
2008
THE BRAIN is an astonishing voyage of discovery into our last biological frontier. Although today s computers can make calculations in one-100th of a second and technology can transport us outside the bonds of Earth, only now are we beginning to understand the most complex machine in the universe. Using simple analogies, real-life case studies, and state-of-the-art CGI, this special shows how the brain works, explains the frequent battle between instinct and reason, and unravels the mysteries of memory and decision-making. It takes us inside the mind of a soldier under fire to see how decisions are made in extreme situations, examines how an autistic person like Rain Man develops remarkable skills, and takes on the age-old question of what makes one person good and another evil. Research is rushing forward. We’ve learned more about the workings of the brain in the last five years than in the previous one hundred.

Erik Thompson
Narrator

Road to the Stars

Fort comme un ours

Another World

Intelligent Trees

Pyramid

Mabu: Saving the Secret Forest

Fight For Space

Food Evolution

The Standard Deviants: The Really Big World of Astronomy, Part 2

The Standard Deviants: The Gravity-Packed World of Physics, Parts 1&2

Let There Be Light

Life Before Birth

Cloudspotting

The Evolution Conspiracy

Microcosmos

Ten Ways The World Will End

Unrest

The Altruism Revolution

Here Be Dragons

The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey