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A superstar array of modern-day scientists share the history of five polymaths--experts in a wide variety of subjects and fields-who put Britain's brilliance firmly on the map, united by a passion to understand a comet in the sky.

A second generation of British scientists includes the son of a boat builder, a charismatic risk-taker, an unsung botanist pioneer, and the visionary who kick-started the Industrial Revolution by perfecting the steam engine.

Science came of age by the early 19th century, propelling Britain to the future with communications delivered at the tap of a finger, electrical power and light conjured from trial and error, focused experiments, and just-discovered

In the face of war, courage can manifest itself in myriad ways. From the invention of radar to fend of Luftwaffe attacks to the sheer genius that drove wartime code breaking, the British scientific community rose to the occasion, creating technologies that still impact our lives today.

Recent advances probing the secrets of DNA, human nature, and nanotechnology are explored, and Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins have a thought-provoking exchange about the future that faces us all.