Cell, The (3 Parts)

Synopsis

A series of 3 60-minute programmes in which Adam Rutherford journeys through 300 years of history to discover the secrets of the cell - and of life itself. Every living thing is made of cells, microscopic building blocks of near unimaginable power and complexity. He delves back through time to the first observations of the cellular structure of plants; the search for the secret of life that led scientists deep into the inner workings of the cell; and to modern research in synthetic biology that could see us create life from scratch. It is a story of rivalries and secrecy, mistakes and accidents, and sudden insights that have overturned scientific and religious dogma.

Part 1: THE HIDDEN KINGDOM - The first part explores how centuries of scientific and religious dogma were overturned by the earliest discoveries of the existence of cells, and how scientists came to realise that there was, literally, more to life than meets the eye.
Part 2: THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE - The discovery of DNA and evidence that all life on Earth is related by a common ancestry.
Part 3: THE SPARK OF LIFE - The final part reveals how our knowledge of cells has brought us to the brink of one of the most important moments in history. Scientists are close to repeating what has happened only once in four billion years - the creation of a new life form.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2009

Year of production

2009

Notes

Broadcast in 3 60-minute parts on BBC4, beginning 12/8/2009

Subjects

Biology

Keywords

biochemistry; cell biology; DNA; evolution; history of science; microbiology

Credits

Contributor

Adam Rutherford

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£365.00

Duration/Size

3 x 60 minutes

Year

2010

Distributor

Name

BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning

Contact

Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)

Email

BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com

Web

https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 20 8433 1009

Address

BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK

Notes

The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’