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.

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?

Mars takes a long-term view, investing in innovative, sustainable practices to deliver responsible growth.

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.

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.