Walter Isaacson

Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution

Cracking the Code, narrated by Mark Ruffalo, tells the story of Dr. Phillip A. Sharp, a Kentucky farm boy turned Nobel-prize winning scientist, and his central role in the birth and proliferation of the biotechnology industry. His 1977 discovery of RNA splicing set the stage for a revolution in molecular biology, enabling research into a new class of medicines predicated on recombinant DNA techniques. Phil's contributions kickstarted an industry that has exploded into one of the most pivotal and innovative sectors in the American economy and set the foundation for biotechnology’s greatest triumphs, ranging from the development of synthetic insulin and human growth hormone to the COVID-19 vaccine.

NOVA: Decoding da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance genius. Not only did he paint masterpieces of art, but he was an obsessive scientist and inventor, dreaming up complex machines centuries ahead of his time, including parachutes, armored tanks, hang gliders and robots. On the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death, with the help of biographer Walter Isaacson, NOVA investigates the secrets of Leonardo’s success. How did his scientific curiosity, from dissections of cadavers to studies of optics, shape his genius and help him create perhaps the most famous painting of all time, the "Mona Lisa"?