Site Map

       Your body plan
              A new person
                     Genes and the embryo
                            Regulating genes
                     How the embryo develops
                            The beginning
                            Front and back
                                   Which way up?
                                   Left and right side
                            Which cells do what?
                            Shaping the body
                                   Dividing up the body
                                          How Hox genes work
                                          Hox genes and evolution
                                                 Evolutionary throwbacks
                                          Hox genes, flies and humans
                            What sex?
                                   A male switch
                            Adding organs and limbs
                                   Limbs
                                          Genes and limbs
                                          Hands and feet
                                   Organs
                            Animal body plans
                     How do cells know what to do?
       Ageing
              How long will you live?
                     A 100-year life
                     The world's oldest people
              What happens as you age?
                     What makes you age?
                            What damages your cells?
                                   Glucose and ageing
                                   A radical theory
                            How does a cell know how old it is?
                                   Telomerase - an elixir of life?
                     Can you prevent ageing?
                            Can hormones slow ageing?
              Why don't we live forever?
                     The cost of passing on genes
                     Genes and ageing
       Egg to birth
              Growing in the womb
                     Fertilisation
                            Eggs
                            Sperm
                     Week 1
                     Week 2
                     Week 3
                     Week 4
                     Weeks 4 to 8
                     Weeks 9 to 12
                     Weeks 13 to 16
                     Weeks 17 to 20
                     Weeks 21 to 25
                     Weeks 26 to 29
                     Weeks 30 to 34
                     Weeks 35 to 38
              Early theories
                     Embryology in the Enlightenment
              IVF
       Cancer
              Understanding cancer
                     What causes cancer?
                            Diet
                            Radiation
                            Is cancer inherited?
                                   Breast cancer
                                   Colon cancer
                            Smoking
                            Viruses
                     What happens in cancer?
                            Abnormal cell growth
                                   Steps towards malignancy
                                          Uncontrolled growth
                                          Living forever
                                          Invading the body
                                          Genetic chaos
                                                 The evolution of cancer cells
                                                 Repair or die
                                          Escaping destruction
                                   What causes gene mutations?
                     Detecting cancer
                     Preventing cancer
                     Treating cancer
                            Future treatments
                                   Drug treatments
                                          New drugs
                                   Genes and cancer treatment
                                          Targeting growth control genes
                                                 Slowing down growth
                                          Cancer and p53
                                   Immune therapies
                                   Cutting the blood supply
                                   Cancer vaccines
       Immunity
              How do cells recognise each other?
              Know your enemies
              Your immune system
                     Immunity and vaccination
                            Temporary immunity
                            Catching colds
                            Permanent immunity
                                   Why do we need vaccines?
                                   How do vaccines work?
                     Transplants and transfusions
                            Organ transplants
                            Blood groups
                     Allergies
                            An allergic reaction
                     Autoimmunity
                     How does your immune system work?
                            Natural immunity
                            T- and B-cells
                                   Recognising invaders
                                   T-cells
                                   B-cells
                            HIV and AIDS
                                   Treating AIDS
                                   Understanding HIV and AIDS
                                   Preventing AIDS
       What do your cells do?
              Looking at cells
                     Inside the cell
              What is a cell made of?
                     Carbohydrates
                     Lipids
                     Proteins
                            What are proteins made of?
                            Enzymes
              How do cells make proteins?
                     The cell's instruction manual
                            Packaging DNA
                            What is DNA?
                                   Why a double helix?
                            Making proteins
                                   Copying a DNA instruction
                                          What is RNA?
                                          Trimming the RNA copy
                                   Protein assembly
                                          Cracking the code
                                                 How do ribosomes make proteins?
                                   Changes in the code
                                          Correcting mistakes
                                          'Junk' DNA?
                                          Mutations affecting proteins
                                                 Changing a sentence
                                                 Changing a gene
                                   Stay or go?
                                   The finishing touches
                                          Ready for action
                            DNA, genes and chromosomes
              Why do cells differ?
                     Deciding which proteins to make
              Cells and your body
                     How do cells recognise each other?
              New cells for old
                     Growing and dividing
                            How long does it take?
                            Copying DNA
                            Dividing cells
                                   Mitosis
                                   Meiosis
                                          When meiosis goes wrong
                                          How meiosis works
                                                 Shuffling genetic information
                            Controlling the cycle
                                   Checkpoints and the cell cycle
                     Dying
                            Why do cells kill themselves?
                                   Apoptosis in other species
                            What happens during apoptosis?
                                   What triggers apoptosis?
                            Apoptosis and disease
                     Uncontrolled growth - cancer