Western countries are the most sleep-deprived countries in the world. Insomniac Michael Mosley finds out what happens if we don't get enough sleep and looks at surprising solutions to help us get more.
Of all the wonders of the human body, there's one more mysterious than any other. Blood: five precious litres that keep us alive. Yet how much do we really know about this sticky red substance and its mysterious, life-giving force? Michael Mosley gives up a fifth of his own blood to perform six bold experiments". From starving it of oxygen to injecting it with snake venom, Michael reveals the extraordinary abilities of blood to adapt and keep us alive. Using specialist photography, the programme reveals the beauty in a single drop. Michael even discovers how it tastes when, in a television first, he prepares a black pudding with his own blood. Down the ages, our understanding of blood has been as much myth as science, but Michael reveals there might be truth in the old vampire legends, as he meets one of the scientists behind the latest research that shows young blood might be able to reverse the ageing process - the holy grail of modern medicine.
Dr Adam Rutherford shows how decoding the genome has led us to begin to understand the very process by which our DNA makes us different; how it makes each one of us on earth unique and influences who we are and the traits we have. He reveals how, as we try and understand the relationship between who we are and our genes, we stand at the beginning of the most exciting scientific journey of all time.
Our wheat has changed dramatically, it doesn't even resemble what it used to look like. Not only are we seeing more wheat and gluten sensitivity, there is also a strong connection between gluten and autoimmune diseases. Tens of thousands of people are suffering with ill health and don't realise it's a result of the food choices they are making. Some assume it is part of their genetic make-up or the body changing as they get older. People need to become educated, knowledgeable and aware. They need to start making changes to improve the health of their children and future generations.
'What Makes Me?', explores the question of how the brain gives rise to our thoughts, emotions, our memories and personality. Philosophers and great thinkers have for millennia pondered the question of how physical stuff can give rise to mental processes. Last century, the new field of neuroscience joined the discussion, and Dr David Eagleman explains that to a neuroscientist, the answers to such questions lie in a deep understanding of the brain.
