We tell the stories of two women - one a scientist fascinated by dancing mice, the other a seamstress with a deadly family legacy - who made significant contributions to our understanding of cancer.
S3.12 Out Standing in the Field: the highs and lows of genetics fieldwork
From chasing butterflies up mountains to artificially inseminating kakapos with the help of drones, we talk to the researchers studying genetics in action through fieldwork.
S3.11 From one generation to the next: the life and work of Anne McLaren
We take a look at the life of leading embryologist Dame Anne McLaren, whose work underpinned the development of the IVF techniques responsible for bringing millions of bundles of joy.
S3.10 Out of Africa: uncovering history and diversity in the human genome
We take a virtual trip to Africa to explore the genetic diversity in the birthplace of humanity and discover how researchers can read the cultural and historical stories written in the genome.
S3.09 Twisted history: the true story of the double helix
There's more to the story of the double helix than Watson and Crick. We unwind history to uncover some of the less well-known figures behind the discovery of the structure and function of DNA.
S3.08 Nothing about me without me: involving patients in genomic research
We find out why it’s so important to make sure that academic and commercial genomic research studies are done with rather than on participants.
S3.07 An accidental invention: the story of genetic fingerprinting
We take a look at the story of genetic fingerprinting, and some of the very first ways that this game-changing technique was put to work.
S3.06 Can you have a 'perfect genome'? Myths and misconceptions in genomics
We’re taking a look at some of the common myths and misconceptions surrounding genomics and genetic tests. Are mutations always bad? If you’re more like your mum, does that mean you’ve inherited more of her genes? And is there such a thing as a perfect genome?
S3.05 - Poop, pus and the Manhattan Project: How we learned to spell the genetic alphabet
The genetic code of DNA is written in just four ‘letters’ - A (adenine), C (cytosine), T (thymine) and G (guanine). But where did those strange-sounding names come from?