Blog Archives
Science Year by Year
From the discovery of the wheel to the worldwide web our thirst for innovation is what makes us human. Science Year by Year takes a fascinating look at our heritage of invention and explores how science has shaped the past and how it may shape the future.
Science Year by Year has a new discovery for everyone in the family, with global coverage of all major scientific advances. Groundbreaking thinkers such as Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin are covered, with their discoveries clearly explained and situated in scientific history with illustrated timelines. Revolutionary innovations such as measuring time, gears and plastics are detailed alongside scientific artefacts such as navigation tools and flying machines.
Science Year by Year is perfect for anyone interested in invention and innovation with exciting discoveries to be made by all.
Hear Professor Winston talking about the book in this podcast.
Find Science Year by Year on Amazon.co.uk
DK (2013)
ISBN 978-1409316138
Bad Ideas
We are born with the instinct to create and invent. Indeed, our ability to do so is what separates us from the rest of the animal world. But have our creative ideas always produced desirable results? Have they always served us well?
Bad Ideas? traces the fascinating history of our attempts at self-improvement but also questions their value. The dubious consequences of the development of weaponry, for example, is self-evident. But what of apparently more innocuous advances such as farming, writing and medicine? Science has produced huge good but has also had unforeseen consequences. Can science and scientists find solutions to the perils that now menace us?
We meet some key individuals along the way and share quirky anecdotes about their lives and brainwaves. Inspiring, unusual and at times controversial, Bad Ideas? assesses the past and looks forward to the opportunities of the future. In so doing it celebrates man’s extraordinary capacity for achievement and offers a hopeful way forward to protect humanity against what sometimes seem like bad ideas.
Bantam Publishing (2010)
ISBN 978-0553819557
Find Bad Ideas? An arresting history of our inventions on Amazon.co.uk
DNA 60 Years On
Just 60 years ago, the initials DNA were unknown to the public. A handful of scientists were in a race to discover the structure of this complex molecule which possibly held the secret of life. Today, DNA is a crucial part of our knowledge about health, identity and our whole world.
In April 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published their conclusion that the structure of DNA was a double helix. In this programme Robert Winston traces the ways in which DNA has entered our lives, including a new interview with the 85 year old James Watson, who reflects on the consequences of his pioneering work with Crick.
Listen to the clip: Francis Crick and James Watson relive the moment they finally solved the riddle of the structure of DNA, the solution that would open up a new world of scientific research which continues to this day.
Mad and Bad: 60 Years of Science on TV
This hour-long documentary, narrated by Robert Webb, examined how science on TV has evolved over the last 60 years, from science to science fiction. Influential individuals in science and broadcast media, including Robert Winston, contributed their thoughts to the programme, commenting on how science on TV has reflected, or led, to our collective image of science and the scientist.
How Science Changed Our World
Robert Winston presented his top ten scientific breakthroughs from the last 50 years. On his journey, he explored subjects from the origins of the universe to probing the inner workings of the human mind, and even met some of his early IVF patients.
Genius of Britain: The Scientists Who Changed the World
In this 5 part series, some of the UK’s leading scientific figures explored the stories, and introduced the people, behind the British innovations that contributed to the creation of the modern world from the steam engine to the worldwide web. Robert Winston contributed to two episodes.
Complete List of Media Appearances
Medicine in the Year 2000 Prix Futura Award, Berlin, (1975).
Your Life in Their Hands five series of thirty programmes BBC Television (1979-87)
Making Babies BBC 1, seven programmes (1996),
The Human Body BBC 1 series, eight programmes, (1998) National Television Award, three BAFTAs, Peabody Award, Emmy Nomination, BMA Gold Medal Award.
Secret Life of Twins BBC1 series (1999) BMA Gold Medal Award
Superhuman BBC1 series (2000), six programmes BMA Gold Medal Award, Emmy nomination.
Child of Our Time BBC1 series, (2000 -present)
Human Instinct BBC1 series, three programmes (2002) Emmy Nomination, Golden Panda Award
DNA: Threads of Life BBC1 (2002) Winner Paris Science Film Festival and Emmy Nomination
Walking with Cavemen BBC1 series, four programmes (2003)
Human Mind BBC1 series, three programmes (2003)
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein BBC 1 (2003)
How to Sleep better: BBC1 (2004)
Casualty: Transplant programme BBC1 (2005)
Story of God, three programmes BBC1 (2005)
How to Improve your Memory BBC1 (2006)
Child Against All Odds BBC1, six programmes (2006)
Time Shift (TV series documentary) (2012 – narrator)