Biology

Cells under a microscope | Science In Action

Spec references J247: B1.1a. Showing onion cells and cheek cells under a microscope.

Electron microscope | Science In Action

Spec references J247: B1.1c. Electron microscope to see the structure of algae and observe cell processes.

Secret Universe: The Hidden Life Of The Cell

This film reveals the exquisite machinery of the human cell system from within the inner world of the cell itself - from the fre...

Infested! Living with Parasites

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

01: Creation | How to Build a Human

Scientists are now at the pivotal moment of being able to unlock the instructions hidden in the cells of humans.

The establishment of Germ Theory | The Cell

This clip explores the revolutionary discovery that diseases are caused by microscopic organisms rather than spontaneous generati...

Cells | Curriculum Bites

Schools science programme where topics in the double science curriculum are broken down into small chunks.

When a sperm cell meets an egg cell | Inside the Human Body

Using state-of-the-art graphics, Michael Mosley shows what happens in the moments a sperm cell meets an egg cell.

01: The Hidden Kingdom | The Cell

Adam Rutherford tells the story of the biological cell. He explores how centuries of scientific and religious dogma were overturned by the ...

The process of mitosis | Short Circuit

The process of mitosis, seen through a microscope, and then illustrated and explained with a computer simulation.

03: The Secret of Sex | How to Build a Human

The precise mechanics of human sexual reproduction are revealed,using new technology to produce previously unseen images.

02: The Chemistry of Life | The Cell

Adam Rutherford explores how scientists delved deeper into the world of the cell, seeking to reveal the magic ingredient that can bring ...

S02E05: Size Matters | Dara O'Briain's Science Club

Dara and the team reveal why size matters in science and how discoveries large and small are changing the way we view the...

Mitosis, meiosis and reproduction | GCSE Bitesize Revision

Spec references J247: B2.1b, B5.1f, B5.1h J250: B2.1b, B5.1f. Different steps of mitosis, asexual reproduction, di...

Skin cells in research | Science In Action

Spec references J247: . Growing skin for patients, using keratinocyte cells from the patient so that the skin is not rejected.

Diffusion and Osmosis | GCSE Bitesize Revision

Spec references J247: 2.1a J250: 2.1a. Animated shorts to support students preparing for assessments in GCSE Additional Science.

Protein Synthesis | AS Guru

Programme for AS level students, comprising archive clips and interviews.

Replication | AS Guru

Programme for AS level students, comprising archive clips and interviews.

03: Off The Scale | Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds

The human eye can see extraordinary detail, but the eye of a needle held at arm's length is pretty much at the limit o...

The Discovery of Cell Division | The Cell

How little-known scientist Robert Remak came to observe and describe the process of cell division for the first time.

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

Dr Michael Mosley explores our earliest attempts to tackle infection and how scientists, chemists and doctors...

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

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

02: Discovering Vaccines | Medical Mavericks

Michael Mosley explores how pioneering doctors learnt to harness the immune system by exposing themselves to incurable diseases ...

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

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

Defeating the Superbugs | Horizon

Meeting the scientists who are tracking the emergence of 'superbugs' - dangerous bacteria resistant to antibiotics - around the world.

Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry

In an award-winning documentary, Hannah Fry takes a personal look at the issues surrounding how we screen for and treat cancer, asking...

Ultra-Processed Food: A Recipe for Ill Health? | Panorama

Ultra-processed foods contain chemicals that regulators say are safe, but there is emerging evidence of a link betw...

Infested! Living with Parasites

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

Antibodies and vaccines | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Alice explains what an antibody is and how they relate to getting vaccinated.

Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour?

David Harewood investigates what the high Covid-19 death rates in black and minority ethnic patients reveal about health inequality in...

01: Vaccines | Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

Documentary series about the effect of medicine on life expectancy. How the development and delivery of the small...

How the immune system fights pathogens | The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed

Spec references J247: B6.3l J250: B6.3i. Researchers study microbes in extreme environ...

A bacterial infection | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Alice demonstrates what happens when you get a bacterial infection.

The Story of Louis Pasteur vaccinating Joseph Meister against Rabies | Medical Mavericks

Dr Michael Mosley discusses the Story of Louis Pasteur vaccinating Joseph Meister ag...

01: Anaesthesia | Medical Mavericks

Michael Mosley explores the work of the pioneering doctors who laid the foundations of modern medicine. He begins by charting the develop...

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

Dr Michael Mosley explores how scientists went from finding antidotes to poisons to applying poisons as cu...

White blood cells and the 'war' on infection | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Alice explains how white blood cells fight infection and where they come from.

The Discovery of Penicillin | Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

The story of how Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin.

An introduction to phagocytes | Inside the Human Body

Michael Mosley looks at how white blood cells, called phagocytes, fight bacteria inside our blood.

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

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

Charles Darwin And The Tree Of Life

David Attenborough is a passionate Darwinian, and sees evolution as the cornerstone of all the programmes and series he has ever made. He...

A World Without Down's Syndrome?

Documentary about Down's syndrome and the ethics of pregnancy screening, exploring the thinking around the proposed new screening test and i...

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

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

Unlocking The Code | The Gene Code

Dr Adam Rutherford takes the viewer on a rollercoaster ride as he explores the consequences of one of the biggest scientific projects of a...

The Gene Revolution: Changing Human Nature | Storyville

The biggest tech revolution of the 21st century isn't digital, it's biological. What will CRISPR mean for human evolu...

Selective breeding | Countryfile

For thousands of years we have been selectively breeding farm animals to make them more and more productive. But in recent years there has b...

Learning Zone: Episode 2 | Wonders of Life

From algal cells to human beings we are all made of the same things and governed by the same laws as the stars themselves. This is...

IVF | How Science Changed Our World

Professor Robert Winston meets families who benefitted from breakthrough's in research which lead to IVF treatments.

The genetic modification debate | Science Britannica - Learning Zone

Brian Cox explores the science behind the genetic modification of plants, and the ongoing debate around ...

Learning Zone: Episode 1 | Wonders of Life

There are thought to be as many as 100 million different species on Earth, but every one of them has sprung from just a single lif...

Darwin | Bitesize Secondary

A selection of clips taken from BBC programmes about Darwin and evolutionary biology. The programme includes material on adaptation and natural s...

Genetically Modified Papaya | Bang Goes the Theory

An examination of the need for, and the potential issues with, the genetic modification of papayas in Hawaii.

Engineering the genome | Storyville

Gene therapy, is contoversial, complex, yet valuable science.

Sickle cell disease | Storyville

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease, caused by a single change in the DNA sequence.

What is a gene? | The Gene Code

In the 1980s in Britain, the search to link diseases to specific genes began by focusing on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

DNA Discovery | The Gene Code

How does the DNA code work?

The structure of DNA | The Cell

Adam Rutherford explains and illustrates the structure of DNA, and the way its discovery revealed the secret of how genes are reproduced when...

Gregor Mendel, Francis Crick and James Watson | Charles Darwin And The Tree Of Life

David Attenborough explores how the discovery of DNA provided further evidence for Darwi...

2010-2011: 07: Panda Makers | Natural World

Wildlife film following The Chengdu Research Base project in China, which aims to breed 300 pandas and then start introducing the...

Dolly: The Sheep That Changed the World

Documentary telling the story of the scientists who created Dolly, the sheep that changed the world.

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

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

Alcohol | The Truth About...

A&E doctor Javid Abdelmoneim is on a mission to find out the truth about alcohol, including why the government cut the recommended weekly limit ...

01: Creation | Inside the Human Body

Using state-of-the-art graphics, Michael Mosley shows the sequence of biological events that lead to human birth.

Diabetes: The Hidden Killer | Panorama

An investigation into the health epidemic that afflicts almost one in ten people in Birmingham and can lead to heart failure, blindnes...

02: First to Last | Inside the Human Body

Michael Mosley shows how, from its first breath to its last, the body performs countless small miracles to stay alive.

The pollination process | The Private Life of Plants

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

Healthy Eating | The Truth About...

Documentary in which Fiona Phillips teams up with leading scientists to investigate how people can eat and drink themselves to good health.

Anatomy of the heart | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Alice examines a pigs heart and describes how it works in human terms.

The changes to red blood cells when oxygen is added | The Wonderful World of Blood - with Michael Mosley

Michael Mosley pumps oxygen through a blood sample, demonstrating th...

Guts: The Strange and Wonderful World of the Human Stomach

Michael Mosley lays bare the mysteries of the digestive system and reveals a complexity and intelligence in the hu...

Obesity | The Truth About...

Chris Bavin looks at the latest scientific research on obesity and reveals how small lifestyle changes can help people maximize their chances of...

How enzymes work | GCSE Bitesize Revision

Spec references J247: B1.2g J250: B1.2d. How enzymes break down substrates into products, lock and key model, denaturing of protein...

The Wonderful World of Blood - with Michael Mosley

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

S01E03: Heart | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Health documentary series with anatomist Dr Alice Roberts. This week she tests a heart under stress.

S01E05: Skin | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Health documentary series with anatomist Alice Roberts. The body's biggest organ is under scrutiny - the skin. Alice finds o...

01: Travelling | The Private Life of Plants

David Attenborough begins his incredible journey into the world of plants with a look at how plants move from place to place.

Learning Zone | Inside the Human Body

Using spectacular graphics based on the latest science and stories of remarkable people around the world, Michael Mosley examines the h...

The function of platelets | The Wonderful World of Blood - with Michael Mosley

Michael Mosley conducts an experiment to demonstrate blood clotting, and explains the role of ...

S02E05: The Ear, Nose and Throat | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Dr Alice Roberts gets an insight into what it is like to be deaf with specially designed headphones, and...

02: Growing | The Private Life of Plants

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

03: Jungles | Planet Earth II

Jungles provide the richest habitats on the planet - mysterious worlds of high drama where extraordinary animals attempt to survive in the most...

Amazon deforestation | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?

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

Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?

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

02: Savannah | Africa

David Attenborough takes a breathtaking journey through Africa, looking at the constantly changing landscape of east Africa and creatures found nowhere...

01: Tropical Worlds | The Green Planet

Tropical rainforests are plant battlegrounds. New filming techniques allow us to enter the world of plants to see it from their perspe...

After Life: The Strange Science of Decay

Dr George McGavin examines the fascinating science of decay when a unique experiment involving a rotting kitchen and garden is captu...

07: Human | Planet Earth III

Discover the extraordinary ways in which wildlife survives in a rapidly changing human world. From cobras hunting in houses to macaques stealing...

01: Coasts | Planet Earth III

Sir David Attenborough explores the dangerous frontiers created by the world's coasts, where animals fight for survival amidst constant change.

David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth

A 90-minute special, broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall, London, celebrating Sir David Attenborough's groundbreaking career ...

05: Deserts | Planet Earth

David Attenborough looks at deserts around the world from Namibia to Chile, unravelling the secrets behind desert survival and revealing their eph...

Keeping cool | Nature's Microworlds

The Namaqua chameleon has developed an ingenious tactic to avoid the heat of the Namib desert.

04: Galapagos: Enchanted Isles | Eden: Untamed Planet

How the Galapagos became one of the most important areas of biodiversity in the world, with almost 2,000 unique species...

Cauldron of Life | Galapagos

Liz Bonnin joins a scientific team aboard the research vessel the Alucia on an expedition across the Galapagos Island.

08: Jungles | Planet Earth

David Attenborough's natural history series. This episode looks at the tropical rainforests, which are home to a staggering 50 per cent of the wor...

The smallest fox with the biggest ears! | Super Cute Animals

The fennec's ears help it to survive in the heat of the desert dunes.

Desert amphibians | Life in Cold Blood

Spadefoot toads can stay underground in a state of suspended animation for years, but when they emerge they must feed and breed before...

Can Scientists Save the World? | Panorama

Richard Bilton meets the scientists trying to save the world from the consequences of climate change and investigates whether they...

06: Coasts | Blue Planet II

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

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

Climate change and greenhouse gases | Climate Change: The Facts

A discussion of the devastating impact of burning fossil fuels.

02: Photosynthesis | Botany: A Blooming History

The air we breathe, and all the food we eat, is created from water, sunlight, carbon dioxide and a few minerals. That's it, n...

Calories | The Truth About...

Dr Chris van Tulleken investigates Britain's favourite foods to discover the truth about calories and shows how we can all be healthier by eati...

01: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and ...

Photosynthesis research by Jan Ingenhouz | Botany: A Blooming History

Spec references J247: B1.4d J250: B1.4d. How Jan Ingenhouz researched photosynthesis by putting plants ...

Respiration | Curriculum Bites

Schools science programme where topics in the double science curriculum are broken down into small chunks.

How photosynthesis is vital to the success of farming | Science of the Harvest

Stefan Gates reveals how we can see photosynthesis in action using some simple props.

An introduction to photosynthesis | Short Circuit

An introduction to how plants photosynthesise using chlorophyll, and how important the process is in maintaining the balanc...

How commercial growers apply knowledge of photosynthesis | Botany: A Blooming History

Spec references J247: B1.4e J250: B1.4e. How commercial growers increase the amount of ...

Photosynthesis research by Julius von Sachs | Botany: A Blooming History

Spec references J247: B1.4d. Experiment by Julius von Sachs which involves testing for starch in lea...

Photosynthesis | Curriculum Bites

Schools science programme where topics in the double science curriculum are broken down into small chunks.

Breathing | Curriculum Bites

Schools science programme where topics in the double science curriculum are broken down into small chunks.

Rate of photosynthesis | i-Science

Photosynthesis is the chemical reaction through which plants make glucose and oxygen. It is crucial to all life on Earth because it is the...

How iodine was used to discover starch in plant leaves | Botany: A Blooming History

How botanists made the connection between a plant's growth and the energy from the sun.

Photosynthesis | Knowhow

Know how plants help us breathe?

Getting Fit | The Truth About...

Michael Mosley teams up with scientists whose latest research is turning common knowledge about fitness on its head to separate fact from fi...

Photosynthisis | Bitesize Science

Photosynthesis is essential to life on this planet.

The Lungs | Made of Stronger Stuff

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body. In this episode it's the turn of the airbags,...

Generation of clean fuels | Botany: A Blooming History

Scientists harnessing the processes in photosynthesis.

Calvin-Benson cycle | Botany: A Blooming History

How Benson and Calvin established the biochemical reactions involved in photosynthesis.

Trees and carbon dioxide | Making Scotland's Landscape

The important role that trees play in clearing carbon dioxide.

Rob Burrow: Living with MND

Rob Burrow, one of Rugby League’s greatest players, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in late 2019. This documentary illustrates the love,...

Dementia | The Truth About...

Angela Rippon investigates Alzheimer's disease. She learns how people can help to prevent it, meets some of those who are living with it and ex...

The Menopause | The Truth About...

Mariella Frostrup shares her own experience of the menopause and brings this great taboo out into the open, investigating how the latest s...

Fear Response | The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed

Chris van Tulleken accompanies some snake hunters at work, showing what happens inside our bodies when we exper...

An Introduction to Homeostasis | The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed

We live on a knife edge, and we are amazingly good at doing it. Chris van Tulleken gives a sim...

S02E02: Female Reproductive Organs | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Dr Alice Roberts turns her attention to the female reproductive organs where she uses an MRI scanner t...

S02E01: Male Reproductive Organs | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

In the first of a new series, Dr Alice Roberts explains how the male reproductive organs work and has ad...

How the body maintains temperature | The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed

Spec references J247: B3.3b. Experiment to observe change in temperature and how it affect...

Let's Talk About Periods | Newsround Specials

Half of the world's population have periods - yet people are often embarrassed to talk about them. Lauren Layfield meets expert...

Hormone Hell | Body Chemistry

Bodily hormones tell us it's still the Stone Age and that if life was simpler, such torments as puberty, PMT and the menopause wouldn't be a pr...

The body's response to extreme cold | The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed

How do our bodies react and respond when we dive into freezing water?

The role of the hypothalamus in water levels in blood | Short Circuit

An explanation and visualisation of how the hypothalamus works to control water concentration in the bl...

Frozen to Death | Short Circuit

An exploration of cryotherapy and the effects of brain damage.

The Fantastical World of Hormones with Professor John Wass

Expert John Wass presents a documentary telling the story of how hormones were discovered and remain at medicine's...

Getting Fit at Home | The Truth About...

Mehreen Baig delves into the latest science on home fitness. She reveals why six minutes per week could be enough and why doing too ...

S01E01: Reproduction | Dara O'Briain's Science Club

Dara O Briain and a team of experts look at the world of reproduction and inheritance. Comedian Ed Byrne discovers just h...

01: Challenges of Life | Life

David Attenborough examines how living long enough to breed is a monumental struggle, and how many animals and plants go to extremes to give th...

Homeostasis | GCSE Bitesize Revision

Spec references J247: B3.3a, B3.3b, B3.3c, B3.3d, B3.3e, B3.3g, B3.3j. Higher paper content for homeostasis. Structure of the kidney, ho...

Homestasis in Humans | GCSE Bitesize Revision

Spec references J247: B3.3g, B3.3i, B3.3j. Summary of homeostasis including removal of waste products, managing water levels, t...

How the body responds to extreme temperatures | The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed

Chris van Tulleken uses a miniature thermometer to explore what happens to his ...