2: What is the World Made Of? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

Duration: 58'35''

Synopsis

Michael Mosley explores how history shaped science. Here, he looks at how atomic theories and the strange concepts of quantum physics came into being.

Further Information

More clips from The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

1: What Is Out There? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

1: What Is Out There? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'10''

Michael Mosley explores how history has shaped science. He looks at how we came to understand that our...

3: How Did We Get Here? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

3: How Did We Get Here? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'19''

Michael Mosley reveals how the history of all life on earth, including us, is connected to the long ...

4: Can We Have Unlimited Power? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

4: Can We Have Unlimited Power? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'02''

Michael Mosley shows how the most power-hungry generation that has ever lived has harnessed ...

5: What Is the Secret of Life? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

5: What Is the Secret of Life? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 58'49''

How the secret of life has been examined through the prism of the most complex organism known...

6: Who Are We? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

6: Who Are We? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'18''

The twin sciences of brain anatomy and psychology have offered different visions of who we are. Now these sci...

More resources about Atomic Structure

02: Out of Sight | Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds

02: Out of Sight | Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds

BBC HD | 2010 | 58'22''

Richard Hammond uses groundbreaking imaging technology to take the viewer on a journey of discovery beyond the visible ...

The properties of different types of radiation | Short Circuit

The properties of different types of radiation | Short Circuit

BBC Two | 2008 | 1'35''

An explanation of how a radiation detector picks up different types of radiation.

03: Off the Scale | Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds

03: Off the Scale | Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds

BBC HD | 2010 | 59'21''

Richard Hammond explores the miniature universe around us, from microscopic changes to ice crystals that can trigger a...

Nuclear fusion | Atom

Nuclear fusion | Atom

BBC Four | 2007 | 1'18''

Sunlight is created by nuclear fusion in the Sun when two protons are fused together.

2: Marie Curie's Radium | The Six Experiments That Changed The World

2: Marie Curie's Radium | The Six Experiments That Changed The World

Channel 4 | 2000 | 24'26''

From Galileo to Einstein, from Faraday to Mendel: modern scientists try to recreate the seminal experime...

Alpha particles | Chemistry: A Volatile History

Alpha particles | Chemistry: A Volatile History

BBC Four | 2010 | 3'55''

Rutherford stated the fact that most alpha particles go straight through foil is evidence for the atom being mostly empty spa...

An Alpha, Beta and Gamma of Radioactivity | Short Circuit

An Alpha, Beta and Gamma of Radioactivity | Short Circuit

BBC Two | 1998 | 24'14''

Bringing chemistry, physics and biology to life using real-life examples, 3D graphics and practical experiments.

Chemical weapons | Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

Chemical weapons | Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

BBC Four | 2016 | 1'53''

Introducing the idea of chemical and biological weapons, leading onto pathogens.

Chernobyl disaster | Inside Chernobyl's Mega Tomb

Chernobyl disaster | Inside Chernobyl's Mega Tomb

BBC Four | 2016 | 3'25''

Introduction to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the temporary construction that was built to contain the radiation.

Discovery of the Neutron | Atom

Discovery of the Neutron | Atom

BBC Four | 2007 | 1'50''

Spec references J248: C1.2d, C1.2e J250: C1.2d, C1.2e. Professor Jim Al-Khalili explains how James Chadwick discovered the neutron. This solv...

Electricity and the Atomic scale | Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity

Electricity and the Atomic scale | Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity

BBC Four | 2011 | 3'09''

Jim Al-Khalili explores how Ernest Rutherford's work on the atom revealed what electricity was on ...

Half-life | Short Circuit

Half-life | Short Circuit

BBC Two | 2009 | 58''

Spec references J249: P6.1j, P6.2b J250: P4.3j. Explanation and animation - Nuclear decay is random. Half-life.

History of the Atom: From Rutherford to Bohr | Chemistry: A Volatile History

History of the Atom: From Rutherford to Bohr | Chemistry: A Volatile History

BBC Four | 2010 | 3'00''

Spec references J248: C1.2a J250: C1.2a. Professor Jim Al-Khalili explains the history of the at...

Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

BBC Four | 2016 | 59'00''

Michael Mosley investigates Porton Down, Britain's most secretive and controversial military research base. He...

Lab demonstration of alpha beta gamma penetration properties. | Short Circuit

Lab demonstration of alpha beta gamma penetration properties. | Short Circuit

BBC Two | 2009 | 56''

Spec references J249: P6.1l J250: P4.3l. Laboratory demonstration of the penetration propertie...

Nuclear radiation - what are alpha, beta and gamma radiation? | Curriculum Bites

Nuclear radiation - what are alpha, beta and gamma radiation? | Curriculum Bites

CBBC | 2003 | 1'38''

Spec references J249: P6.1d J250: P4.3d. Animation and explanation of alpha, beta and gamma ...

Nuclear structure | Curriculum Bites

Nuclear structure | Curriculum Bites

CBBC | 2003 | 1'53''

Spec references J249: P6.1a, P6.1d J250: P4.3a,P4.3d. Animation and description of nuclear structure of unstable nucleus (francium).

Radioactive particle clean up mission | Bang Goes the Theory

Radioactive particle clean up mission | Bang Goes the Theory

BBC One | 2011 | 3'24''

Following a leak of thousands of radioactive particles in the 60's, a team at Dounreay are attempting to find an...

Radioactivity | Curriculum Bites

Radioactivity | Curriculum Bites

CBBC | 2003 | 6'33''

Schools science programme where topics in the double science curriculum are broken down into small chunks.

Radioactivity | Short Circuit

Radioactivity | Short Circuit

BBC Two | 2009 | 18'43''

Bringing chemistry, physics and biology to life using real-life examples, 3D graphics and practical experiments.

More from Michael Mosley

1: Into the Brain | Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery

1: Into the Brain | Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery

BBC Four | 2008 | 58'56''

Documentary series looking at the brutal, bloody and dangerous history of surgery begins with the area of the body w...

Impact of nature on physical and mental health | Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

Impact of nature on physical and mental health | Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

BBC Radio 4 | 2021 | 6'08''

Michael Mosley discusses the importance of spending time in nature and how this can imp...

The complexity of brain surgery | Inside the Human Body

The complexity of brain surgery | Inside the Human Body

BBC Two | 2021 | 5'31''

A little girl, Angelina, requires complex brain surgery in order to alleviate the systoms she is suffering as a resul...

Treating diabetes with an artificial pancreas | Trust Me, I'm a Doctor

Treating diabetes with an artificial pancreas | Trust Me, I'm a Doctor

BBC Two | 2018 | 5'05''

In this clip we discover what diabetes is and a new way of treating the condition compared to the trad...

The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria | Michael Mosley vs The Superbugs

The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria | Michael Mosley vs The Superbugs

BBC Four | 2017 | 1'12''

Michael Mosley introduces the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and Superbugs.

Fat and the brain | The Secrets of Your Food

Fat and the brain | The Secrets of Your Food

BBC Two | 2017 | 1'20''

Fats have a "rewarding" effect on the brain, the more fat we eat the more we stimulate the "reward pathway".

Sleep | The Truth About...

Sleep | The Truth About...

BBC One | 2017 | 58'00

We are one of the most sleep-deprived countries in the world. In The Truth About Sleep, insomniac Michael Mosley finds out what happens if we don'...

Chemical weapons | Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

Chemical weapons | Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

BBC Four | 2016 | 1'53''

Introducing the idea of chemical and biological weapons, leading onto pathogens.

The Wonderful World Of Blood - With Michael Mosley

The Wonderful World Of Blood - With Michael Mosley

BBC Four | 2016 | 58'46''

Michael Mosley gives up a fifth of his own blood to perform six bold experiments. From starving it of oxygen to injecting ...

The 1860s | The Victorian Slum

The 1860s | The Victorian Slum

BBC Two | 2016 | 58'55''

A group of 21st-century people move into a recreated Victorian slum. In this episode, the slum dwellers move into the 1860s, when London was t...

3: The Final Push | Countdown to Life: The Extraordinary Making of You

3: The Final Push | Countdown to Life: The Extraordinary Making of You

BBC Two | 2015 | 58'57''

A look at the final months in the womb, when cartilage hardens to form the skeleton. Produced in partn...

Testosterone, serotonin and violence | The Mystery of Murder: A Horizon Guide

Testosterone, serotonin and violence | The Mystery of Murder: A Horizon Guide

BBC Four | 2015 | 5'33''

Professor Dabbs and Dr Higley provide evidence of the role of testosterone and serotonin in vio...

Infested! Living with Parasites

Infested! Living with Parasites

BBC Four | 2014 | 59'04''

Dr Michael Mosley explores the bizarre and fascinating world of parasites by turning his body into a living laboratory and deliberately infes...

Is Your Brain Male or Female? | Horizon

Is Your Brain Male or Female? | Horizon

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'00''

Dr Michael Mosley and Professor Alice Roberts investigate whether male and female brains really are wired differently.

Pain message | Pain, Pus and Poison: The Search for Modern Medicine

Pain message | Pain, Pus and Poison: The Search for Modern Medicine

BBC Four | 2013 | 3'01''

Painkillers act at different points along the pain pathways to turn the pain response down.

1: Pain | Pain, Pus and Poison: The Search for Modern Medicines

1: Pain | Pain, Pus and Poison: The Search for Modern Medicines

BBC Four | 2013 | 59'23''

Michael Mosley discovers what pain is and how we were able to control it with the discovery of morphine at th...

How respiratory viruses spread | Winter Viruses and How to Beat Them

How respiratory viruses spread | Winter Viruses and How to Beat Them

BBC Two | 2013 | 1'27''

An explanation of how respiratory viruses can spread by causing us to cough and sneeze.

Digestive powers | Guts: The Strange and Wonderful World of the Human Stomach

Digestive powers | Guts: The Strange and Wonderful World of the Human Stomach

BBC Four | 2012 | 4'53''

The digestive powers of the gastric juices within the human stomach are tested.

Split brain patients | The Brain: A Secret History

Split brain patients | The Brain: A Secret History

BBC Four | 2011 | 3'29''

These split brain patients showed Sperry that each hemisphere of the brain has a different role to play and a separate con...

4: Can We Have Unlimited Power? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

4: Can We Have Unlimited Power? | The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'02''

Michael Mosley shows how the most power-hungry generation that has ever lived has harnessed ...