I will be the first to admit I was very excited about this new series and I can honestly say that this first episode did not disappoint. Apart from the fact I got to watch Brian Cox walking around for an hour in very tight t-shirts and playing with orangutangs I felt that it combined the fields of Biology, Chemistry and Physics very well. I also feel that he posed so very interesting questions, such as, "what makes something alive?"
Of course Cox is not the first physicist to ask these questions, Schrödinger asked the question "What is Life" 60 years ago and produced a series of lectures on the topic which were then published in a book, a book that I have since, fortunately read.
Starting from a definition of energy, my favourite Mancunian then produced enough energy from a proton fuel cell to power a motor. cox also provided me the way to isolate my own DNA using washing up liquid, salt and Vodka
From proton motive forces to thermodynamics to DNA and evolution Cox seems to explain all topics in a coherent, simple and, most of all, interesting way.
Perhaps though I think that the highlight of this episode was the fact that it is Eric Idle performing a rewritten version of The Galaxy Song for the Credits. :)
Since I enjoyed this episode so much I can hardly wait for the next one, and indeed the rest of the series.
xx
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