The Great Acceleration

This science-history series investigates the blistering pace of human endeavour and discovery. Dr Shalin Naik explores the ambitious space shuttle mission that began in the '70s plus the future colonisation of Mars.

From the first transistor to deep learning networks, the rise of computing power over the last 50 years has been so phenomenal it's changed everything from the way we communicate to how our appliances interact.

Over the last 50 years the world has experienced an energy revolution, driven by an urgent need to green the grid and save life on Earth as we know it.

Rising demands for food, water and materials have pushed resources to the limit and at the same time waste is piling high - triggering a new wave of innovation to make more out of less.

Before it was photographed from space around 50 years ago, our perspective of Earth was fragmented and disconnected. Recent discoveries have revealed a dynamic and rapidly changing planet, above the crust and below.

Genetic breakthroughs have shed light on how life evolves in real-time. From filling in missing links to creating new species, in the last 50 years scientists have solved some of the big mysteries of evolution.