1987

Episodes • 1987

The Twenty-Five Hour Clock

1. The Twenty-Five Hour Clock

60 min

Report on research into biological body clocks, which can effect emotional and physical health and well-being.

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The Search for the Disappeared

2. The Search for the Disappeared

60 min

Report on how forensic scientists ae identifying individual victims amongst the people murdered by Argentina's military juntas, by examination and genetic testing of their remains.

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The Blind Watchmaker

3. The Blind Watchmaker

60 min

In this interview by Horizon, zoologist Richard Dawkins investigates an attack on evolution by scientific creationists, based on the book of the same name by the famous zoologist.

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Riding the Stack

4. Riding the Stack

60 min

Astronauts and space shuttle designers talk about the risks of space flight, in the light of the space shuttle disaster of January 1986.

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Bruno Bettelheim: The Man Who Cared for Children

5. Bruno Bettelheim: The Man Who Cared for Children

60 min

Two part documentary on psychologist Bruno Bettelheim and his work with emotionally disturbed children.

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Bruno Bettelheim: A Sense of Surviving

6. Bruno Bettelheim: A Sense of Surviving

60 min

Two part documentary on psychologist Bruno Bettelheim and his work with emotionally disturbed children.

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Energy from Outer Space

7. Energy from Outer Space

60 min

Report on exploration into releasing energy sources which came from outer space during the formation of the earth, 4,500 million years ago, and have lain dormant under the earth's crust. In Sweden a five mile deep drill hole was made to unleash this energy.

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The Return of the Osprey

8. The Return of the Osprey

60 min

Documentary on the Osprey in north east America, where its natural habitat was being damaged by the use of DDT, but after some conservation work the Osprey is returning to the area.

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Can AIDS Be Stopped?

9. Can AIDS Be Stopped?

60 min

Report on the development of the AIDS virus, and current research into vaccines to combat the disease.

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Police Stress: The John Wayne Syndrome

10. Police Stress: The John Wayne Syndrome

60 min

Documentary on the increasing pressure put on the British police resulting in stress and psychological disorders, and also on the work of Dr. Douglas Duckworth, a psychologist at Leeds University who has worked with the police on these problems.

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To Engineer Is Human

11. To Engineer Is Human

60 min

Engineer Henry Petroski explains why engineering can never be an exact science and looks at examples of engineering failures.

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The Magma Chamber

12. The Magma Chamber

60 min

Report on the research into volcanoes by British scientists Professor Geoff Brow n and Dr. Hazel Rymer, who have developed a technique of exploring the magma chambers of volcanoes and predicting when they will erupt.

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Broken Images

13. Broken Images

60 min

Report on two sufferers of visual agnosia. The condition affects their ability to impose order on the visual world, even though they are not blind, but it does reveal a great deal about normal perception.

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Trial Babies

14. Trial Babies

60 min

Report on the different tests done on pregnant women to detect abnormalities in the foetus, with investigation of why these tests are not available in all pregnancies.

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After Chernobyl - Closer to Home

15. After Chernobyl - Closer to Home

60 min

Report on the safety of UK nuclear power stations, following the accident at Chernobyl in the USSR in 1986. The programme focuses on the nuclear installation at Hartlepool on Teeside, which has the smallest evacuation zone in the western world.

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Making Sex Pay

16. Making Sex Pay

60 min

James Gould, Professor of Biology at Princeton University, lectures on the mating habits of animals and humans.

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The Anthropic Principle

17. The Anthropic Principle

60 min

Discussion of the Anthropic Principle, a scientific theory for man's place in th e Universe.

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Aircrash: The Burning Issue

19. Aircrash: The Burning Issue

60 min

Report on the need for improved safety features on airplanes in particular the desirability of smoke hoods, plus an interview with a survivor of the 1985 Manchester aircrash.

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The Riddle of the Joints

20. The Riddle of the Joints

60 min

Report on research into rheumatoid arthritis.

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To Catch a Falling Star

21. To Catch a Falling Star

60 min

Report on the future and commercial benefit of research into astronomy conducted by the Royal Greenwich Observatory and other scientific institutions in Great Britain.

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In the Light of New Information

22. In the Light of New Information

60 min

Report on the evolution of laser light technology for communication in the 21st century, with a dramatised account of the effect of the technology on our daily lives.

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Janice's Choice

23. Janice's Choice

60 min

Janice Blenkharn's mother died of Huntington's Chorea, which any child of a victim has a 50-50 chance of inheriting. Janice is faced with the choice of having a test, developed after research in South America, to see if she has this incurable genetic disease.

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