BBC | Chemistry: A Volatile History | Ep1 Discovering the Elements (1 of 6)

The explosive story of chemistry is the story of the building blocks that make up our entire world - the elements. From fiery phosphorous to the pure untarnished lustre of gold and the dazzle of violent, violet potassium, everything is made of elements - the earth we walk on, the air we breathe, even us. Yet for centuries this world was largely unknown, and completely misunderstood.


In this three-part series, professor of theoretical physics Jim Al-Khalili traces the extraordinary story of how the elements were discovered and mapped. He follows in the footsteps of the pioneers who cracked their secrets and created a new science, propelling us into the modern age.


Just 92 elements made up the world, but the belief that were only four - earth, fire, air and water - persisted until the 19th Century. Professor Al-Khalili retraces the footsteps of the alchemists who first began to question the notion of the elements in their search for the secret of everlasting life.


He reveals the red herrings and rivalries which dogged scientific progress, and explores how new approaches to splitting matter brought us both remarkable elements and the new science of chemistry.

Hot Cities 26 - Los Angeles 2 - Surviving Climate Change - BBC Documentary

Surviving the Storm - With overflowing populations the worlds biggest cities are on the front line of the relentless advance of Climate Change. How will the megacities cope? In the Caribbean, surviving massive storms during the hurricane season is part of everyday life. Hot Cities goes to Cuba, which has a well-rehearsed defence strategy and an effective early warning system at the Cuban National Forecasting Centre. Recorded from BBC on 29.11.2009.

Climate Extreme 2009 11 - Climate Countdown 1 of 2 - BBC Documentary

Climate Extreme 2009 12 - Climate Countdown 1 of 2 - BBC Documentary highlighting some of the extreme weather conditions for 2009.

Climate Extreme 2009 - I have been finding the ongoing debate about Climate Effects increasingly confusing with opinions varying right across the spectrum among well informed friends and family. I do remember extremes going back into the past & so I cannot claim this year has been worse than others (& even if reported in more detail, this is more a topic for meteorological scientists), but I do not remember such a string of cataclysmic events spreading around the globe within just 12 months, which even before the internet would surely have been somehow reported and recorded. So without either wanting to sensationalise nor underscore the issue, I decided to record all reports of extreme weather for 2009 as a future reference so as to compare both the frequency and severity of such current occurrences. I have included Earthquakes, as even specialists cannot exclude these as potential causes of Climate Change, but have avoided scenes of extreme suffering. I hope this will allow me and viewers to draw our own conclusions, if not now, then at least in the near future.