What Killed the Roman Empire?
Why did the Roman Empire, which dominated Europe and the Mediterranean for five centuries, inexorably weaken until it disappeared? Archaeologists, specialists in ancient pathologies and climate historians are now accumulating clues converging on the same factors: a powerful cooling and pandemics. A disease, whose symptoms described by the Greek physician Galen are reminiscent of those of smallpox, struck Rome in 167, soon devastating its army. At the same time, a sudden climatic disorder that was underway as far as Eurasia caused agricultural yields to plummet and led to the westward migration of the Huns. Plagued by economic and military difficulties, attacked from all sides by barbarian tribes, the Roman edifice gradually cracked.
Les templiers, la démesure des Batisseurs
Evolving Concern: Protection for Human Subjects
This short film recounts efforts in the 20th century to develop programs and procedures that protect human subjects of research. Citing selected historical events in behavioral and biomedical research, it shows how protections such as institutional review boards (IRBs) came about in the United States, and why they were needed.
Laos - Le trésor oublié de la civilisation khmère
A team of archaeologists examines an ensemble of finely crafted gold and silver artifacts from a temple in Laos. The expedition takes the researchers from the vault where the treasure is now housed to ancient temples hidden deep in the jungle. The team makes spectacular discoveries at excavation sites scanned from the air...
Die Brust in der Kunst
The female breast has been a motif for as long as there has been art. For centuries, people have been creating works that showcase this intimate and emotionally charged part of the body. Today, female artists are questioning traditional ideals of beauty and countering the male-dominated perspective of the breast with their own.
