Moments of Genius Turning points in the history of science

Nobel Prize winning scientists, writers, artists and broadcasters describe their favourite moments in the history of science.

Moments of Genius: listen to the moments below

Series 3

Professor Venki Ramakrishnan

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  Nobel laureate Professor Venki Ramakrishnan describes how the structure of DNA was discovered.

  Hear Professor Venki Ramakrishnan's Moment of Genius

Professor Sir Martin Evans

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  Nobel laureate Professor Sir Martin Evans describes the moment scientists worked out how the DNA code was read.

  Hear Professor Martin Evans' Moment of Genius

Professor Barry Marshall

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  Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall describes the moment Kary Mullis worked out how to make millions of copies of DNA.

  Hear Professor Barry Marshall's Moment of Genius

Professor Harry Kroto

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  Nobel laureate Professor Harry Kroto discusses the moment Robert Hooke described how springs behave.

  Hear Professor Harry Kroto's Moment of Genius

Professor Elizabeth Blackburn

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  Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn describes the moment Edward Jenner proved the principle of vaccination.

  Hear Professor Elizabeth Blackburn's Moment of Genius

Series 2

Caroline Lucas

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  Caroline Lucas' moment of genius is the the invention of the contraceptive pill.

  Hear Caroline Lucas' Moment of Genius

Samuel West

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  Samuel West's moment of genius is the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

  Hear Sam West's Moment of Genius

Tim Hunt

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  Tim Hunt's moment of genius is Theodore Boveri's experiments on sea urchin eggs, 1902.

  Hear Tim Hunt's Moment of Genius

Brian Eno

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  Brian Eno's moment of genius is the 'Game of Life' by the mathematician John Conway, c1970.

  Hear Brian Eno's Moment of Genius

Stephen Fry

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  Stephen Fry's moment of genius is the moment Ignaz Semmelwiess realised that hand washing could save lives.

  Hear Stephen Fry's Moment of Genius

Series 1

Carol Vorderman

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  Carol Vorderman on Ada Lovelace and the world's first computer programme which she devised a century ahead of it's time.

  Hear Carol Vorderman's Moment of Genius

Eoin Colfer

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  Eoin Colfer on the invention of the first aircraft controls by the Wright Brothers.

  Hear Eoin Colfer's Moment of Genius

Robert Winston

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  Robert Winston on the first IVF experiment in 1777. Italian physiologist Lazzaro Spallanzani proved that to make a tadpole, both eggs and sperm are needed.

  Hear Robert Winston's Moment of Genius

Marcus du Sautoy

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  Marcus du Sautoy on Euclid's proof of the never ending supply of prime numbers: the first time mankind contemplated infinity.

  Hear Marcus du Sautoy's Moment of Genius

Margaret Atwood

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  Margaret Atwood on the moment Darwin saw Darwin's finches.

  Hear Margaret Atwood's Moment of Genius

Ben Goldacre

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  Ben Goldacre on how a systematic review of all clinical trials can tell you something very different from the sum of lots of individual trials.

  Hear Ben Goldacre's Moment of Genius

Ben Miller

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  Ben Miller on the moment G I Taylor realised a photon of light could be in two places at once.

  Hear Ben Miller's Moment of Genius

Martha Lane Fox

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  Martha Lane Fox on the invention of the World Wide Web, a moment of genius that changed her life.

  Hear Martha Lane Fox's Moment of Genius

Richard Dawkins

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  Richard Dawkins on Darwin's theory of natural selection.

  Hear Richard Dawkins's Moment of Genius

Jenny Uglow

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  Jenny Uglow on the moment Anton van Leeuwenhoek revealed an unseen world in a drop of water.

  Hear Jenny Uglow's Moment of Genius

What is a 'Moment of Genius'?

Marcus du Sautoy discusses what makes a moment of genius, explains why they are so important and provides some tips on how to make them happen.

• Watch Marcus du Sautoy decribe Moments of Genius