The Edge
Where science meets science fiction and imagination becomes a reality. Can science answer all our questions about human nature and the universe? The Edge is an adventurous forward-looking series of cutting-edge scientific achievements. Accessible, entertaining and highly visual. The series ran for two seasons and was shown by Discovery Channel, and numerous broadcasters across Asia, the Middle East and India.
For links to individual programmes and scripts, see below
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
The recent years have seen a revolution in the way criminals have been convicted thanks to forensic science. This programme looks at the world of advanced forensic techniques and the creation of the world’s first criminal DNA database.
Blind Visions
Over 150 million people in the world have significant visual disability, and 42 million are completely blind. New surgical techniques pioneered in the UK are now offering fresh hope for the visually impaired.
Building The Future
How can society strike a practical balance between exploitation and conservation to create the sustainable city of the future? Building the Future explores the pioneering work now being developed to do just this.
The Dirt Vaccine
Professor John Stanford has discovered that a harmless bacteria found in a mud puddle may have the ability to alter the body’s immune system, allowing it to fight the harmful effects of diseases ranging from tuberculosis to asthma.
Fall and Roll
A look at how software designers are developing artificial intelligence in games programming and attempting to encode the laws of physics into character movement.
Fertile Territory
Is the male contraceptive pill a practical solution to population growth? Until now most research has been into birth control for women but trials in Scotland and Nigeria could pave the way for men to take charge of their fertility in the 21st century.
Flight To Mars
The story behind the ill fated Beagle 2 Mars Lander, which crashed into Mars in an attempt to collect mineral specimens and investigate the ultimate question: Is there life outside Earth?
For Spares Or Repair
Is it possible and ethical to grow organs outside the body? How likely are the predictions of newspapers that we are creating a Frankenstein future? Genetics explained with renowned IVF specialist Lord Robert Winston and the creators of Dolly the sheep.
One Giant Leap
The Edge travels to the rainforests of China and to the National Institute of Health, Bethesda, USA to investigate venomous tree frogs. These frogs appear to contain natural antibiotics and fungicides capable of fighting diseases in humans.
The Paranormal Uncovered
Hauntings, ESP and other unexplained phenomena-is it all just superstitious nonsense or is there some scientific basis? Leading British scientists are at the cutting edge of new research into the paranormal which could change the way we perceive it.
Saving The Newborn Brain
Every year thousands of babies suffer brain damage due to a lack of oxygen during birth. Ground breaking and simple cooling treatments can now prevent this damage.
Water Babies
Were our ancestors once aquatic? Water Babies examines the current evidence that water played a major role in human evolution and assesses how it stands up to the traditional theory, as proposed by Darwin.
AIDS Truth Or Dare
The scourge of AIDS has already cost millions of lives around the world, but the origins of this modern plague remain a mystery. What are the lessons that can be learnt from this human tragedy? What hope can science offer to millions of sufferers?
Bottling The Sun
As traditional fuel supplies threaten to run dry, nuclear fusion has become the Holy Grail of energy production. It promises to replicate the power of the Sun here on Earth. This programme looks at new developments, which are bringing fusion closer to practical reality.
The Bug Detectives
Telling the fascinating story behind the real science featured in the movie Silence of the Lambs – forensic entomology. This new breed of scientific expertise can call on the evidence provided by insect behaviour and infestation to establish vital clues in criminal investigation. Featuring revealing investigations into real crimes.
Driven To Destruction
Behind the glamorous façade of the Monte Carlo Rally, there are teams of engineers and technicians who toil to produce cars with a competitive advantage. Often this can only be measured in fractions of a second. The modern Rally car is a masterpiece of engineering technology.
Escape From The Deep
After the tragic loss of the Kursk, Escape from the Deep looks at the science of submarine rescue. A new generation of submersible craft can offer beleaguered submariners their only hope of rescue from the ocean depths.
The Evolution Revolution
The integration of man with machine is common currency in science fiction, but at the dawn of the Twenty-First Century the cyborg is becoming a practical reality. The question now is how far we are prepared to join our biological selves to the computers and machines we have created?
The Fragile Reef
Coinciding with the publication of the world’s first Atlas of Coral Reefs, this film explores their fragile ecology and incredible biodiversity. Careless development, overfishing and tourism are destroying these natural areas. Countries such as Egypt and Tanzania are working with the scientific community to develop strategies to combat these disastrous effects.
Hand-Stitched By Robots
With the development of surgical robots the surgeon of the future may well be a computer-operated machine. This film explores the development of surgical robots as they are currently employed in world centres of excellence at Aston and Bristol Universities, and looks to the future of robotic surgery.
Inside Out
3D imaging is transforming the practice of modern medicine. Reconstructive surgery, the treatment of advanced tumours, and aortic aneurisms are now all benefiting from the impact of this amazing new technology.
The Man Who Found What Fell To Earth
Planetary scientist Phil Bland is on a quest to find the remnants of a gigantic meteor which struck Argentina 5,000 years ago. If he succeeds in locating the impact site on the wind-swept pampas it will be the discovery of a major planetary event, which would have impacted during a period of human habitation.
The Meteor Chasers
Astronomy is the last area of modern science in which amateurs can make an important contribution. Meteor Chasers looks at the vital research now being undertaken by teams of amateur astronomers around the world. They are tracking the path of Earth-bound meteors and exploring the most distant reaches of the universe.
Secrets Of The Clouds
World-renowned evolutionary biologist Bill Hamilton stands beside Darwin as one of the subject’s most original thinkers. He has transformed our view of evolution and man’s place within the global ecology. Secrets of the Clouds profiles this remarkable scientist and explores his unique contribution to our understanding of nature.