We’ve compiled a list of useful books, films and TV shows that can help you to learn more about the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths sector. They can also support you as you study for your BTEC qualification. Take a look and see what you think.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, 2014
Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions
Themes: Human biology, evolution, scientific revolution
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, 2014
Follow Bryon’s exploration into everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization.
Themes: Research, history of science, biology, chemistry, physics, popular science
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, 2009
A hilarious, invigorating and ultimately alarming journey through the bad science we are fed daily by hacks and quacks.
Themes: Scientific method, research, inaccuracy
This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay, 2004
Secret diaries of a Junior Doctor during his medical training from 2004 to 2010.
Themes: Healthcare services
The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee, 2016
Chronicles the history of the gene and genetic research, all the way from Aristotle to Crick, Watson and Franklin and then the 21st century scientists who mapped the human genome.
Themes: Genetics, human biology
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, 2011
Born a poor black tobacco farmer, Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells – taken without her knowledge – became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine.
Themes: ethics, medicine, race
A science fiction drama about an astronaut who is stranded on Mars.
Themes: physics, space, technology
A historical drama that explores the role that cryptologists and mathematicians suuch as Alan Turing played in World War II.
Themes: Maths, cryptology, research, problem solving, drama, biography
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2011 (12)
A substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee named Caesar, who goes on to lead an uprising against humanity.
Themes: Research, biology, revolution, ethics
Based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, two parents in a relentless search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).
Themes: Research, medicine, biography
A documentary series exploring how animals meet the challenges of surviving in the most iconic habitats on earth.
An ongoing and long-running documentary series that covers science and philosophy.
Impossible Engineering (Yesterday Channel)
Impossible Engineering is the illuminating series about the breakthroughs that have shaped amazing feats of modern construction.
Take a look at how simple everyday objects are created and learn about the efforts taken to make them.
Government updates regarding Covid-19 guidance.