Top Science Stories of 2017 • 2017

23:37

Questions of good and evil, right and wrong are commonly thought unanswerable by science. But Sam Harris argues that science can -- and should -- be an authority on moral issues, shaping human values and setting out what constitutes a good life.

TED-Ed • Science

12:49

Scientists at the "Centre for Existential Risk" grapple with the unprecedented number of planetary threats facing humanity, from runaway AI and cyber attacks to bioterror and nuclear war.

S1E7 • Stories of Impact • 2019 • Science

49:00

Previously it was thought that only 2% of our DNA is meaningful and the remaining 98% is non-coding “junk”. But today we are beginning to know how the junk part of our DNA works to decide our personal characteristics and tendencies.

S1E1 • Dynamic Genomes • 2019 • Science

0:00

Discover the secrets of humanity’s advanced skill set and predominance on earth. It was the rapid growth of our brain, originating about 2 million years ago, that allowed us to be the predominant species of the world. What caused this rapid growth of our cerebral cortex?

2021 • Science

59:01

The final lecture in the series begins with a 'heist'. A jewel thief steals a precious man-made diamond from the Royal Institution's collection. Can forensic evidence conclusively identify and convict the criminal responsible? To find out, the Royal Institution's lecture theatre is transformed into a courtroom and the audience acts as jury on the case, with a special guest king's counsel invited to defend the suspect. Forensic evidence is based on probability; it can never be 100 per cent certain. So, how convincing does the evidence need to be for the court of the Royal Institution's own jury to reach a guilty verdict? Includes insights from real criminal investigations.

S1E3 • Secrets of Forensic Science • 2022 • Science

52:00

Take a look back at many of the most fascinating science stories of 2017, a year full of stunning advancements in individual fields of study, from astronomy to biology, geology to history – when we piece these discoveries together we see the year in a new light.

2017 • Science