Ascent of Man: Hidden Structure (1974)

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Author Jacob Bronowski traces the history of chemistry in part four of his 13-episode series Ascent of Man. As long as there has been recorded history, man has shown a natural respect and curiosity about fire. From its evidential first use in China half a million years ago to its key role in the development of scientific theories, fire is part of evolution. In this program, Bronowski explores both the fantastic and practical historic application of the elements. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

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Cinnabar is awesome
by quint in An inordinate number of peppers

loved it.

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"Here is where I learned that cinnabar is mercury(II) sulfide (HgS) and has very strange properties when heated. The red powder sort of violently burns away leaving a dollop of mercury. But if heat is continually applied, it turns back to red powder. I have the book that is the companion to this BBC series and was excited to find that the series is available, even on Netflix where I have been slowly making my way through them. I like Bronowski as a thinker. He loves the elegance of certain concepts. His enthusiasm for his subject is quite infectious . He has a decidedly modern viewpoint, not anti-religious, but with a little of the serious scientists pshaw. I seem to recall that some of the filmmakers behind this went on to do Cosmos and some other series. I was quite impressed by the production. Given the time, it's is impressive to think this was done on film at so many locations. The cinematography can feel a little like talented film school artistry, but in general I appre ... " [More]

Tags: alchemy , chemistry , scientificresearch , scientifictheory