The Cell

This three part mini-series exploring the history of the science around the cell was very interesting and well presented by Adam Rutherford. The slow discovery of the microscopic and the demonstration of the first microscopes and what could be seen through them was in the best history of this type of BBC documentary.

Adam is a real enthusiast for his topic. This has its drawbacks. He is so amazed and enthralled by what he sees, and refuses to touch ("these are Darwin's original books, I don't feel I can touch them"), that by the third program its starting to wear a bit thin.

The second program dealt with what's inside the cell and taught me a lot about biology that I wasn't too clear on. Some of the historic TV clips I recognised, and this was a good way of showing how quickly this particular branch of science has progressed.

The third program was more disturbing. Now we are at the stage of producing diesel from modified bacteria, and cloning sheep and long horn cattle. The promise of what can be done with cells is endless - a new dawn in science. It is clear from the presenter that there is no limit to what is permissible to us. Adams article in the Guardian makes that quite clear. There are so many benefits to be had.

The questions posed by these capabilities are more serious that those posed by the nuclear revolution. If the planet had been destroyed by the first nuclear explosion (and the scientists weren't that sure it wouldn't be - but went ahead) there would have been a few seconds of extreme suffering and that would be that. The potential for error, mistake, or malice in the biological field is enormous. What will be the biological equivalent of Chernobyl?

Every science and technology has had its disasters. This topic was completely over looked. No dangers were even mentioned.

This was a major failing of the series and left me feeling quite scared that we put our trust in such people - Adam is a scientist as well as a presenter.