Post Description

Who are the modern men and women who will be remembered for the brilliance of their minds? What are their legacies and what can their extraordinary discoveries tell us about the nature of science and the nature of truth?
"Beautiful Minds" is a 3-part program of the BBC in their "A World of Wonder" series of programmes of science on BBC throughout 2010, dedicated to 3 (almost) British scientists and Nobel prize winners.

DVD5 - 175 minutes
Aspect Ratio:  16:9
Video:  PAL, colour
Audio:  English
Subtitles: none


1. Jocelyn Bell
In the first of a three-part series, Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell describes how she discovered pulsars, the by-products of supernova explosions which make all life in the universe possible. She describes the moments of despair and jubilation as the discovery unfolded and her excitement as pulsars took the scientific world by storm.


2. James Lovelock
In the second of a three-part series uncovering the minds behind some of the greatest scientific discoveries of our age, James Lovelock explains how his maverick way of thinking led him not only to technical breakthroughs in atmospheric detection systems on Earth and Mars, but also to Gaia - a new way of thinking about the Earth as a holistic, self-regulating system.


3. Tim Hunt
The final part of this series looking at three brilliant contemporary scientists features Sir Tim Hunt, awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the mechanism of how cells divide - a discovery fundamental to the life and growth of every single creature on the planet, as well as a vital clue into the mystery of cancer.