Science Britannica

Professor Brian Cox asks why, when science has done so much for humanity, it sometimes gets such a bad press. Brian reveals that the gothic novel Frankenstein drew on Italian scientist Giovanni Aldini's public attempts to raise the dead using electricity in the1800s. It's this powerful image of scientists 'playing God' that has dogged discovery ever since. Brian explains how the discovery of DNA, like nuclear fission before it, has resulted in controversy, with tales of 'Frankenfoods' fuelling the public's mistrust of science. Meeting Professor Tipi Aziz, whose pioneering work has helped thousands of Parkinson's disease sufferers, Brian reveals that - because the treatment was developed through experimentation on monkeys - it is wholly unacceptable to some. Scientific progress sometimes comes at a cost that scientists and the society they serve struggle with. However, although Aldini's work appalled his 19th-century audience, we are well served by the electronic defibrillators that routinely save lives today.

Professor Brian Cox puts three and a half centuries of British science under the microscope to reveal what science really is, who the people are who practice it and how it is inextricably linked to the past, present and future of us all. In episode two, Method And Madness, Brian celebrates Britain's pivotal role in creating modern science. From performing Isaac Newton's iconic light experiment, to meeting a wartime code breaker and making hydrogen explosions, Brian introduces the obsessive, eccentric, visionary characters who dragged Britain into the modern world by developing a powerful new way to investigate nature. Brian discovers that there seems to be a 'scientific mind' when he meets psychologist Professor Simon Baron-Cohen. Professor Baron-Cohen has found that as a group, scientists display powers of concentration and minute focus associated with autism - qualities which are a huge advantage when undertaking genuinely novel research. The downside of extreme focus is that scientists - even such luminaries as Newton and Cavendish - are sometimes only interested in research for its own sake. Spreading the word isn't really part of their agenda. But thanks to the oldest scientific journal in the country - the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions - a tradition of sharing ideas with other scientists was born. Peer review became an integral part of science both past and present, resulting in research that is as transparent and trustworthy as possible. Brian concludes that it is this scientific method, including publishing and peer review, which ensures accuracy during investigations.

Professor Brian Cox guides viewers through 350 years of British science to reveal what science really is, who the people are who practice it, and how it is inextricably linked to the past, present and future of each and every one of us. British science has a long track record of accidental discoveries improving our lot. Wondering why the sky is blue helped British scientists crack bacterial infection, whilst looking for a way to make quinine helped make our world a much more colourful place, as it led to the discovery of the first synthetic organic dye. But is this the best way to carry on? Professor Brian Cox ends his homage to British Science by looking at how discoveries are made, asking whether it is better to let the scientists do their own thing, and hope for happy accidents, or to only back scientific winners at the risk of missing the occasional gems.