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Episode 1

Secrets of the Brain Series 1
Episode 1 of 2

Professor Jim Al-Khalili unravels the mystery of how the most complex structure known in the universe - the human brain - came to exist.

Theoretical physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili goes on a journey through 600 million years of evolution to uncover how the human brain, the most complex structure known in the universe, came to exist.

With some 100 billion neurons and over 100 trillion connections - more than all the stars in the Milky Way - the human brain is one of nature's greatest achievements. But how did something so incredibly sophisticated evolve from its simple beginnings?

9 months left to watch

59 minutes

Last on

Wed 8 Oct 2025 02:00
BBC Two

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Credits

Presenter Jim Al-Khalili
Director Tim Usborne
Executive Producer Paul Sen
Production Company Furnace Limited

Broadcasts

  • Mon 29 Sep 2025 21:00
    BBC Two
  • Thu 2 Oct 2025 00:10
    BBC Two except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD
  • Wed 8 Oct 2025 02:00
    BBC Two

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