Nintendo was like an impossibly huge wall. But if Mario was the undisputed king, an underdog was about to declare war. For Japanese game maker Sega, mainly known for its arcade cabinets, the battle was about winning the home console market. Sega's Genesis console and its speedy character, Sonic, hit the market. In the early '80s, sports video games existed, but they didn't really look real. And one visionary entrepreneur had already started tackling the challenge of taking sports from the stadium onto the screen. Electronic Arts kicks off a partnership with football legend John Madden.
Trailblazing scientists are making ground-breaking discoveries in the rapidly evolving world of genetic engineering. Technologies like CRISPR are making it possible to quickly and cheaply change the DNA of all living things, including humans. Today, genes can be edited almost as easily as words on a computer screen. This new ability to alter our DNA holds the promise of curing disease , saving threatened species, solving the problem of world hunger and maybe even obtaining human perfection. But will the promise be fulfilled and at what cost? The ability to gain control of our DNA is ground-breaking and revolutionary but there are varying opinions among scientists as to how the technology should be used responsibly. This documentary follows the science as it progresses at a breakneck speed.
A Japanese playing card company called Nintendo enters gaming. To stay competitive in a modernizing Japan, their portfolio expanded to include toys and into the arcade. And the company hit it big with Donkey Kong and Super Mario, then later takes over home gaming with the Nintendo Entertainment System.
This series traces the history of classic video games, featuring insights from the innovators who brought these worlds and characters to life. In the first episode, Space Invaders and Pac-Man lead an arcade craze, while Atari's cartridge system dominates home gaming until high-profile failure sparks a downfall.
The Sky at Night looks back at the last ten years of astronomy and ponders the most significant milestones and revelations. With the help of six distinguished astronomers, Chris and Maggie consider the state of astronomy in 2020 and wonder what new, exciting discoveries await us across the rest of the decade, as a host of new ground and space telescopes come online. Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees is among the guests to walk along the Astronomical Wall of Discovery in this one-hour special.
In the early '80s, sports video games existed, but they didn't really look real. And one visionary entrepreneur had already started tackling the challenge of taking sports from the stadium onto the screen. Electronic Arts kicks off a partnership with football legend John Madden.