Jacob Bronowski opens the first programme at man's birthplace, the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, and traces the evolution of man's unique gifts - foresight and imagination.

Dr Jacob Bronowski tells the story of the men and ideas that gave concrete expression to the invisible, intangible structure that lies beneath all matter.

Dr Jacob Bronowski considers how the great achievement of physics in the 20th century has been to show that absolute certainty, in science or outside of it, is beyond our grasp.

Dr Jacob Bronowski follows the history of genetics, from the lonely experiments of Gregor Mendel to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Should we see human sexuality as a gift?

From his home, Dr Jacob Bronowski takes stock of man's complex and often precarious ascent, drawing on experiences from his own lifetime.

Jacob Bronowski looks at how man moved from nomadic pasturage to settled agriculture, with the domestication of the horse and the cultivation of wheat.

Jacob Bronowski discovers the origins of science in the interaction of hand and brain, by which man uncovers the laws of nature through building, architecture and sculpture

Jacob Bronowski explores the roots of chemistry, from the techniques of ancient metallurgy in China and Japan to the mystical searchings of the alchemists.

Dr Bronowski gives his own novel proof of Pythagoras' famous theorem and traces the spread of Greek ideas through the Islamic empire to Moorish Spain and Renaissance Europe.

Man has always wondered about the movement of the stars, sun and planets. Dr Jacob Bronowski looks at the work of Copernicus and the life, work and trial of Galileo.

If the world could be understood by just two men, they may be Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Dr Jacob Bronowski explores how their theories are connected by light.

As political revolutions shook France and America, another quieter, yet more profound restructuring was taking place in Britain - the Industrial Revolution.

How did life begin on earth? Dr Jacob Bronowski recounts the adventures of Alfred Russell Wallace, and how they triggered off the ideas of Charles Darwin.