BBC Human Instinct - Part 1 of 4 - Robert Winston

******************************************************************************

Human Instinct - Part 1 of 4: Born to Survive



******************************************************************************



------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Information

------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Type.................: documentary - dokumentär

Production...........: BBC

Author/Presenter.....: Robert Winston

More information.....:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/tv/humaninstinct/




------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Description

------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Human Instinct" is the story of how instincts have made us humans into the

uniquely successful species that we are, despite us not always being aware of

them.



Professor Lord Robert Winston was born in 1940 and named Robert Maurice

Winston. He graduated at London University in 1964 and held junior posts at

the London Hospital from that time. In 1970 he joined the Hammersmith Hospital

as a Registrar and became involved in research and development in

gynaecological microsurgery.



He is well known today to audiences throughout the world for his several BBC

television series, which include The Human Body, Secret Life of Twins and

Superhuman, and through which he has shown a great capacity for communicating

often complex science to a wide public audience. He is Professor of Fertility

Studies at Imperial College School of Medicine, London University, and is

world-renowned as a fertility expert. He also heads the Department of

Reproductive Medicine at the Hammersmith Hospital in London.



In Human Instints Professor Robert Winston provides a unique insight into what

it is that makes us human. And it is the story of our extraordinary instincts

and why we behave the way we do and what other animals reveal about our most

basic drives. With intriguing experiments and secret filming he uncovers the

surprising science of sex. And helps us understand why one human being could

lay down their life for another. In exploring survival, sex, competition and

self-sacrifice, Professor Winston takes viewers on a journey of discovery into

human behaviour, to look at ourselves in an entirely new way.

He believes the series is not science for scientists - it is about trying to

translate complex ideas into something easily accessible for all. He thinks

the whole area of evolutionary psychology has been largely overlooked but

thinks it's fascinating. According to Winston we all carry a prehistoric

baggage around with us and don't have full control over it.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Part 1:



In the first programme of the Human Instinct series we explore how this most

basic of instincts means we're all born to survive.



A Baby's Cry

Within a few hours of birth, many animals are not only feeding but standing up

and walking around. By comparison human babies are virtually useless. So the

most important weapon in a baby's survival armoury is an astounding scream. It

can reach 97 decibels - equivalent to a pneumatic drill. Babies alter both the

pitch and volume depending on how urgent their need of help. The louder and

more piercing the scream the quicker the response. With this simple tactic a

human baby ensures it gets all it needs - attention, loving care and of course

food.



A Question of Taste

Without food we die. But can our instinct to eat explain why we all crave

fatty, often unhealthy, food? Like all our instincts, our appetites were

formed millions of years ago. In this uncertain world, laying down fat was the

perfect way to ensure against times when food was scarce. Our ancestors who

craved food which was high in calories and rich in fat lived and passed on

their genes to their children - those who didn't, died and left no

descendents. Gradually, over millions of years, that craving for calories

became instinctive behaviour. But there's an even more sophisticated side to

our craving for food. We also instinctively know what is safe to eat and what

is not.



The Feeling of Fear

Each year at the Pamplona bull run hundreds of people put their survival

instincts to the test. Their heart rates soar as they are chased through the

streets by angry bulls. They are experiencing fear. This instinctive feeling

is so important for our survival, our body reacts before our conscious mind

has even registered the danger. Adrenaline floods the body preparing us to

fight or run.



A Gambling Instinct

Millions of years ago our distant ancestors were constantly choosing between

risky options, balancing threats from predators and unknown landscapes against

potential rewards. We're all descended from those humans that took risks and

won and went on to populate the world. And this most complicated of survival

instincts explains why modern humans just love the thrill of gambling.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The file have two audio tracks. One is english and one is chinese. The easiest thing is to play the file in VLC player or other player who support two tracks. English is default in VLC player.