The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures - The 300 Million Year War - Series 181 (2009) PDTV
English | AVI | XVID 1147 kbps 25 fps | 624x352 | MP3 160 kbps 48 KHz | 1.91 GB
Genre: Documentary

The Christmas Lectures have continued annually since this time, stopping only during World War II. Many world famous scientists have given the lectures, including Baroness Susan Greenfield (the current Director of the Royal Institution), naturalist Sir David Attenborough, astronomer Carl Sagan, biologist Richard Dawkins and Nobel Laureate George Porter.
Ecologist Professor Sue Hartley presents the 2009 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, about the epic 300-million-year war between plants and animals, and how that conflict has shaped us and the world we live in.
Recorded in front an audience of young people at the Royal Institutions historic buildings in central London, the five lectures are demonstration-packed, fun-filled events that bring to life a fascinating area of scientific knowledge. Hartley is only the fifth woman to present the lectures since they began in 1825.
Plants might seem passive, defenceless and almost helpless, but the lectures reveal that the exact opposite is the case. To survive over countless millennia, theyve had to develop many terrifying and devious ways to defend themselves and attack their plant and animal enemies.
Monday 21st December 2009 7pm-8pm more4
Episode 1 of 5: Plant Wars
In this years Royal Institution Christmas Lectures ecologist Professor Sue Hartley - only the fourth woman to present the lectures since they began in 1825 - shows how the epic 300-million-year war between plants and animals has shaped us and the world we live in.
Plants may seem harmless, but Professor Hartley reveals that the opposite is the case: theyve had to develop terrifying and devious ways to defend themselves and attack their plant and animal enemies. Vicious poisons, lethal materials and even cunning forms of communicating with unlikely allies are just some of the weapons in their armoury that have seen off everything from dinosaurs to caterpillars. And Professor Hartley demonstrates how humans have turned plants into food, medicines and drugs and reveals what is likely to happen next in the epic struggle between plants and animals. In this first lecture Professor Hartley reveals how, despite animals attempts to destroy plants by eating them, plants are winning the war.
The programme is introduced by Baroness Susan Greenfield, Director of The Royal Institution.
Episode 2 of 5: The Animals Strike Back
Ecologist Professor Sue Hartley continues to show how the epic 300-million-year war between plants and animals has shaped us and the world we live in. The life of a herbivore is not a happy one. For a start, plants are the wrong sort of food for animals: they are low in essential nutrients and getting any of those nutrients in the face of flora defences is even harder. In this programme, Professor Hartley reveals the many different ways plant-eating animals, from sloths to aphids, have evolved to overcome these problems. Herbivores use all sorts of tricks: they employ "friendly" bacteria in their gut to extract as many nutrients as possible from indigestible plants. They also have continuously growing teeth to grind down tough plants like grasses. Professor Hartley also reveals some of the many ways herbivores cope with plant poisons, and that some herbivores even steal plants poisons to use in their own defence against their predators.
Episode 3 of 5: Talking Trees
Ecologist Professor Sue Hartley continues to show how the epic 300-million-year war between plants and animals has shaped us and the world we live in. In this programme, Professor Hartley asks if talking trees are science fiction or reality. How can a plant, something without a mouth, ears or eyes, communicate* Sue Hartley deciphers the language of plants to show how they work out who is attacking them and what to do about it, and then warn their neighbours. And even more impressively, plants dont just talk to other plants when theyre in trouble; they ask animals for help. Carnivores can detect the signals damaged plants release: they are attracted to these plants and attack the hungry herbivores. And some plants provide rewards for the troops: ants are given food and shelter by plants in return for killing herbivores. Plants can be very effective communicators in the war against herbivores.
Episode 4 of 5: Dangerous to Delicious
Ecologist Professor Sue Hartley continues to show how the epic 300-million-year war between plants and animals has shaped us and the world we live in. Professor Hartley asks if humans are natural herbivores. How good are we at eating plants and overcoming their defences* And she tackles the hot potato of GM technology. Although we actually quite enjoy some plant defences - the sharp taste of mustard, the spiciness of pepper and the varied flavours of herbs are all caused by plant toxins - human agriculture has usually tried to disarm plant defences and increase plant nutrient content. Our domestic varieties of wheat and cabbage now look, and taste, very different to their wild relatives. This "green revolution" has allowed us to support billions of people on our small planet. But is our humanly modified food now too defenceless* Its delicious to us, but also to the insect pests that destroy our crops.
Episode 5 of 5: Weapons of the future
Ecologist Professor Sue Hartley continues to show how the epic 300-million-year war between plants and animals has shaped us and the world we live in. In this final lecture, Professor Hartley asks what has gone wrong when herbivores get the upper hand and strip plants bare.
Sometimes "outbreaks" of herbivores devastate our forests and crops: why have plant defences failed* Will climate change compromise the abilities of plants, including our crops, to defend themselves* Will pest outbreaks become more common in the future as plant defences weaken* Will alien species invade* Professor Hartley explores whether climate change will upset the balance in the arms race between plants and herbivores. Will global food production be threatened by new pests and diseases and what we can do about these threats?
What are the weapons of the future as we try and protect the worlds food supply and its natural resources against climate change?



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