This video excerpt from NOVA examines the dilemma some people face when they are deciding whether to undergo genetic testing. Journalist Catherine Elton describes her decision to refuse a test for BRCA1, a mutation that signals an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, despite the history of
This video excerpt from NOVA examines the promise and realities of developing drugs designed to treat genetic disorders. The video presents the story of one patient, Michael McCarrick, whose lungs were devastated from years of suffering from cystic fibrosis. After researchers identified the gene inv
This video excerpt from NOVA examines a genetic screening technique called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. PGD enables researchers to identify mutations in an embryo’s DNA that can lead to birth defects and more than 300 diseases, including Huntington’s, cystic fibrosis, and some cancers.
This video excerpt from NOVA uncovers the genetic mystery that nearly killed Alexis, now 14, and introduces the debate surrounding genetic testing at birth. After diagnosing Alexis and her twin brother Noah with cerebral palsy at a young age, doctors later discovered that the twins shared a rare gen
Mold is a microorganism that forms a typical fungal network. It mainly reproduces through spores. The slightest breeze carries these spores everywhere, which is how they end up in our homes. Here, they usually find ideal conditions. Authors: ZDF/3sat/nano/Autorenkombinat/Josephine Blume, Holger Bar
Glaciation during the ice ages caused the sea level to drop. Parts of the limestone reef platforms that form the bedrock of the Bahamas fell dry. Rain penetrated through cracks and dissolved the limestone, creating widely ramified karst caves. Author: ZDF/Terra X/R. Marel/S. Hillmann/C. Gerisch/A.
In this video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life," Eric Lander of MIT's Whitehead Institute explains the effort to decode the human genome—from motivation to process to importance—and explains what a genome map can and cannot yet do for science. This video is available in both English and
Radon is a radioactive noble gas. It can enter our homes through cracks – if it accumulates there and we breathe it in for a long time, it can cause cancer. Radon is actually everywhere, but it is distributed differently from region to region. To determine whether you have radon in the house, only m
The study of finches led to the development of one of the most important scientific theories of all time. In December 1831 a naturalist called Charles Darwin boarded the HMS Beagle, bound on a surveying voyage of South America. Whilst the ship and crew carried out coastline surveys, Darwin was fre
