Horizon Season 24, Episode 11: To Engineer Is Human

1

The Twenty-Five Hour Clock

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

60 min

2

The Search for the Disappeared

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.

60 min

3

The Blind Watchmaker

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.

60 min

4

Riding the Stack

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

60 min

5

Bruno Bettelheim: The Man Who Cared for Children

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

60 min

6

Bruno Bettelheim: A Sense of Surviving

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

60 min

7

Energy from Outer Space

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.

60 min

8

The Return of the Osprey

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.

60 min

9

Can AIDS Be Stopped?

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

60 min

10

Police Stress: The John Wayne Syndrome

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.

60 min

11

To Engineer Is Human

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

60 min

12

The Magma Chamber

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.

60 min

13

Broken Images

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.

60 min

14

Trial Babies

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.

60 min

15

After Chernobyl - Closer to Home

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.

60 min

16

Making Sex Pay

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

60 min

17

The Anthropic Principle

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

60 min

19

Aircrash: The Burning Issue

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.

60 min

20

The Riddle of the Joints

Report on research into rheumatoid arthritis.

60 min

21

To Catch a Falling Star

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

60 min

22

In the Light of New Information

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.

60 min

23

Janice's Choice

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.

60 min