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Beyond the Rainbow

   2015    Science
Helen Czerski ventures beyond the visible spectrum in the final (and best) episode in this vibrant series, showing how electromagnetic radiation is so much broader than the narrow slice of reality we see with our eyes. Before delving into the details of UV, infrared and x-rays, Dr Czerski explores colour subjectivity by trying on a dress that recently divided the internet — to some it appeared blue and black, to others white and gold. It's a perfect fit. It's also a neat analogy of how people can have opposing views but both swear blind that their perspective is correct. The series ends with some amazing imaging techniques that show our bodies in a whole new light.
Series: Colour The Spectrum of Science

Bitcoin: The End of Money As We Know It

   2015    Technology
The concept of a digital, decentralized currency is questioning things and the answers being spilled out are deep-seated, long-standing propositions that place a magnifying glass onto the seemingly untouchable financial institutions at the base of modern commerce. What may be uncovered in the philosophical, political, and economic questions could have radical implications for the rest of the 21st century". The documenteray ushers us in, not to explore simply Bitcoin, but to hint at the basis of trade, commerce, and civil society. Director Torsten's story of money is one filled with promise like a sunrise over a landscape of human spirit.

Black Holes: Heart of Darkness

   2021    Science
The centre of our galaxy is home to an invisible monster of unimaginable power – a supermassive black hole named Sagittarius A star, with four million times the mass of the Sun. Recent astronomical breakthroughs have confirmed not only that black holes like Sagittarius A star exist, but that these bizarre invisible objects may be the ultimate galactic protagonists.
Stunning CGI takes us back to witness the fiery origins of our galaxy’s black hole 13.6 billion years ago, when the early universe was home to colossal blue stars, and when they ran out of fuel, they collapsed under their own enormous mass, crushing down into an object so small and so dense it punched a hole in the fabric of the universe. Over billions of years, Sagittarius A star feasted on nearby gas, stars, and through cataclysmic mergers with other black holes. A breakthrough discovery by Nasa’s Fermi gamma-ray telescope has shown that our black hole had the power to sculpt the entire galaxy, creating vast bubbles of gas above and below our galaxy and even protecting stars systems as ours.
In a mind-bending conclusion, Brian Cox reveals how our modern understanding of black holes is challenging our concepts of reality to the breaking point. In trying to understand the fate of objects that fall into Sagittarius A star, scientists have come to a stunning conclusion: space and time, concepts so foundational to how we experience the world around us, are not as fundamental as we once thought.
Series: Universe

Blue Planet II Coasts

   2017    Nature
On the coast, two worlds collide. Coasts are the most dynamic and challenging habitats in the ocean - that brings great rewards but also great danger. The extraordinary animals that live here must find ingenious ways to cope with two very different worlds. This episode is a rollercoaster ride of heart-stopping action and epic drama, peopled with characters from the beautiful to the bizarre. We meet fish that live on dry land and puffins that must travel 60 miles or more for a single meal, and witness a life-and-death struggle in a technicolour rock pool. In a secluded cove in the Galapagos, sea lions feast on 60kg tuna. It should be impossible - tuna are usually far too fast for sea lions to catch. But here the sea lions club together to herd their prey inshore. Once trapped in the shallows, these huge fish are easy pickings. As the tide recedes in Brazil, lightfoot crabs leap from rock to rock, desperately avoiding the water - their lives depend on it. Moray eels launch themselves from rock pools, jaw gaping. Then octopuses, too. Both crawl across dry rock to set their ambush. Elsewhere, the ever-changing tides create rock pools. But these temporary worlds are a battleground. Predatory starfish turn a magical garden into the stuff of nightmares.
Series: Blue Planet II

Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story (II)

   2023    Culture
The second part of the series describes how Honda withdrew from Formula 1 and how Ross Brawn and Nick Fry took control to form Brawn GP. It explains the team's financial struggles, their ingenious interpretation of the rules to develop an innovative double diffuser, and the subsequent controversies and legal battles with other teams over the legality of this innovation. The rivalry between Jenson Button, the team's lead driver, and his teammate Rubens Barrichello is emphasized. The climax of the film is Button's victory in Monaco, highlighting both the driver's triumph and the team's success under extreme pressure. As the season progresses, other teams begin to catch up to Brawn GP, increasing the pressure on Button to maintain his championship lead.
The documentary concludes with Brawn GP, pressured by financial needs, signing an agreement with Ecclestone, apparently betraying FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) and creating significant internal conflict. This twist highlights the complex power dynamics and ethical challenges within the world of F1.
Series: Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story

Coastal Seas

   2019    Nature    HD
Immense shoals of fish throng our shallow seas. Small fish, in turn, sustain bigger ones. The rich coastal seas are the fishing grounds of our planet and can provide an abundance of food for wildlife and humanity. The seas fringing land make up less than a tenth of the world's oceans but 90 percent of marine creatures live in coastal waters, from fearsome sharks to lowly urchins. Protecting these habitats is a battle humanity must win.
Series: Our Planet