The Body Machine

The Genius of Charles Darwin

August 2008 •English

A documentary series from Channel 4, hosted by professor Richard Dawkins, well-known darwinist. The series mixes segments on the life and discoveries of Charles Darwin, the theory of natural selection and evolution, and Dawkins' attempts at convincing a group of school children that evolution explains the world around us better than any religion.

Meteors

June 1947 •Russian

Stones from the sky - tangible pieces of other worlds. After millions of years of wandering in the darkness and the cold expanses of space, meteorites find shelter in the windows of museums. By studying meteorites, scientists know their origins, how they get to the Earth, and from which substances they are comprised. This film also explores the attitude towards this phenomenon in different nations through different times in history.

Rosalind Franklin: DNA's Dark Lady

April 2003 •English

A documentary about Rosalind Franklin, the scientist who first photographed and discovered the shape of DNA.

Secrets of the Super Elements

May 2017 •English

In the first BBC documentary to be filmed entirely on smartphones, Mark Miodownik reveals the weird materials that have built our high-tech world.

The Mermaids' Tears: Oceans of Plastic

May 2009 •French

Every km of ocean now contains an average of 74,000 pieces of plastic. A 'plastic soup' of waste, killing hundreds of thousands of animals every year and leaching chemicals slowly up the food chain. In Holland, scientists found plastic in the stomachs of 95% of all fulmar birds. In Germany, plastic has been found to affect the reproductive systems of animals, while in the US, conservationists are seeing increasing numbers of dolphins die in agony, their guts blocked with rubbish. What will be the long term impact of this 'plastic pollution'? Can anything be done to clean up our oceans?

Size Matters

March 2018 •English

In a search for clues about size, the documentary shows why the sun and planets are so large, why insects have shrunk in the course of evolution and how tall trees can actually grow. Fantastic thought experiments are visualized: animals grow many times their normal size and a man is shrunk to the size of an insect. The results of the unnatural reversal of size ratios have incredible consequences. What are the advantages and disadvantages? "Size matters" is a scientific documentary narrated with fictional scenes. Parallel worlds are created in which size appears in a completely new light, often in a different way than previously known. Modern, astonishing CGI sequences support internationally recognized scientists on a journey to both ends of the size scale and help to understand the world in its dimensions.

Our Friend the Atom

January 1957 •English

Dr. Heinz Haber, a noted scientist in the field of atomic energy, hosts this look at the possibility of an exciting new power source. He starts by comparing atomic energy to a genie in a bottle, both of which capable of doing both good and evil, and it is up to humankind to develop safe controls over this largely unexplored science.

Naked on the Inside

April 2008 •English

Six extra-ordinary people from around the world reveal their bodies and share their secrets in a unique experiment in search of their inner selves.

National Geographic: The Incredible Human Body

July 2002 •English

Cutting-edge medical technology and riveting, life-or-death personal dramas combine in this unprecedented, emotionally compelling exploration of The Incredible Human Body.

The Kingdom: How Fungi Made Our World

March 2018 •English

You find fungi in Antarctica and in nuclear reactors. They live inside your lungs and your skin is covered with them. Fungi are the most under appreciated and unexplained organisms, yet they could cure you from smallpox and turn cardboard boxes into forests. They could even transform Mars into Eden. There are vastly more fungi species than plants and each and every one of them play a crucial role in life’s support systems. Join us on a journey into the mysterious world of Fungi to witness their beauty, unravel their mysteries and discover how this secret kingdom is essential to life on Earth, and may in fact hold the key to our future.

Sonic Magic: The Wonder and Science of Sound

November 2015 •English

Though our world is full of sound, we only notice the noise. Sound can thrill, delight, warn, and scare us. But there's much more to the story. Sound can cure the sick and make the blind see.

The Fantastical World of Hormones with Professor John Wass

February 2014 •English

Expert John Wass presents a documentary telling the story of how hormones were discovered and remain at medicine's cutting edge as we try to deal with modern scourges like obesity.

Magic Myxies

February 1931 •English

Short film showing (with limited accuracy) the life-cycle of myxomycetes.

Among Us

September 2017 •English

Based on the jaw-dropping contact accounts of individuals from around the world, AMONG US explores the suspicious phenomenon of non-human presence on Earth, from angels to ETs, and unveils the many ways they may be interacting, communicating and transferring subliminal information into our consciousness and potentially our DNA. The film ultimately shows that the interconnectedness of all species may be beneficial and most likely inevitable for the evolution of an intelligent universe. This film has been released in some territories under the title: "ET Contact: They are here".

League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis

October 2013 •English

Drawing on the book of the same name, League of Denial crafts a searing two-hour indictment of the National Football League’s decades-long concealment of the link between football related head injuries and brain disorders.

Tour Montparnasse : le chantier record

May 2019 •French

Lyon-Turin : Le Dernier Tunnel XXL

March 2020 •French

What About ME?

January 2016 •English

Inside the dramatic search for a cure to ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). 17 million people around the world suffer from what ME/CFS has been known as a mystery illness, delegated to the psychological realm, until now. A scientist in the only neuro immune institute in the world may have come up with the answer. An important human drama, plays out on the quest for the truth.

Ces microbes qui nous gouvernent

November 2016 •French

Your Inner Fish

April 2014 •English

How did your body become the complicated, quirky, amazing machine it is today? Anatomist Neil Shubin uncovers the answers in this 3-part science series that looks at human evolution. Using fossils, embryos and genes, he reveals how our bodies are the legacy of ancient fish, reptiles and primates — the ancestors you never knew were in your family tree.