Destiny is beyond our control, our fate already set, perhaps from the onset of disease or being born with a special ability. You may think our lives are determined by the genes we're born with, but that is not the case. In the non-coding 98% of our DNA, we have countless switches to promote or suppress the physiological reactions of our bodies. Interestingly, we can change the states of these switches through our own efforts and even can affect the DNA conditions of our offspring before their birth. Explore the hottest area of bioscience, genomics with stunning live image, quality CGI, the forefront research, and real human stories.
Everyone always wants to be able to choose - but who really makes these choices? And do we really want to have more choices? Michael Stevens finds out as he explores decision-making.
When it comes to illusions, optical illusions get all the attention. But the whole body you have can be fooled and can fool the brain. What is touch? Is it real, or is it just in our heads? Michael Stevens decides to find out.
Around the world, food allergies are surging to near-epidemic levels. Medicine is just beginning to understand why some people react to seemingly harmless foods. Scientists race to understand what's changed in our bodies, while farmers and chefs contend with new challenges.
Autistic minds provide windows into how we all think, feel, and behave. A complete brain science should be able to account for all kinds of minds and brains. As long as some minds remain a mystery, so too will all minds. Michael Stevens travels to London to meet a blind, autistic savant with astonishing musical abilities, and volunteers to have his brain's function temporarily disrupted at UCLA's Neuromodulation Lab.
The nervous system is fundamentally electric. When we move our arm, it moves because a electric signal has been sent to the muscle that controls it. Now, because the brain is electric, we could also use electricity to record what the brain is doing or bypass it entirely, and control a body. That means that we could restore movement to people who are paralyzed, feel through an artificial hand as if it was our own, and even read people's minds. Michael Stevens explores how electricity can be used to move cockroaches, control other peoples' limbs and even read peoples' thoughts.
Explore the hottest area of bioscience, genomics with stunning live image, quality CGI, the forefront research, and real human stories.