Stories from around the world. Example Episode: Episode 5

Poles Open Old Painful Wounds Concerning Holocaust – Poland

In July 1941 the Jews of the Polish town of Radzislow were gathered together in the town square. They were beaten, stabbed and taunted. Then they were herded into a barn where they were burned alive. The atrocity was carried out by the Polish inhabitants of Radzislow. But this fact has only now come to light, with the publication of a book “Neighbours” by American academic Jan Gross. The book has caused uproar in Poland, and has formed the catalyst for widespread soul-searching among a nation that always considered itself to be the victims of the Nazi horror, not the perpetrators. The church is divided, torn between a wish to make amends for the past, and vigorously denying accusations that Poles and the church were involved in carrying out ethnic cleansing against Jews. We investigate Poland’s efforts to uncover the painful facts of its past.

Genetically Modified Wine – Sour Grapes? – USA

Wine is the most traditionally-minded of industries, whose processes date back to prehistory. Now winemakers are being forced to confront one of its most modern technologies: genetic modification. Academics in Florida have found a way to combat Pierce’s disease, the virus that is the scourge of California’s vast wine industry. They have patented a gene derived from the silkworm which when implanted into the grape vines, makes them resistant to the disease. But many winemakers are aghast, fearing that while the technology might save their grapes, it might wipe out the allure and mystique – and the sales – of their product.

Ancient Hominids, Earliest Evidence of Man in the Middle East – Jordan / Israel

Early pre-humans were here, according to a team of researchers from the Geophysical Institute of Israel and Oregon University. Using special magnetic techniques, scientists have found that a rock formation in Israel called Erk-el-Ahmar is between 1.7 million and 2.0 million years old, making the hominid tools and artefacts discovered there perhaps the oldest in the world outside of Africa.

We uncover some of the ancient mysteries of the area around the Sea of Galilee. New geological findings using the magnetic techniques offer crucial evidence about the timing and migration path of hominids out of Africa – today’s hot topic in anthropology world.