Beginning with its discovery in a gothic German castle, we follow the scientific surprises as DNA beat out protein, the more logical candidate, as the stuff of the gene. Joshua Lederberg pays tribute to the work of Oswald Avery, the Canadian-born scientist who first proved it was DNA and the impact this had on his own landmark discovery that bacteria have sex, i.e., exchange genetic material.
Two sets of clues led to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, one from physics and the other from chemistry. James Watson recounts how he and Francis Crick put these clues together for the first time. The poignant story of Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray data they relied upon, is recounted by her closest colleague, Sir Aaron Klug. Four Nobel laureates are featured in the film, including Sydney Brenner, another founder of molecular genetics.

The human genome sequence was the finish line for another famous race in genetics, which led to a historic White House press conference. The leaders of this epic effort, including Francis Collins, Craig Venter, Eric Lander, John Sulston and Sydney Brenner, explain its origins, how it was done and what it reveals so far about our book of life.
The major surprise was how few genes there actually are in the human genome. We compensate in part by using RNA splicing to create different proteins from the same gene. Having the complete sequence at hand has greatly simplified the search for new disease genes and created the new fields of genomics and bioinformatics. To illustrate all this, we focus on Chromosome 7 and one of its most fascinating stories, that of Williams Syndrome, which produces an unusual mix of mental deficits, strengths, musical talent and affability. We meet A.J., a Williams Syndrome kid in San Diego who plays a mean set of drums.

We follow the steps by which the discovery of the double helix in 1953 quickly led to our understanding of how a gene produces a protein, using messenger RNA as the intermediary. The basics of transcription and translation are clearly explained using creative animation. Then in the 1960s came the actual cracking of the code that translates DNA codons into amino acids. We are guided by Sydney Brenner (the discoverer of the codon, messenger RNA and much else), Canada's own Nobel laureate, Michael Smith (in one of his last interviews) and Leroy Hood, the father of today's high-tech DNA lab.
This episode also covers the next leap forward - recombinant DNA or genetic engineering - and the initial alarm that this caused in the 1970s among the scientists themselves, which led to public protests against this new technology. Once these initial fears were dispelled, both the biotech industry and the new revolution in DNA technology began in earnest. Also features Nobel laureates Joshua Lederberg and James Watson.

The 1970s and 80s saw the invention of ingenious new ways to manipulate DNA, which remain the cornerstone of today's genetic revolution, including the Human Genome Project. We begin with a scientist/magician demonstrating six simple tricks with DNA. Using these as building blocks, the more complex technologies of DNA fingerprinting, DNA sequencing, and PCR (the polymerase chain reaction) are explained in an easy to understand way. The excitement of this fertile period is brought to life through the personal recollections of its leading innovators.
These key technologies gave scientists the first maps of the human genome, which in turn allowed them to hunt down human genes, with no prior knowledge of their location. This culminated in the 1989 discovery of the gene for cystic fibrosis, which was the finish line for an exciting international race. We are guided by Sir Alec Jeffries, the inventor of DNA fingerprinting; Hamilton Smith, who won a Nobel Prize for discovering the key tool of restriction enzymes; Michael Smith, who won a Nobel Prize for a DNA-based technique to create pinpoint mutations, and Lap-Chee Tsui, who led the Toronto team that won the race to the cystic fibrosis gene.

This episode examines the science of genetically modified crops and foods. It begins by explaining, through creative animation, the actual process by which a foreign gene is introduced into a plant. It then examines the actual benefits and risks of the two types of genes currently added to GM crops - the BT gene to fight insects and the gene that protects the plant against new, more environmentally friendly insecticides. Using documentary footage, along with animation, this film defuses some of the mythology and emotion that surrounds this subject. It features Canada's leading experts in this area, as well as farmers who grow GM crops.