| Human Mutant | |
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Entry Number:
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523-PTF-2005 |
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Description:
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What does it mean to be normal? From this apparently simple question, evolutionary biologist Armand Leroi embarks on a journey into a world populated by giants and dwarves, hairy-faced families, Cyclops babies and real-life mermaids to discover the secrets of human development. Leroi uses cutting-edge genetics and embryology to explore why we have one head not two, why our hearts are on the left hand side, why we have four fingers and two thumbs, why we are black or white, tall or short, hairy or smooth. Much of what we know about the mechanisms of human development, growth, and ageing comes from the study of people who have congenital conditions that reveal not only errors within the womb, but also our evolutionary history. "Mutations are personal tragedies, but they are also a way of finding out how our bodies are made," says Leroi. "This series is about the extremes of deformity, and the limits of humanity. It's about how deformity reveals the devices that go into making a normal human being. It's about mutants, and we are all mutants, but some of us are more mutant than others." |
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Country:
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UK |
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Length:
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- |
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Contact Info:
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Leonie
Davison ldavison@channel4.co.uk |
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