Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20090105 | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Dr Craig Venter, one of the men who first successfully mapped the human genome, tells Darwin about his own experiences as a collector and hands-on biologist, from boyhood toad fascination to his Sorcerer II voyage, which circumnavigated the globe in the manner the young Darwin did aboard HMS Beagle. Nowadays, however, Craig collects genes rather than pickled specimens. He tells Darwin of his Institute's current efforts to produce the world's first synthetic lifeform, completely fabricated by man, yet otherwise untouched by nature and therefore arguably unevolved.
Dr Craig Venter on his own experiences as a collector, medic and geneticist. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin | |
| 01 | 20090105 | 20091229 (R4) | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Dr Craig Venter, one of the men who first successfully mapped the human genome, tells Darwin about his own experiences as a collector and hands-on biologist, from boyhood toad fascination to his Sorcerer II voyage, which circumnavigated the globe in the manner the young Darwin did aboard HMS Beagle. Nowadays, however, Craig collects genes rather than pickled specimens. He tells Darwin of his Institute's current efforts to produce the world's first synthetic lifeform, completely fabricated by man, yet otherwise untouched by nature and therefore arguably unevolved.
Dr Craig Venter on his own experiences as a collector, medic and geneticist. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin |
| 02 | 20090106 | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Sir Jonathan Miller takes issue with Darwin's thoughts on reproduction. Darwin had no conception of modern genetics, but by the very nature of his work was tempted to speculate on the mechanism of reproduction. Jonathan questions why in this, one of the most central problem of biology, Darwin deviated from his otherwise exacting empirical standards, and support a just-so story of reproduction that could not even explain why circumcision was not inherited.
Sir Jonathan Miller on advances in the study of genetics. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin | |
| 02 | 20090106 | 20091230 (R4) | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Sir Jonathan Miller takes issue with Darwin's thoughts on reproduction. Darwin had no conception of modern genetics, but by the very nature of his work was tempted to speculate on the mechanism of reproduction. Jonathan questions why in this, one of the most central problem of biology, Darwin deviated from his otherwise exacting empirical standards, and support a just-so story of reproduction that could not even explain why circumcision was not inherited.
Sir Jonathan Miller on advances in the study of genetics. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin |
| 03 | 20090107 | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Prof Jerry Coyne's main research scours the heart of Darwin's great work, On the Origin of Species. Using the humble fruit fly, case study of so much modern biology, Jerry's team seek to understand the mechanism by which related generations first become 'reproductively isolated'; in other words, how does a new species emerge? Over the years Jerry has, therefore, been embroiled in plenty of the discussion surrounding Intelligent Design. He tells Darwin about the huge body of evidence that has been discovered in the century since that supports his theory.
Prof Jerry Coyne tells of the evidence that has been discovered to support Darwin's work. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin | |
| 03 | 20090107 | 20091231 (R4) | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Prof Jerry Coyne's main research scours the heart of Darwin's great work, On the Origin of Species. Using the humble fruit fly, case study of so much modern biology, Jerry's team seek to understand the mechanism by which related generations first become 'reproductively isolated'; in other words, how does a new species emerge? Over the years Jerry has, therefore, been embroiled in plenty of the discussion surrounding Intelligent Design. He tells Darwin about the huge body of evidence that has been discovered in the century since that supports his theory.
Prof Jerry Coyne tells of the evidence that has been discovered to support Darwin's work. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin |
| 04 | 20090108 | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Dr Peter Bentley, who works at the cutting edge of digital biology, tells Darwin about the emerging field of evolutionary computing. Peter tells of how Darwin's elegantly simple algorithm lies at the heart of so much complexity in our world, and how abstracting it from 'wet' biology and into the digital realm allows this most powerful of natural processes to be harnessed in industry, finance, medicine and even one day perhaps to construct true artificial life; self replicating, self-designing, self-adapting, self-repairing, self-everything devices.
Dr Peter Bentley tells Darwin about the emerging field of evolutionary computing. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin | |
| 04 | 20090108 | 20100101 (R4) | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Dr Peter Bentley, who works at the cutting edge of digital biology, tells Darwin about the emerging field of evolutionary computing. Peter tells of how Darwin's elegantly simple algorithm lies at the heart of so much complexity in our world, and how abstracting it from 'wet' biology and into the digital realm allows this most powerful of natural processes to be harnessed in industry, finance, medicine and even one day perhaps to construct true artificial life; self replicating, self-designing, self-adapting, self-repairing, self-everything devices.
Dr Peter Bentley tells Darwin about the emerging field of evolutionary computing. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin |
| 05 | 20090109 | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Prof Baruch Blumberg received the 1976 Nobel Prize for his work on viral infection. He and his colleagues discovered the Hepatitis B virus, diagnostic methods for its detection, and the vaccine. The vaccine, the first anti-cancer vaccine, is now one of the most commonly used world-wide and has prevented many cases of disease and death. He describes the central issues that viruses - unknown to Darwin - raise for biologists looking at the role of cooperation in the history of life; and further, how evolution proved to be fundamental in his later work for NASA, searching for life elsewhere in the universe.
Prof Baruch Blumberg on his work with the hepatitis B virus. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin | |
| 05 | 20090109 | 20100102 (R4) | Five leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin, expressing their thoughts on his work and legacy.
Prof Baruch Blumberg received the 1976 Nobel Prize for his work on viral infection. He and his colleagues discovered the Hepatitis B virus, diagnostic methods for its detection, and the vaccine. The vaccine, the first anti-cancer vaccine, is now one of the most commonly used world-wide and has prevented many cases of disease and death. He describes the central issues that viruses - unknown to Darwin - raise for biologists looking at the role of cooperation in the history of life; and further, how evolution proved to be fundamental in his later work for NASA, searching for life elsewhere in the universe.
Prof Baruch Blumberg on his work with the hepatitis B virus. Leading scientists address letters to Charles Darwin |