Part 1: PEAS IN A POD

This episode tells the story of genetics from ancient times to its true scientific beginnings in the 19th century. Humourous animation and other creative visuals illustrate the unsuccessful efforts of Aristotle, Darwin and others to solve the age-old puzzle of heredity. The focus then shifts to Gregor Mendel, the obscure 19th C. Austrian monk whose plant experiments laid the foundation of genetics. His laws of Random Segregation and Independent Assortment are clearly and entertainingly explained, then reinforced by a Moxy Fruvous song. Shot in England and the Czech Republic. 29 minutes.

Winner of the 2002 Chris Award for Science and Technology at the Columbus Int. Film Festival

Finalist, New York Festivals

Part 2: MICROSCOPES AND MUTANTS

The actions of chromosomes during mitosis, meiosis and fertilization, as discovered in 19th C. Germany, are brought to life using entertaining animation and state-of-the-art microscopic footage. These microscopic findings, together with the rediscovery of Mendel’s long lost research in 1900, gave birth to the Chromosomal Theory of Heredity. We next visit Thomas Hunt Morgan’s ‘fly room’ lab at Columbia University, where in the early 20th C. attention turned to the gene. Sex chromosomes, X-linked recessive traits, linkages, cross-overs and gene mapping are also entertainingly explained. The eugenics movement coincided with this era and it is recounted by Jan Witkowski of the Cold Spring Harbor Lab, its former headquarters, using rare archival photos and footage. 30 minutes.

Honorable Mention, 2003 Columbus Int. Film Festival

Part 3: THE DNA OBSESSION

Beginning with its discovery in a gothic German castle, we follow the scientific surprises as DNA beat out protein, the more logical candidate, as the stuff of the gene. Joshua Lederberg pays tribute to the work of Oswald Avery, the Canadian-born scientist who first proved it was DNA and the impact this had on his own landmark discovery that bacteria have sex, i.e. exchange genetic material.

Two sets of clues led to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, one from physics and the other from chemistry. James Watson recounts how he and Francis Crick put these clues together for the first time. The poignant story of Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray data they relied upon, is recounted by her closest colleague, Sir Aaron Klug. Four Nobel laureates are featured in the film, including Sydney Brenner, another founder of molecular genetics. 30 minutes.

Winner of the 2004 Chris Award for Science and Technology at the Columbus Int. Film Festival

Part 4: THE GENE MACHINE

We follow the steps by which the discovery of the double helix in 1953 quickly led to our understanding of how a gene produces a protein, using messenger RNA as the intermediary. The basics of transcription and translation are clearly explained using creative animation. Then in the 1960s came the actual cracking of the code that translates DNA codons into amino acids. We are guided by Sydney Brenner (the discoverer of the codon, messenger RNA and much else), Canada’s own Nobel laureate, Michael Smith (in one of his last interviews) and Leroy Hood, the father of today’s high tech DNA lab.

This episode also covers the next leap forward - recombinant DNA or genetic engineering - and the initial alarm that this caused in the 1970s among the scientists themselves, which led to public protests against this new technology. Once these initial fears were dispelled, both the biotech industry and the new revolution in DNA technology began in earnest. Also features Nobel laureates Joshua Lederberg and James Watson. 30 minutes.

Part 5: SOME NEW TRICKS WITH DNA

The 1970s and 80s saw the invention of ingenious new ways to manipulate DNA, which remain the cornerstone of today’s genetic revolution, including the Human Genome Project. We begin with a scientist/magician demonstrating six simple tricks with DNA. Using these as building blocks, the more complex technologies of DNA fingerprinting, DNA sequencing, and PCR (the polymerase chain reaction) are explained in an easy to understand way. The excitement of this fertile period is brought to life through the personal recollections of its leading innovators.

These key technologies gave scientists the first maps of the human genome, which in turn allowed them to hunt down human genes, with no prior knowledge of their location. This culminated in the 1989 discovery of the gene for cystic fibrosis, which was the finish line for an exciting international race. We are guided by Sir Alec Jeffries, the inventor of DNA fingerprinting; Hamilton Smith, who won a Nobel Prize for discovering the key tool of restriction enzymes; Michael Smith, who won a Nobel Prize for a DNA-based technique to create pinpoint mutations, and Lap-Chee Tsui, who led the Toronto team that won the race to the cystic fibrosis gene. 30 minutes.

Winner of the 2007 Chris Award for Science and Technology at the Columbus Int. Film Festival

Part 6: READING THE BOOK OF LIFE

The human genome sequence was the finish line for another famous race in genetics, which led to an historic White House press conference. The leaders of this epic effort, including Francis Collins, Craig Venter, Eric Lander, John Sulston and Sydney Brenner, explain its origins, how it was done and what it reveals so far about our book of life.

The major surprise was how few genes there actually are in the human genome. We compensate in part by using RNA splicing to create different proteins from the same gene. Having the complete sequence at hand has greatly simplified the search for new disease genes and created the new fields of genomics and bioinformatics. To illustrate all this, we focus on Chromosome 7 and one of its most fascinating stories, that of Williams Syndrome, which produces an unusual mix of mental deficits, strengths, musical talent and affability. We meet A.J., a Williams Syndrome kid in San Diego who plays a mean set of drums. 30 minutes.

Bronze Plaque, 2007 Columbus Int. Film Festival

Winner of the Special Jury Award, 2007 Vedere la Scienza Film Festival, Milan Italy

Part 7: UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF LIFE

Reading the Book of Life was just the first step. The ultimate goal is to understand how it works. We are guided towards this new genetic horizon by Francis Collins and Craig Venter, the leaders of the two competing teams that first sequenced the human genome. The initial task is to separate out the genes from the other 98% or so of the genome that doesn’t code for proteins, no easy feat since the genes themselves are split into even smaller bits (exons), which are also surrounded by DNA ‘noise’. Three different gene finding techniques are explained. One method uses an RNA message to ‘tag’ the gene that produced it. Another makes use of the codons that act as start and stop signals for the machinery of transcription. Still another method exploits the striking similarity between many of our genes and those of other creatures.

The next task is to work out the function of the proteins produced by these genes. Since many different proteins can be derived from the same gene, this a daunting long term project. Protein function is studied using experimental techniques such as ‘site-directed mutagenesis’, which is explained by its inventor, Canadian Nobel laureate Michael Smith. The ‘holy grail’ of genomics is to program computers to predict the function of a protein from the sequence of its gene - still a distant goal. Another challenge will be to work out which genes act together in networks to produce a ‘complex’ trait. A key tool in uncovering these networks is the gene chip, which is explained in a visual, easy to understand way.

Small variations in our DNA play a crucial role in disease. The most important human diseases are caused by combinations of variant genes, interacting with environmental and lifestyle factors. These variant networks are far more difficult to track down than the single mutations that cause classic genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis. One way around this problem is to study isolated populations with a high incidence of a particular disease. One such group is the Cochin Jews of Israel, who suffer from a very high rate of asthma. More futuristic approaches to hunting down these networks of disease genes are also discussed. The end result will be a new kind of medicine, based on genetic testing and prevention rather than after- the-fact diagnosis and treatment. This episode also features John Sulston, Eric Lander, Sydney Brenner and Joshua Lederberg. 30 minutes.

Part 8: THE SEEDS OF A NEW ERA

This episode examines the science of genetically modified crops and foods. It begins by explaining, through creative animation, the actual process by which a foreign gene is introduced into a plant. It then examines the actual benefits and risks of the two types of genes currently added to GM crops - the Bt gene to fight insects and the gene that protects the plant against new, more environmentally friendly insecticides. Using documentary footage, along with animation, it defuses some of the mythology and emotion that surrounds this subject. It features Canada’s leading experts in this area, as well as farmers that grow GM crops. 30 minutes. Also available in French.

Winner of a Silver Award, 2003 WorldFest Houston

Honorable Mention, 2003 Columbus Int. Film Festival

Part 9: THE SEEDS OF A CONTROVERSY

In spite of the weight of scientific evidence in its favor and over a decade of uneventful experience in N. America, GM crops and foods continue to engender fear, particularly in Europe. This companion piece to THE SEEDS OF A NEW ERA provides a thorough discussion of the non-scientific factors behind these fears. These include political and economic concerns about a loss of competition and choice, the psychology of risk perception and philosophical ideas about Nature. This episode also looks at future uses of GM crop technology, such as molecular farming for drugs and other valuable proteins. It also features Canada’s leading crop and food scientists, plus a number of philosophers and anti-GM critics. 30 minutes.