Geek Documentaries

Dark Future of the Sun

AW — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:58:05 +0000

The grim future of the sun, and what may happen to it five billion years from now, when is hydrogen fuel is exhausted, and it swells into a massive red giant, consuming our planet and killing all life on earth, if any still exists.

Are We Still Evolving?

AW — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:43:04 +0000

Dr Alice Roberts asks one of the great questions about our species: are we still evolving? There’s no doubt that we’re a product of millions of years of evolution. But thanks to modern technology and medicine, did we escape Darwin’s law of the survival of the fittest?

Alice follows a trail of clues from ancient human bones, to studies of remarkable people living in the most inhospitable parts of the planet, to the frontiers of genetic research to discover if we are still evolving – and where we might be heading.

Secret Space

AW — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:29:11 +0000

A feature length 2 hour documentary investigating the supposed hidden history of NASA, and the organisation’s links to The Illuminati network of Secret Societies.

The Story of Computer Games

AW — Sun, 08 May 2011 17:24:13 +0000

Documentary by the Discovery Channel on the beginnings of computer games, covering the early 70s with the rise of Atari, up to the big crash of the video game market in the 80s.

How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?

AW — Fri, 06 May 2011 22:08:30 +0000

In a Horizon special, naturalist Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world is heading for a population crisis. In his lengthy career, Sir David has watched the human population more than double from 2.5 billion in 1950 to nearly seven billion. He reflects on the profound effects of this rapid growth, both on humans and the environment.

While much of the projected growth in human population is likely to come from the developing world, it is the lifestyle enjoyed by many in the West that has the most impact on the planet. Some experts claim that in the UK consumers use as much as two and a half times their fair share of Earth’s resources.

What Makes a Genius?

AW — Wed, 04 May 2011 10:04:03 +0000

Could you have come up with Einstein’s theory of relativity? If not – why not? Marcus du Sautoy 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; Derek: blind, autistic, and a pianist with apparently prodigious gifts; Claire who is also blind, but whose brain has learnt to see using sound.

Wifi: A Warning Signal

AW — Mon, 02 May 2011 05:55:57 +0000

Britain is in the grip of a wi-fi revolution with offices, homes and classrooms going wireless – but there is concern the technology could carry health risks. The Government insists wi-fi is safe, but a Panorama investigation shows that radio frequency radiation levels in some schools are up to three times the level found in the main beam of intensity from mobile phone masts.

Science Under Attack

AW — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:02:58 +0000

Nobel Prize winner Sir Paul Nurse examines why science appears to be under attack, and why public trust in key scientific theories has been eroded – from the theory that man-made climate change is warming our planet, to the safety of GM food, or that HIV causes AIDS.

He interviews scientists and campaigners from both sides of the climate change debate, and travels to New York to meet Tony, who has HIV but doesn’t believe that that the virus is responsible for AIDS.

This is a passionate defence of the importance of scientific evidence and the power of experiment, and a look at what scientists themselves need to do to earn trust in controversial areas of science in the 21st century.

Impact

AW — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:36:20 +0000

Learn about the many craters on Earth where a possible collision with a meteor took place.

Japan Earthquake

AW — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:36:01 +0000

Professor Iain Stewart examines the powerful geological forces that unleashed the devastating Japanese earthquake, and explores how the release of this power of the planet brought Japan to the brink of a nuclear meltdown.

He follows moment by moment how the earthquake was generated under the Pacific Ocean, travelled to the Japanese mainland, and the rare conditions that unleashed a tsunami.