In the Taurus Mountains Simon stays with descendants of the original Turks, nomads known as Yoruks, whose lifestyle is under threat from the modern world and an increasingly religious government. They're not the only minority at odds with the authorities in Turkey; Simon sees first-hand the devastating effects of fighting in the country's Kurdish region. In an area where the government has detained foreign journalists, Simon gathers unique footage in the aftermath of a crackdown on Kurdish militants - the wholesale destruction of the historic centre of one of Turkey's oldest cities. Away from the conflict in the south, Simon heads towards the Black Sea coast. He meets a wildlife conservationist protecting Turkey's population of brown bears, and villagers who still communicate over long distances using an ancient bird language. In the country's capital he meets a victim of President Erdogan's authoritarian purge of people accused of complicity in the failed coup against him. Finally Simon's journey comes full circle when he returns to Istanbul - home to the new craze of 'Ottomania', a celebration of the vast empire that preceded modern Turkey. Simon visits the set of one of the world's most popular TV dramas - even getting a speaking role - based in the court of an Ottoman sultan
An ancient piece of corroded metal is more than it seems: an alien-looking device of intricate dials and cogs; there are over 30 gears inside and some gears have up to 65 teeth on them. Using cutting-edge imaging technology, experts examine what could actually be a 2,000-year-old computer. How can an ancient Roman cup change colour? It's not an optical illusion. It really does change colour from red to green.
The Phaistos Disc is one of the greatest mysteries of the Bronze Age. A strange 3,000-year-old relic found in an ancient Minoan palace marked with enigmatic images that no one has ever managed to decode. But now, using cutting-edge technology, experts might finally reveal its secrets. How can this corroded scrap of metal change the history of a continent? And is this dead woman's face the most kissed in history?
The archaeological world is fooled for nearly half a century when an ape-like skull that's claimed as solid evidence for Darwin's theory of human evolution is proven fake. Using new research, experts investigate and uncover the identity of the forger. Locked away in a store room at London Science Museum is a genuine 19th century miracle machine, a 180-year-old mechanical engine that solves complex mathematical equations, more than 100 years before the first electronic computer.
To survive Mars, our species will need to evolve how we eat, drink, and build our homes. Will we need our genes to evolve as well? Sometime in the future humans will leave Earth to colonize Mars, and in doing so will begin to adapt to life on another planet in surprising ways. Evolutionary biologist Dr. Scott Solomon foresees a series of changes to our species from the size of our hearts and heads to the pigments in our skin.
Away from the conflict in the south, Simon heads towards the Black Sea coast. He meets a wildlife conservationist protecting Turkey's population of brown bears, and villagers who still communicate over long distances using an ancient bird language. In the country's capital he meets a victim of President Erdogan's authoritarian purge of people accused of complicity in the failed coup against him.
Finally Simon's journey comes full circle when he returns to Istanbul - home to the new craze of 'Ottomania', a celebration of the vast empire that preceded modern Turkey. Simon visits the set of one of the world's most popular TV dramas - even getting a speaking role - based in the court of an Ottoman sultan