Nature Video

Radioastronomer Robert Wilson recalls a pair of pigeons who almost thwarted the discovery of cosmic background radiation. Wilson’s discovery of cosmic background radiation, “the echo of the big bang”, earned him a share of the 1978 Nobel Prize in physics.

The story of the evolution of life on earth during one photon's journey across the universe. Told by Saul Perlmutter who shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe.

How to break a fundamental law of physics and win a Nobel Prize to boot. Stefan Hell explains super-resolved fluorescence microscopy for which he shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

From jellyfish to ants, all life is beautiful in the eyes of Elizabeth Blackburn, co-winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. She talks about her fascination with living things and the discovery of telomerase and telomeres.

Laureate Eric Betzig ignored the traditional boundaries of academic disciplines. He attributes his success to a background in industry. Should young scientists look outside of the university system to progress their careers?

Laureate Ada Yonath was dismissed as a dreamer, until she did pioneering work on the structure of the ribosome. We ask why there are so few women Nobel laureates. Although there is a better gender balance in science today, the battle is not yet won.

Nobel laureate William E. Moerner believes scientists should defend science more vigorously. But faced with contentious topics like genetically modified organisms, who’s best placed to get the right messages about science to the public?

Unlocking the potential of orphan crops

Winning the war?: In 1971, the then president of the United States, Richard Nixon, declared ‘war’ on cancer. Since then, billions of dollars have been poured into cancer research worldwide, but a cure for the disease is still a long way off. In this Nature Video, reporter Lorna Stewart marks the scientific milestones of the past four decades. She explores cancer genetics with Nobel laureate Michael Bishop, vaccines with fellow laureate Harald zur Hausen, and two young researchers tell Lorna about some of cancer research’s greatest success stories.

May cause drowsiness: The benefits of modern pharmaceuticals are often accompanied by side effects, and although some are minor, like headaches or drowsiness, others can be much more serious. In this Nature Video, reporter Lorna Stewart asks scientists if we will ever eliminate side effects. Lorna is surprised when Nobel laureate Martin Evans claims there are no side effects, and fellow laureate Oliver Smithies explains how complicated it can be to eliminate the unwanted effects of taking medicine. However, exciting research is on the horizon, as two young researchers explain.

The long goodbye: Growing old is inevitable and across the world average life expectancy is increasing. With the prevalence of age-related diseases following suit and a limited pot of resources, where should scientists be targeting research? In this Nature Video, superstar statistician Hans Rosling sets the record straight about the cause of the world’s ageing population and Nobel laureate Oliver Smithies, now 89, gives his opinion on medical research priorities. But when Lorna talks to young researchers, they disagree with the laureates on where scientists should be focusing their efforts.

HIV in hiding: In 2008, Timothy Ray Brown became the first person to be cured of HIV - or so many claim. Brown is known as 'the Berlin patient' and six years on, the virus has still not been detected in his blood. In this Nature Video, reporter Lorna Stewart wants to know the implications of his remarkable treatment. But her dreams of an imminent cure quickly fade as Nobel laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, who discovered HIV, brings Lorna back to Earth with a bump.

Trailer: At this summer's Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, reporter Lorna Stewart asks some big questions in biomedical science. In a series of four films, she asks laureates and young researchers about the implications of a globally ageing population, ponders the possibility of drugs without side effects, considers the scientific achievements of 40 years of cancer research, and grapples with the most recent developments in the battle against HIV. Get a taste in this trailer.

New drugs for old bugs: We should all be worried by the growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and we urgently need to develop new drugs, says Ada Yonath. She and Brian Kobilka won Nobel Prizes for using x-ray crystallography to understand cell structures that are vital targets for drug development. In this film, three researchers challenge the structural approach and propose alternative ways to find drugs; some cutting edge, such as computation, and some ancient, such as searching for chemicals deep in the rain forest. What is the best way forward? Or is a combination of techniques the most promising approach?

Industry's rare resources: Almost all industrial processes rely on catalysts, which increase the rate of chemical reactions. Many catalysts are made from rare metals - and the young researchers in this film are worried about them running out. They put the problem to Nobel laureates Robert Grubbs and Gerhard Ertl. The group discusses how dwindling supplies of rare metals could affect industry, energy production and society. But the laureates raise a more fundamental problem: in many cases, we don't fully understand how catalysts actually work.

Science in the developing world: What role can science play in the developing world? In this film, Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos-Horta and Israeli Nobel laureate Dan Shechtman discuss the issue with young researchers from South Africa, India and the US. Science and politics collide as the group grapple with funding problems, social responsibility and culture. The laureates emphasize that science alone is not enough; researchers must work with industry and government to solve the problems of the developing world.

Fuelling controversy: We are facing a global energy crisis, and scientists are charged with finding alternatives to fossil fuels. In this film, Nobel laureates Steven Chu and Hartmut Michel visit a farm with three young researchers to consider our energy future. They ask whether biofuels can power the planet and, if not, what are the alternatives? The researchers are full of optimism but Chu former US Secretary of Energy brings them back down to earth with the harsh reality of economics, while Michel envisions a future powered by clean electricity.

Trailer: At this summer's Lindau Meeting we focused on pressing world problems and how chemistry can help us to solve them. In four films, laureates and students clash over the future of energy production, grapple with drug development, discuss dwindling supplies of metal catalysts and debate science’s role in the developing world. Get a taste in this trailer.

Betting on the cosmos: Nobel prizewinner Robert Laughlin is passionate about experiments. He challenges the students in this film, and laureate David Gross, to come up with ways to test our big ideas about the Universe. Watch what happens when the two laureates make a bet.

Beyond the classroom: Three young researchers join laureates Harry Kroto and Dudley Herschbach to discuss how science is perceived beyond the classroom. Kroto tells them about a creationist museum in the United States, which brings up the issue of public trust in science.

Is dark matter real? The morning after CERN announces the discovery of the Higgs particle, three young physicists sit down with Nobel prizewinners George Smoot and Martinus Veltman. Veltman is surprisingly cynical about the discovery. Moreover, he contends that there is no such thing as dark matter.

The energy endgame: In the next 100 years or so, we will run out of fossil fuels. In this film, Nobel laureates Mario Molina and Robert Laughlin challenge three young physicists to think seriously about the looming energy crisis and their children's futures.

A golden age? Nobel prizewinner John Mather believes we are in a golden age of astronomy. The young researchers he meets are not convinced. There are too many unanswered questions, they say. For example, what's causing the accelerated expansion of the Universe observed by the other laureate in this film, Brian Schmidt?

Trailer: At this summer's meeting of Nobel laureates at Lindau, we filmed 5 debates on issues that matter to the current generation of physicists. Is dark matter real? How can we solve the looming energy crisis? How is physics perceived by the public? In this trailer, we give you a taste of the discussions and disagreements that emerged. The 5 films will be released between 19 September and 10 October 2012.

Hungry for Knowledge: Oliver Smithies is a toolmaker. He shared the Nobel prize for discoveries that led to the development of knockout mice. Diego Bohorquez uses mouse models to understand how our gut regulates appetite. He has wanted to meet Smithies ever since he moved from his native Ecuador to Duke University in the United States. When the two meet in Lindau they have an instant rapport and soon they're sharing ideas about their research projects and talking about what makes a successful scientific collaboration.

A life in science: Elizabeth Blackburn grew up in Hobart on the Australian island of Tasmania. It was a long journey from there to a Nobel prize and the lab she runs at the University of California in San Francisco. Malaria researcher Clare Smith is also a Hobart girl, and she's trying to decide whether to follow in Blackburn's footsteps and move overseas after she finishes her PhD. Karina Zillner is from Germany. Like Clare, she's in the final stages of a PhD. She's developed a method for analysing sections of repetitive DNA. Karina hopes her technique might be used in Blackburn's lab, where they study telomeres - repetitive sections of DNA that protect the ends of chromosomes.

Bench or Bedside? Camelia-Lucia Cimpianu is trying to decide between a career as a researcher or a practising doctor. In this film, she seeks advice from Nobel Laureate Ferid Murad who faced the same dilemma as a medical student in the 1960s. Murad chose the bench, and he subsequently discovered that a gas called nitric oxide (NO) acts as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system. It turns out that NO plays a role in many diseases - and possibly in the head trauma cases that Camelia studies.

Combating cancer: Nobel Laureate Eddie Fischer was born in Shanghai in 1920. Since then, China has emerged as an economic superpower. Now it's becoming a scientific heavyweight too. Tong Qing belongs to the newest generation of Chinese scientists. She decided to study cancer after a family friend became ill with breast cancer. In this film, she tells Fischer about life and research in China today.

The virus catchers: Young researchers Jan Gralton and Sven-Eric Schelhorn are fascinated by the minute world of viruses. They have plenty of questions for Harald zur Hausen who won a Nobel Prize for proving that human papillomaviruses (HPV) can cause cervical cancer. All three are worried by public distrust of the HPV vaccine, which was made possible by zur Hausen's work.

Trailer: Every summer, a special scientific meeting takes place on Lindau Island in Germany. At the 2011 meeting, focused on physiology and medicine, we filmed 5 conversations between Nobel prizewinners and young researchers to find out how they're tackling some of the world's greatest health challenges including cancer, obesity and ageing. The 5 films will be released, one a week, from 15 September to 13 October 2011.