ground but are living among us. It may sound far-fetched but dinosaurs were actually rather unlucky. The meteorite impact that doomed them to extinction was an event with a probability of millions to one. What if the meteorite had missed? Had dinosaurs survived, the world today would be very different. If humans managed to survive alongside them, we wouldn't have the company of most, if not all, of the mammals with which we are familiar today. Giraffes, elephants and other mammals wouldn't have had space to evolve. Would we be hunting Hadrosaurs instead of elk? Or farming Protoceratops instead of pigs? Would dinosaurs be kept as pets? And could the brighter dinosaurs have evolved into something humanoid?

The Elephant's Guide to Sex

How do you save an endangered species? Get the animals in the mood for love. Thomas Hildebrandt possesses one of the world's most extraordinary jobs - getting the planet's endangered animals in the mood for love. The planet's creatures are facing the biggest mass extinction since the dinosaurs were wiped out. Species are currently disappearing at up to 10,000 times the natural rate. Coming to the rescue are men like Dr Hildebrandt and his team. They are world leaders in the art of animal manipulation. The billions of pounds spent benefiting human reproduction are now being applied to save endangered species. Techniques such as artificial insemination and IVF have been crucial to the successes in breeding giant pandas, big cats and other mammals in zoos across the world. As Thomas Hildebrandt says "Man has created this annihilation of species. It's up to man to use his ingenuity to save them."

Prof Regan's Beauty Parlour

Professor Lesley Regan is on a mission to fill her bathroom cabinet with cosmetics that actually work. 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.

How to Kill a Human Being

Michael Portillo looks at the science behind executions. 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.

Total Isolation

Psychologists subject six volunteers to a world without stimulation. For the first time in 40 years Horizon re-creates a controversial sensory deprivation experiment. Six ordinary people are taken to a nuclear bunker and left alone for 48 hours. Three subjects are left alone in dark, sound-proofed rooms, while the other three are given goggles and foam cuffs, while white noise is piped into their ears. The original experiments carried out in the 1950s and 60s by leading psychologist Prof Donald Hebb, was thought by many in the North American political and scientific establishment to be too cruel and were discontinued. Prof Ian Robbins, head of trauma psychology at St George's Hospital, Tooting, has been treating some of the British Guantanamo detainees and the victims of torture who come to the UK from across the world. Now he evaluates the volunteers as their brains undergo strange alterations.

What on Earth is Wrong With Gravity?

Dr Brian Cox wants to know why the Universe is built the way it is. Particle physicist and ex D:Ream keyboard player Dr Brian Cox wants to know why the Universe is built the way it is. He believes the answers lie in the force of gravity. But Newton thought gravity was powered by God, and even Einstein failed to completely solve it. Heading out with his film crew on a road trip across the USA, Brian fires lasers at the moon in Texas, goes mad in the desert in Arizona, encounters the bending of space and time at a maximum security military base, tries to detect ripples in our reality in the swamps of Louisiana and searches for hidden dimensions just outside Chicago.

Why Are Thin People Not Fat?

The world is affected by an obesity epidemic, but why is it that not everyone is succumbing? Medical science has been obsessed with this subject and is coming up with some unexpected answers. As it turns out, it is not all about exercise and diet. At the centre of this programme is a controversial overeating experiment that aims to identify exactly what it is about some people that makes it hard for them to bulk up.

Cannabis: The Evil Weed?

Cannabis is the world's favourite drug, but also one of the least understood. Can cannabis cause schizophrenia? Is it addictive? Can it lead you on to harder drugs? Or is it simply a herb, an undervalued medicine? Addiction specialist Dr John Marsden discovers that modern science is finally beginning to find answers to these questions. John traces the cannabis plants' birthplace in Kazakhstan; finds the origins of our sensitivity to cannabis in the simple sea squirt; and finds out just what it does to our brains. He meets people who have been changed by this drug in drastically different ways - from those whose lives have been shattered to those who lives have been revived.

Why Do We Dream?

Horizon uncovers the secret world of our dreams. In a series of cutting-edge experiments and personal stories, we go in search of the science behind this most enduring mystery and ask: where do dreams come from? Do they have meaning? And ultimately, why do we dream? What the film reveals is that much of what we thought we knew no longer stands true. Dreams are not simply wild imaginings but play a significant part in all our lives as they have an impact on our memories, the ability to learn, and our mental health. Most surprisingly, we find nightmares, too, are beneficial and may even explain the survival of our species.

Do I Drink Too Much?

Alcohol is by far the most widely used drug - and a dangerous one at that. So why are so many of us drinking over the recommended limits? Why does alcohol have such a powerful grip on us? How much of our relationship with this drug is written in our genes? What are the real dangers of our children drinking too young? Addiction expert John Marsden, who likes a drink, makes a professional and personal exploration of our relationship with alcohol. He undergoes physical and neurological examinations to determine its impact, and finds out why some people will find it much harder than others to resist alcohol. Even at the age of 14 there may be a way of determining which healthy children will turn into addicts. John experiments with a designer drug being developed that hopes to replicate all the benefits of alcohol without the dangers. Could this drug replace alcohol in the future?

The Secret You

With the help of a hammer-wielding scientist, Jennifer Aniston and a general anaesthetic, Professor Marcus du Sautoy goes in search of answers to one of science's greatest mysteries: how do we know who we are? While the thoughts that make us feel as though we know ourselves are easy to experience, they are notoriously difficult to explain. So, in order to find out where they come from, Marcus subjects himself to a series of probing experiments. He learns at what age our self-awareness emerges and whether other species share this trait. Next, he has his mind scrambled by a cutting-edge experiment in anaesthesia. Having survived that ordeal, Marcus is given an out-of-body experience in a bid to locate his true self. And in Hollywood, he learns how celebrities are helping scientists understand the microscopic activities of our brain. Finally, he takes part in a mind-reading experiment that both helps explain and radically alters his understanding of who he is.

Fix Me

Horizon follows the emotional journey of three young people with currently untreatable conditions to see if, within their lifetime, they can be cured. Sophie Morgan is determined not to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. She is tempted by the online claims of unregulated private clinics promising a cure using stem cells. Anthony Bath was just 20 when his right leg was amputated after a botched pinning procedure. In Finland, Anthony witnesses one of the world's first operations in which stem cells are used to replace bone. Dean Third was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which his damaged heart could cause his death at any moment. Desperate for a cure, he visits Dr Anthony Mathur from University College London to witness the world's first trial using stem cells taken from bone marrow.

Back from the Dead

Dr Kevin Fong investigates a technique that is used to bring people back from the dead.

The Death of the Oceans?

Sir David Attenborough reveals the findings of one of the most ambitious scientific studies of our time - an investigation into what is happening to our oceans. He looks at whether it is too late to save their remarkable biodiversity. Horizon travels from the cold waters of the North Atlantic to the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef to meet the scientists who are transforming our understanding of this unique habitat. Attenborough explores some of the ways in which we are affecting marine life - from over-fishing to the acidification of sea water. The film also uncovers the disturbing story of how shipping noise is deafening whales and dolphins, affecting their survival in the future.

What Happened Before the Big Bang?

They are the biggest questions that science can possibly ask: where did everything in our universe come from? How did it all begin? For nearly a hundred years, we thought we had the answer: a big bang some 14 billion years ago. But now some scientists believe that was not really the beginning. Our universe may have had a life before this violent moment of creation. Horizon takes the ultimate trip into the unknown, to explore a dizzying world of cosmic bounces, rips and multiple universes, and finds out what happened before the big bang.

Is Seeing Believing?

Horizon explores the strange and wonderful world of illusions - and reveals the tricks they play on our senses and why they fool us. We show how easy it is to trick your sense of taste by changing the colours of food and drink, explain how what you see can change what you hear, and see just how unreliable our sense of colour can be. But all this trickery has a serious purpose. It's helping scientists to create a new understanding of how our senses work - not as individual senses, but connected together.

Do You See What I See?

Documentary exploring the impact of colours on people's lives, and how perceptions of them can be influenced by age, gender and mood. The programme examines scientists' claims that different hues have hidden powers, from the winning properties of red to how blue seemingly makes time speed up.

Seeing Stars

Around the world, a new generation of astronomers are hunting for the most mysterious objects in the universe. Young stars, black holes, even other forms of life. They have created a dazzling new set of super-telescopes that promise to rewrite the story of the heavens. This film follows the men and women who are pushing the limits of science and engineering in some of the most extreme environments on earth. But most striking of all, no-one really knows what they will find out there.

The Nine Months That Made You

Horizon explores the secrets of what makes a long, healthy and happy life. It turns out that a time you can't remember - the nine months you spend in the womb - could have more lasting effects on you today than your lifestyle or genes. It is one of the most powerful and provocative new ideas in human science, and it was pioneered by a British scientist, Professor David Barker. His theory has inspired a field of study that is revealing how our time in the womb could affect your health, personality, and even the lives of your children.

The Core

For centuries we have dreamt of reaching the centre of the Earth. Now scientists are uncovering a bizarre and alien world that lies 4,000 miles beneath our feet, unlike anything we know on the surface. It is a planet buried within the planet we know, where storms rage within a sea of white-hot metal and a giant forest of crystals make up a metal core the size of the Moon. Horizon follows scientists who are conducting experiments to recreate this core within their own laboratories, with surprising results.

The Truth About Looking Young

Plastic surgeon Dr Rozina Ali leaves the operating theatre behind for the frontiers of skin science and asks if it is possible to make your skin look younger without surgery. She discovers the latest research about how the foods we eat can protect our skin from damage, and how a chemical found in a squid's eye is at the forefront of a new sun protection cream. She also finds out how sugar in our blood can make us look older, and explores an exciting new science called glycobiology which promises a breakthrough in making us look younger.

Mission to Mars

Horizon goes behind the scenes at NASA as they countdown to the landing of a 2.5 billion-dollar rover on the surface of Mars. In six days time, the nuclear-powered vehicle - the size of a car - will be winched down onto the surface of the Red Planet from a rocket-powered crane. That's if things go according to plan: Mars has become known as the Bermuda Triangle of space because so many missions there have ended in failure. The Curiosity mission is the most audacious - and expensive - attempt to answer the question: is there life on Mars?

Eat, Fast and Live Longer

Michael Mosley has set himself a truly ambitious goal: he wants to live longer, stay younger and lose weight in the bargain. And he wants to make as few changes to his life as possible along the way. He discovers the powerful new science behind the ancient idea of fasting, and he thinks he's found a way of doing it that still allows him to enjoy his food. Michael tests out the science of fasting on himself - with life-changing results.

How Big Is the Universe?

Cosmologists talk about their project to create a map of everything in existence, and also reveal that their research has some highly unexpected results, creating a picture stranger than anything they had ever imagined.

Monitor Me

Dr Kevin Fong explores a medical revolution that promises to help us live longer, healthier lives. Inspired by the boom in health-related apps and gadgets, it's all about novel ways we can monitor ourselves around the clock. How we exercise, how we sleep, even how we sit.

Defeating the Hackers

Exploring the murky and fast-paced world of the hackers out to steal money and identities and wreak havoc with people's online lives, and the scientists who are joining forces to help defeat them. Horizon meets the two men who uncovered the world's first cyber weapon, the pioneers of what is called ultra paranoid computing, and the computer expert who worked out how to hack into cash machines.

Dinosaurs: The Hunt for Life

The hunt for life within the long-dead bones of dinosaurs may sound like the stuff of Hollywood fantasy - but one woman has found traces of life within the fossilised bones of a T Rex. Dr Mary Schweitzer has seen the remains of red blood cells and touched the soft tissue of an animal that died 68 million years ago. Most excitingly of all, she believes she may just have found signs of DNA. Her work is revolutionising our understanding of these iconic beasts.

Sugar v Fat

What's worse for us: sugar or fat? To answer the hottest question in nutrition, twin doctors Chris and Xand Van Tulleken go on month long high-fat and high-sugar diets. The effects on their bodies are shocking and surprising. But they also discover that in the debate about fat and sugar, the real enemy might have been hiding in plain sight.

Should I Eat Meat? The Big Health Dilemma

Michael Mosley investigates the alleged danger in eating red and processed meat, and does a one month test on himself, doubling his meat intake.

Should I Eat Meat? How to Feed the Planet

Dr Michael Mosley seeks to establish the truth about meat. Every year, humans raise and eat 65 billion animals - nine animals for every person on the globe. In this eye-opening documentary, Michael examines the impact that this is having on the planet and finds out what meat eco-friendly carnivores should be buying. Is it better to buy free-range organic or factory-farmed meat? The answers are far from obvious.

Allergies: Modern Life and Me

Changes to the bacteria that live inside all of us are responsible for increasing the number of people with allergies, suggests new research. The show investigates this claim by conducting a unique experiment with two allergic families in order to find out just what it is in the modern world that is to blame. With a raft of mini cameras, GPS units and the very latest gene sequencing technology, the show discovers how the western lifestyle is impacting their bacteria. Why are these changes making people allergic? And what can be done to put a stop to the allergy epidemic?

Inside the Dark Web

Twenty-five years after the world wide web was created, it is now caught in the greatest controversy of its existence: surveillance. With many concerned that governments and corporations can monitor our every move, Horizon meets the hackers and scientists whose technology is fighting back. It is a controversial technology, and some law enforcement officers believe it is leading to 'risk-free crime' on the 'dark web' - a place where almost anything can be bought, from guns and drugs to credit card details.

The Immortalist

Investigating the story of how a Russian internet millionaire, Dmitry Itskov, is turning to cutting edge science to try to unlock the secret of living forever. The programme investigates the real science inspiring his bold plan to upload the human mind to a computer, and examines whether his goal of bringing about immortality for humans within thirty years is attainable.

Project Greenglow - The Quest for Gravity Control

Documentary exploring science's long-standing obsession with the idea of gravity control, including recent breakthroughs in the search for loopholes in conventional physics. The programme examines how the groundwork carried out by Project Greenglow in the mid-1990s by UK defence manufacturer BAE Systems (based on the work of Eugene Podkletnov[82]) has changed the understanding of the universe, making the dream of flying cars and journeys to the stars no longer quite so distant.

The Mystery of Dark Energy

Examining Dark Energy, the mysterious force that is unexpectedly causing the universe's expansion to speed up. Its effects were discovered in 1998, but physicists still do not know what it is, and its very existence calls into question Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity; the cornerstone of modern physics. The hunt for the identity of Dark Energy is on, and although experiments conducted on earth and in space generate data that might provide a clue, physics is hoping another Einstein might emerge and write a new theory that explains the mystery.

Oceans of the Solar System

The oceans define the earth. They are crucial to life and we used to think that they were unique to our blue planet. But we were wrong. It has recently been discovered that there are oceans all over our solar system and they are very similar to our own. And now scientists are going on an epic journey in search of new life in places that never seemed possible. Nasa is even planning to dive to the depths of a strange, distant ocean in a remarkable submarine. Horizon discovers that the hunt for oceans in space is marking the dawn of a new era in the search for alien life.

Clean Eating: The Dirty Truth

Imagine if the food you eat could 'clean' your body and make you feel well. Dr Giles Yeo investigates the latest diet craze and social media sensation - clean eating. In a television first, Giles cooks with Ella Mills, the Instagram entrepreneur behind Deliciously Ella, one of the most popular brands associated with clean eating, and examines how far her plant-based cooking is based on science. She tells him clean has lost its way: "Clean now implies dirty and that's negative. I haven't used it, but as far as I understood it when I first read the term, it meant natural, kind of unprocessed, and now it doesn't mean that at all. It means diet, it means fad". Giles sifts through the claims of the Hemsley sisters, who advocate not just gluten-free but grain-free cooking, and Natasha Corrett, who popularises alkaline eating through her Honestly Healthy brand. In America, Giles reveals the key alternative health figures whose food philosophies are influencing the new gurus of clean. He discovers that when it comes to their promises about food and our health, all is not always what it appears to be. Inside a Californian ranch where cancer patients have been treated with alkaline food, Giles sees for himself what can happen when pseudoscience is taken to a shocking extreme.

Hair Care Secrets

The Horizon team have gathered together a team of scientists and doctors to investigate the incredible, natural material that is growing out of our heads - our hair. With access to the research laboratories of some of the world's leading hair care companies, including L'Oreal and ghd, the team explore the latest cutting-edge research and technology designed to push the boundaries of hair and hair care. Each one of us has a unique head of hair - an average of 150,000 individual hair strands growing approximately one centimetre every month. Over your lifetime, that is over 800 miles. The time and effort we put into styling, sculpting and maintaining this precious material has created a global hair care market worth a staggering £60 billion pounds. With such high stakes, it is inevitable that when developing hair-care products, science and business operate hand in hand. The team reveal how this industry science compares to the rigorous academic standards that they are used to. These investigations also reveal why we care so much about our hair, and whether or not it is worth splashing out on expensive shampoos. They uncover the magic ingredients found in conditioners and lay bare the secrets of the shiny, glossy hair seen in the adverts.

My Amazing Brain: Richard's War

The rarely seen journey back to recovery of Richard Gray after a life-changing catastrophic stroke. Initially bed bound and unable to do anything, including speak, the initial outlook was bleak, yet occasionally small glimmers of hope emerged. Armed always with her camera, his film-maker wife Fiona captures the moment Richard moves his fingers for the first time, and then over months she documents his struggle to relearn how to walk again.

Teenagers vs Cancer: A User's Guide

What is it like to be young and find out you have got cancer? What you will find out in this film may surprise you. This film, narrated by actor and comedian Jack Whitehall, tells 11 inspirational stories, revealing how a range of young people have dealt with their cancer diagnosis and the treatment process. We hear, primarily in their own words, about their fears, their hopes and their experiences - affirming the view that 'the best therapist for a teenager with cancer... is another teenager with cancer.'

How to Build a Time Machine

Time travel is not forbidden by the laws of nature, but to build a time machine, we would need to understand more about those laws and how to subvert them than we do now. And every day, science does learn more. In this film Horizon meets the scientists working on the cutting edge of discovery - men and women who may discover how to build wormholes, manipulate entangled photons or build fully functioning time crystals. In short, these scientists may enable an engineer of the future to do what we have so far been only able to imagine - to build a machine that allows us travel back and forward in time at the touch of a button. It could be you! Science fiction? Watch this space.

We Need to Talk about Death

Dr Kevin Fong makes a personal journey through the moral questions about death that face not just the medical profession, but each and every one of us.

Britain's Next Air Disaster? Drones

In the wake of the Gatwick drone crisis, high-risk specialist Aldo Kane investigates the threat drones pose to UK skies and tests the new technology we can use to keep ourselves safe.

The Honest Supermarket: What’s Really in Our Food?

We spend 190 billion pounds a year on groceries, but can we trust our supermarkets to tell us the truth about what we’re buying? Dr Hannah Fry and Priya Tew investigate the food we eat.

Inside the Social Network: Facebook's Difficult Year

Following the teams inside Facebook, revealing a hidden technological playground. The film tackles difficult questions, like how our data is used, and also shows how Facebook works.

The 250 Million Pound Cancer Cure

Following the NHS as they start to implement proton beam therapy, an advanced but expensive cancer treatment, as well as following as the first children awaiting the lifesaving treatment.

Addicted to Painkillers? Britain's Opioid Crisis

Dr Michael Mosley immerses himself on the frontline of our prescription painkiller habit. In America, it is an epidemic. Now, new evidence raises concern about the UK's use of prescription opioids.

Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People And Counting

Naturalist Chris Packham investigates the impact a growing human population is having on the planet, asking whether the earth can sustain predictions of ten billion people by 2050.

Toxic Town: The Corby Poisonings

The unknown story of the worst child-poisoning case since thalidomide, featuring a landmark legal battle by a group of mothers determined to uncover the truth.

The Restaurant that Burns Off Calories

Fred Sirieix and Zoe Williams open a restaurant with a difference, where every calorie eaten must be burned off by a secret gym team.

Hubble: The Wonders of Space Revealed

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.

Feast to Save the Planet

Gregg Wallace and mathematician Hannah Fry invite five special guests to a unique dinner party where they are scored on the environmental impact of every dish they choose.

The Secret Science of Sewage

Dr George McGavin and Dr Zoe Laughlin set up base camp at one of the UK's biggest sewage works to investigate the revolutionary science finding vital renewable resources and undiscovered life in human waste. Teaming up with world-class scientists, they search for biological entities in sewage with potentially lifesaving medical properties, find out how pee can generate electricity, how gas from poo can fuel a car and how nutrients in waste can help solve the soil crisis. They follow each stage of the sewage treatment process, revealing what the stuff we flush can tell us about how we live today, and the mindboggling biotechnology being harnessed to clean it, making the wastewater safe enough to return to the environment.

Dolly: The Sheep That Changed the World

The story of the scientists who created Dolly, the sheep that changed the world in this documentary, part of the Horizon series. This Horizon branded documentary tells the full story for the first time with never-before-seen archive, revealing how on a small Scottish farm, a handful of the world’s best genetic scientists worked in secret to crack the holy grail of life: cloning.

The Vaccine

With unique access to five vaccine teams around the globe, this is the extraordinary inside story of the unprecedented quest to develop and make vaccines to fight Covid-19.

How to Sleep Well with Michael Mosley

As more people than ever report struggling with their sleep, Michael Mosley uses the latest science to explore how this impacts our health and what can be done to improve our sleep.

Fergal Keane: Living with PTSD

BBC News special correspondent Fergal Keane has covered conflict and brutality for more than 30 years and is known for reporting with humanity and extraordinary empathy, but in 2020 revealed he had been diagnosed with an acute form of post-traumatic stress disorder. In this Horizon documentary, he reveals the impact of PTSD on his life, exploring how it led him to consider withdrawing from reporting on conflicts, as well as investigating the latest scientific thinking behind its treatment.

Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry

When she's diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 36, Hannah Fry explores the problematic issues surrounding how we screen for and treat cancer, asking if we could be overmedicalising it.

Super Telescope: Mission to the Edge of the Universe

The inside story of the James Webb Space Telescope, following the Nasa team building the £8 billion device and the scientists taking its first image of distant stars and galaxies.

The Battle to Beat Malaria

In medical science, there’s been no longer harder fight than against malaria. This is the inside story of a historic new vaccine - from the Oxford lab behind the Covid jab. Part of the Horizon strand

Confessions of a Brain Surgeon

Top brain surgeon Henry Marsh is facing his own life-threatening diagnosis. He reveals the huge risks and emotional impact of a job filled with difficult life-and-death decisions. This heartwarming portrait of an eccentric surgical hero facing the end of his life reveals the truth about brain surgery and its human impact, with devastating emotional power and life-affirming honesty.

Disease X: Hunting the Next Pandemic

Virologist Dr Chris van Tulleken embarks on a global investigation into the hunt for the pathogen that could trigger the next pandemic and the cutting-edge science developed to tackle it. Known only as "Disease X", it is shrouded in uncertainty. Its origin is unknown, how it could spread is unclear, but its impact could be much more severe than Covid-19. To uncover what Disease X might be, where it could emerge and what traits it needs to spread, Chris follows the paths of past deadly viruses. He visits the ground zero of the Nipah virus in Malaysia, which inspired the film Contagion. He also heads to the front line of the ongoing bird flu outbreak in American dairy cattle in California.

Secrets of The Brain (1)

Theoretical physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili goes on a journey through 600 million years of evolution to uncover how the human brain, the most complex structure known in the universe, came to exist. With some 100 billion neurons and over 100 trillion connections - more than all the stars in the Milky Way - the human brain is one of nature's greatest achievements. But how did something so incredibly sophisticated evolve from its simple beginnings?

Secrets of the Brain (2)

Jim watches primates in action to see how they tackle survival challenges, revealing the clever tricks that shaped the brain's thinking. But the real breakthrough came when brains learned to be social. Teaming up with his wife, Jim investigates how relationships and friendships made people more intelligent. With AI getting smarter by the day, Jim wants to know what makes biological brains so special. Through scans, fossil discoveries and cutting-edge research, he uncovers what makes the brain so hard to emulate.

Artemis: To the Moon and Back

The inside story of the Artemis II mission - filmed over three and a half years at NASA. How did four astronauts travel to the moon, going deeper into space than ever before?