03: How Did We Get Here? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

Duration: 59'19''

Synopsis

Michael Mosley reveals how the history of all life on earth, including us, is connected to the long and violent history of our planet.

Further Information

More clips from The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

01: What Is Out There? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

01: What Is Out There? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'10''

Michael Mosley explores how history has shaped science. He looks at how we came to understand that ou...

02: What is the World Made Of? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

02: What is the World Made Of? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 58'35''

Michael Mosley explores how history shaped science. Here, he looks at how atomic theories and...

04: Can We Have Unlimited Power? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

04: Can We Have Unlimited Power? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'02''

Michael Mosley shows how the most power-hungry generation that has ever lived has harnessed...

05: What Is the Secret of Life? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

05: What Is the Secret of Life? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 58'49''

How the secret of life has been examined through the prism of the most complex organism know...

06: Who Are We? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

06: Who Are We? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'18''

The twin sciences of brain anatomy and psychology have offered different visions of who we are. Now these sc...

More resources about Science

Amazon deforestation | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?

Amazon deforestation | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?

BBC One | 2019 | 4'21''

Liz Bonnin witnesses the devastation of the Amazon rainforest from the sky.

Episode 1 | Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey

Episode 1 | Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey

BBC Two | 2012 | 58'23''

Kate Humble and Dr Helen Czerski follow the Earth's voyage around the sun for one complete orbit, travelling first from July...

06: Coasts | Blue Planet II

06: Coasts | Blue Planet II

BBC One | 2017 | 58'02''

The wildlife series narrated by David Attenborough explores the planet's coasts. They are the most changeable of the ocean worlds, but they offer...

Cotton production and the Aral Sea crisis | Stacey Dooley Investigates

Cotton production and the Aral Sea crisis | Stacey Dooley Investigates

BBC Three | 2018 | 5'02''

Stacey Dooley visits the Aral Sea Basin in Kazakhstan, which has almost entirely dried up due to cotto...

04: Desert Worlds | The Green Planet

04: Desert Worlds | The Green Planet

BBC One | 2022 | 58'33''

Desert plants spend decades in suspended animation waiting for rain, or they travel to find it. They survive using weapons, camouflage a...

Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?

Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?

BBC One | 2019 | 57'43''

From colossal farms in America to the destruction of the Amazon, Liz Bonnin investigates how our hunger for meat is killing our planet.

How hurricanes are formed by Earth's rotation | Learning Zone

How hurricanes are formed by Earth's rotation | Learning Zone

BBC Two | 2012 | 5'20''

Physicist Helen Czerski explains that hurricanes happen because the earth is rotating. She shows how, because t...

02: Growing | The Private Life of Plants

02: Growing | The Private Life of Plants

BBC One | 1995 | 49'07''

David Attenborough continues his incredible journey into the world of plants. Remarkable time-lapse photography reveals how new leav...

Compilation | Attenborough at 90

Compilation | Attenborough at 90

BBC One | 2016 | 1'26''

A short montage of the fun and amazing moments David Attenborough has shared in his documentaries over a 70-year career.

Extinction: The Facts

Extinction: The Facts

BBC One | 2020 | 58'01''

With a million species at risk of extinction, David Attenborough explores how this crisis of biodiversity has consequences for us all, including puttin...

The pollination process | The Private Life of Plants

The pollination process | The Private Life of Plants

BBC Two | 2014 | 4'57''

David Attenborough describes the process of pollination and how this helps plants reproduce.

07: Our Blue Planet | Blue Planet II

07: Our Blue Planet | Blue Planet II

BBC One | 2017 | 57'39''

David Attenborough explores the issues behind the series' most spectacular stories and examines the future of the planet.

Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey | Learning Zone

Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey | Learning Zone

BBC Two | 2012 | 58'58''

Kate Humble and Dr Helen Czerski follow the Earth's voyage around the sun for one complete orbit, to witness the astonis...

Return of the Emperors | Dynasties

Return of the Emperors | Dynasties

BBC One | 2018 | 2'42''

Emperor penguins return to the newly-frozen sea ice to breed.

S08E02: Macaw 911 | Secret Life of the Zoo

S08E02: Macaw 911 | Secret Life of the Zoo

Channel 4 | 2019 | 46'53''

The Rothschild's giraffes are expecting a new addition as 12-year-old matriarch Dagmar, whose last calf died after a few days, goe...

Textile industry and water pollution | Stacey Dooley Investigates

Textile industry and water pollution | Stacey Dooley Investigates

BBC Three | 2018 | 5'12''

Stacey Dooley visits the Citarum river in Indonesia, which has become the most polluted river in the world ...

Adaptation of Polar Bear | Life In The Snow

Adaptation of Polar Bear | Life In The Snow

BBC One | 2016 | 5'29''

An exploration of how polar bears have adapted to living in freezing conditions.

01: One Ocean | Blue Planet II

01: One Ocean | Blue Planet II

BBC One | 2017 | 57'59''

Wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough, revealing new worlds and animal behaviours throughout the planet's oceans.

03: Coral Reefs | Blue Planet II

03: Coral Reefs | Blue Planet II

BBC One | 2017 | 58'12''

The wildlife documentary series narrated by David Attenborough reveals the ingenious ways life exists in the undersea cities of tropical reefs.

Adaptation of the Arctic Fox | Life In The Snow

Adaptation of the Arctic Fox | Life In The Snow

BBC One | 2016 | 3'27''

An exploration of how the artic fox's coat has adapted to survival in arctic winters.

More from Michael Mosley

04: Fixing Faces | Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery

04: Fixing Faces | Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery

BBC Four | 2008 | 59'00''

Series about the history of surgery continues with a look at the development of plastic surgery, which started over 4...

Impact of nature on physical and mental health | Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

Impact of nature on physical and mental health | Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

BBC Radio 4 | 2021 | 6'08''

Michael Mosley discusses the importance of spending time in nature and how this can imp...

Lombroso's Theories of Crime | The Mystery Of Murder: A Horizon Guide

Lombroso's Theories of Crime | The Mystery Of Murder: A Horizon Guide

BBC Four | 2021 | 2'12''

When looking at the reasons why people offend, Lombroso, a scientist in the 19th century, believed he h...

The complexity of brain surgery | Inside the Human Body

The complexity of brain surgery | Inside the Human Body

BBC Two | 2021 | 5'31''

A little girl, Angelina, requires complex brain surgery in order to alleviate the systoms she is suffering as a resul...

Treating diabetes with an artificial pancreas | Trust Me, I'm a Doctor

Treating diabetes with an artificial pancreas | Trust Me, I'm a Doctor

BBC Two | 2018 | 5'05''

In this clip we discover what diabetes is and a new way of treating the condition compared to the trad...

The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria | Michael Mosley vs The Superbugs

The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria | Michael Mosley vs The Superbugs

BBC Four | 2017 | 1'12''

Michael Mosley introduces the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and Superbugs.

03: Food on the Brain | The Secrets of Your Food

03: Food on the Brain | The Secrets of Your Food

BBC Two | 2017 | 58'23''

Michael Mosley and James Wong explore the effect that our food has on our most important and, in terms of energy consumption...

Sleep | The Truth About...

Sleep | The Truth About...

BBC One | 2017 | 58'00

We are one of the most sleep-deprived countries in the world. In The Truth About Sleep, insomniac Michael Mosley finds out what happens if we don'...

Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

BBC Four | 2016 | 59'00''

Michael Mosley investigates Porton Down, Britain's most secretive and controversial military research base. He...

The Wonderful World of Blood - with Michael Mosley

The Wonderful World of Blood - with Michael Mosley

BBC Four | 2016 | 58'46''

Michael Mosley gives up a fifth of his own blood to perform six bold experiments. From starving it of oxygen to injecting ...

The 1860s | The Victorian Slum

The 1860s | The Victorian Slum

BBC Two | 2016 | 58'57''

A group of 21st-century people move into a recreated Victorian slum. In this episode, the slum dwellers move into the 1860s, when London was t...

01: The First 8 Weeks | Countdown to Life: The Extraordinary Making of You

01: The First 8 Weeks | Countdown to Life: The Extraordinary Making of You

BBC Two | 2015 | 58'30''

Michael Mosley presents the story of how you were made, in a series produced in partnership with T...

Is Your Brain Male or Female? | Horizon

Is Your Brain Male or Female? | Horizon

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'00''

Dr Michael Mosley and Professor Alice Roberts investigate whether male and female brains really are wired differently.

Infested! Living with Parasites

Infested! Living with Parasites

BBC Four | 2014 | 59'04''

Dr Michael Mosley explores the bizarre and fascinating world of parasites by turning his body into a living laboratory and deliberately infes...

Fast Tales

Fast Tales

BBC One | 2014 | 28'57''

During the most demanding Ramadan for over 30 years, Dr Saleyha Ahsan meets prominent British Muslims undertaking 16 hour fasting days throughout July and talks t...

01: Pain | Pain, Pus and Poison: The Search for Modern Medicines

01: Pain | Pain, Pus and Poison: The Search for Modern Medicines

BBC Four | 2013 | 59'23''

Michael Mosley discovers what pain is and how we were able to control it with the discovery of morphine at t...

Discovery of penicillin | Pain, Pus and Poison: The Search for Modern Medicine

Discovery of penicillin | Pain, Pus and Poison: The Search for Modern Medicine

BBC Four | 2013 | 5'55''

Fleming initially discovered the antibacterial properties of mould that would lead to the disc...

How respiratory viruses spread | Winter Viruses and How to Beat Them

How respiratory viruses spread | Winter Viruses and How to Beat Them

BBC Two | 2013 | 1'27''

An explanation of how respiratory viruses can spread by causing us to cough and sneeze.

Digestive powers | Guts: The Strange and Wonderful World of the Human Stomach

Digestive powers | Guts: The Strange and Wonderful World of the Human Stomach

BBC Four | 2012 | 4'53''

The digestive powers of the gastric juices within the human stomach are tested.

Split brain patients | The Brain: A Secret History

Split brain patients | The Brain: A Secret History

BBC Four | 2011 | 3'29''

These split brain patients showed Sperry that each hemisphere of the brain has a different role to play and a separate con...