Quenching a thirst for knowledge

In many ways we take the technological advances today as run of the mill. The next generation iphone was unveiled this week and yet, within months it will be overshadowed by yet another, more ingenious, invention.
We live in exciting times but it often seems that we are too caught up in the rat race to really appreciate how exciting they really are.
Take the oil spill off the coast of the US for instance. It is, of course, an ecological catastrophe but the fact that BP are even able to create something that can even withstand the pressure of the sea beggars belief.
Other areas are also truly wonderful. The space programme is another example although many argue, regrettably, that it has reached a point where it is possible that only machines need go to space. The technological advances are so great that the most in-depth of mining, drilling and exploration can all be done from the comfort of a swivel chair in the USA, Russia or indeed anyone else who has the starter capital to undertake such an endeavour.
But what is also intriguing about this journey into the future is that it is built on the works of not a few great men and women who had foresight, endeavour and patient but a whole host of them, punctuating our existence since time began and of course more particularly since the discipline of scientific study became established. We owe the phone in our pocket, the laptop on which I write and all the modern comforts of life to the small and significant progresses and discoveries that were for the most part made in by people in this part of the world. Ireland has a wonderful history of scientific and engineering contributions but many of those discoveries are not known of or when they are known of they often overshadow the person who actually put in the work and the tedious hours over small yet significant details. Channel 4 has brought some of the great minds of Britain together to celebrate the brilliance throughout the ages, minds that have contributed to the way in which we live our life and to commend the discoveries that many of these fairly unknown people were responsible for.
Genius of Britain has been running on Channel 4 now for a number of weeks but can still be seen on Channel 4’s streaming website 4OD.
Hosted by theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, the show explores the development of scientific research and development starting over 350 years ago. Presented in documentary style, short clips are linked together by a narration by Stephen Hawking. The clips themselves are hosted by some of the great brains of Britain including Dr Hawking himself, Richard Dawkins, James Dyson, David Attenborough, Robert Winston, Paul Nurse, Jim Al-Khalili, Kathy Sykes and Olivia Judson.
These clips tell the tale of different scientists, the discoveries they made and the contribution to the discipline as a whole. They explore the way in which they worked together as well as examining the mood and sociological outlook of the population in Britain at the time of these discoveries.
Each scientist presents a case for how and why these discoveries were made and why some individuals were more successful or recognised than others. In some cases they give their own feelings about what could in many ways be interpreted as the forbearers of their own profession and the way in which the work of these scientists like Faraday, Brunel, Watt and Franklin have influenced their own work and ignited their passion for science at a young age.
The programme is very viewer friendly with plenty of graphical cues, models and timelines to bring the pieces together. Hawkings’ narration between clips ties them together and makes the individual segments come together in a rich tapestry of dates, times, faces and scientific findings. Most of the scientists that are introducing the different scientists are well-known to the audience and their familiar voices and agreeable presenting style eases the person directly into the content at the core. It is in many ways a beginners guide to British science but it avoids condescension and patronisation. It is a warm-hearted series that serves not only to educate but to ignite a spark of enthusiasm or reflection on the exciting times we live in.
Another exciting Channel 4 documentary programme is Inside Nature’s Giants aired on Tuesday evenings at 9pm. This award-winning programme breaks with tradition in that it doesn’t show how some of the Earth’ largest creatures behave in the wild but how they are actually constructed. This series shows the anatomy of these giants of the sea and land in up close detail. The team use a lot of technology to show the audience how these massive creatures have adapted physically to survive. All aspects of the animal or fish are examined thoroughly as the team explain which part is which and its function.
This series concentrates on some of the Earth’s most successful predators and emphasis what it is about their anatomical make-up that gives them that edge in the food chain. The show, although sometimes a little gory, is very interesting and brings wildlife to the audience in a way that has never been shown before. It is another thirst-quencher in our constant search for our fill of knowledge.

One to watch
This week, of course, there is only one thing that I can recommend to watch and that is sport. There is enough sport on the television this weekend to satisfy even the most fanatical of sports fanatics. For me, the highlight will be the World Cup.
I know we’re not in it but I just love the spectacle. RTÉ will be showing 56 live games and will also have access to all games across the tournament. They will have a nightly highlights show on each match day also for the next four weeks. The panel will have some new and old faces with the likes of Kevin Kilbane, as well as Argentinean World Cup winner Ossie Ardiles, among others, taking up seats in Montrose for all the commentary. The Aprés Match will also be involved so there are bound to be at least few laughs. All the action kicks off on Friday when South Africa take on Mexico and of course the French are also involved so there might just be some interest shown by the Irish in that.