Could you have come up with Einstein’s theory of relativity? If not – why not? This is what Marcus du Sautoy, professor of mathematics, wants to explore. Marcus readily admits that he is no genius, but wants to know if geniuses are just an extreme version of himself – or whether their brains are fundamentally different. Marcus meets some remarkable individuals – Tommy, an obsessive artist who uses his whole house as his canvas;...

In January 2009 three professional Longboarders set off on a journey to traverse two ranges of Andes mountains… on skateboards. They carry with them all they need over their two month voyage on their backs. Their route has been described as one of the hardest paved bicycle-touring routes in the world. They will face arid desert, lush sub tropical environments, and mountain passes over 14,000 feet tall. The Dangers on the trip are not just...

For centuries scientists have been attempting to come up with an elixir of youth. Now remarkable discoveries are suggesting that aging is something flexible that can ultimately be manipulated. Horizon meets the scientists who are attempting to piece together why we age and more vitally for all of us, what we can do to prevent it. But which theory will prevail? Does the 95-year-old woman who smokes two packets of cigarettes a day hold the...

Today’s world has troubles unique to its time in history, from the global financial crisis to technological meltdowns to full scale, computerized global war. Observing the convergence of such events, contemporary prophets have begun to emerge from obscurity to suggest that these conditions might be signs of the demise of the modern world. These men are historians as well, using all manner of information and patterns from the past to...

Warrior Empire: The Mughals is a sweeping, in-depth portrait of India’s most colorful, violent, and majestic era. From 1526 to 1858, this dynasty of nomadic warriors indulged their appetite for territorial expansion, spreading their rule throughout the Indian subcontinent. Though they conquered their kingdom with crushing brutality, the Mughals were also brilliant technological innovators and masters of art and architecture. This program...

This relatively obscure series (2002) is a real find. 7 hour long episodes tell the story of primarily invertebrates of the sea (sponges, anemones, flatworms, molluscs, arthropods, jellyfish, sea stars, etc…) over the course of time and how we relate and in some cases depend on these seemingly lowly creatures. Amazing video footage and computer graphics clearly explain everything. The scope of the video is worldwide. This is documentary...

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms (with the exception of RNA viruses). The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, like a recipe or a code, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA...