The BEST episodes of Bang Goes the Theory season 8
Every episode of Bang Goes the Theory season 8, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Bang Goes the Theory season 8!
Dallas Campbell, Liz Bonnin, Jem Stansfield and Dr. Yan Wong take on the scientific world by devising their own ingenious ways of explaining cutting-edge developments in technology.
#1 - Cancer
Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/17/2014
It is 60 years since a British doctor first made the link between smoking and lung cancer, and now it seems we may finally be starting to win the battle against nature's most vicious disease. Liz Bonnin explains how cells turn cancerous by blowing high-tech bubbles. Jem Stansfield builds his own radiotherapy gun, Maggie Philbin looks at the latest drugs, and the team are joined by Ground Force's Tommy Walsh, who looks into screening for bowel cancer.
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#2 - Ageing
Season 8 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/31/2014
The good news that we are living longer brings with it the bad news that many of us will suffer the ill effects of old age as a result. Maggie Philbin looks at how our muscles and bones change as we get older. Liz Bonnin explains how bones are made and how they weaken with age, then looks at a human brain growing in a petri dish, that could pave the way for a cure to diseases like Alzheimer's. Finally the team are joined by Sir Terry Wogan, who goes on a personal quest to find out if there are any drugs currently available which could reduce his risk of developing dementia.
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#3 - Big Data
Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/24/2014
We are living through a revolution that is bigger than the world wide web. The technology we are all using every day is beginning to share our data gadget to gadget, storing and analysing unimaginable amounts of data. The use of our data now known as big data will change our world in ways unimaginable. Liz Bonnin looks at how big data monitors Rolls Royce jet engines dozens of times a second wherever they are in the world, and how that same system of analytics can automatically detect secondary brain injury in intensive care units. Jem Stansfield creates a low-tech computer and storage system with hacksaw blades and magnets. And with the government about to allow private companies access to our medical data, Maggie Philbin examines the dark side of big data: privacy. Just how much information on each and every one of us is out there, and how easy is it to find?
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#4 - Trains
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/28/2014
The High Speed 2 railway network has been a hotly debated topic in recent months. But what about the existing system? It's believed that by the time HS2 is built, the current infrastructure will need to cope with twice as many passengers as now, so the team looks at the measures being taken to ensure the ageing system stays on track. Liz Bonnin explores the possibility that signals may disappear and how hearing impairment could be one of the bigger killers on the railway, and Maggie Philbin reveals how a train travelling at 125mph is set to revolutionise trackside maintenance
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#5 - Disaster Relief
Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/5/2014
Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wars - all can trigger not just thousands of casualties and refugees, but also a worldwide humanitarian effort, with the roots for its success founded in science. At the Zaatari refugee camp, temporary home to around 90,000 Syrians, Maggie Philbin looks at the problems the humanitarian community faces when tackling a disaster, and how the lessons learned there might help closer to home. Liz Bonnin comes face to face with cholera, one of the most feared bacteria on the planet. And the team are joined by Dr Chris Van Tulleken, who makes Plumpy'nut, a simple peanut-based paste that has saved tens of thousands of famine victims.
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#6 - Flu
Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/7/2014
We have got used to hearing scare stories about strange strains of flu with names like H1N1, but is there any real danger? Jem Stansfield explains flu on a cellular level, showing how it can mutate from a cause of winter snuffles to a virus capable of killing millions. Liz Bonnin witnesses the vaccines being made that will protect us next winter. Maggie Philbin visits a lab where healthy patients are infected with flu, and witnesses exactly how it attacks.
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#7 - Flooding
Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/14/2014
With the waters receding, Bang Goes the Theory takes a more considered look at the recent floods. Did global warming play a part, or is this simply the extreme end of the natural cycle? Maggie investigates the real threat of storm surge as water levels rise, Liz Bonnin looks at how to use nature to 'slow the flow' and the team are joined by Charlie Dimmock who wants to know if her love for patios and decking might have played a part in creating urban flash floods.
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#8 - Energy
Season 8 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/10/2014
Presenters Jem Stansfield, Liz Bonnin and Maggie Philbin investigate how close Britain might get to running out of electricity. We live in a world where the lights are always on, but will that be the case in 20 years time? Maggie Philbin spends a day in one of Britain's most secret locations, the control room of the National Grid where she monitors our demand for electricity with supply. Here she learns almost half our generating capacity will disappear in our lifetimes. Jem shows how and why most of our electricity now relies on gas and reveals a potential fuel of the future - liquid air. Liz investigates renewable energy and tackles what could really offer viable solutions to our energy needs going forward.
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