Season
- Season 0 1998-12-27
- Season 1 1970-01-01
- Season 2 1970-01-01
- Season 3 1970-01-01
- Season 4 1970-01-01
- Season 5 1970-01-01
- Season 6 1970-01-01
- Season 7 1970-01-01
- Season 8 1970-01-01
- Season 9 1970-01-01
- Season 10 1970-01-01
- Season 11 1970-01-01
- Season 12 1970-01-01
- Season 13 1970-01-01
- Season 14 1970-01-01
- Season 15 1970-01-01
- Season 16 1970-01-01
- Season 17 1970-01-01
- Season 18 1970-01-01
- Season 19 1970-01-01
- Season 20 1970-01-01
- Season 21 1970-01-01
- Season 22 1970-01-01
- Season 23 1970-01-01
- Season 24 1970-01-01
- Season 25 1970-01-01
- Season 26 1991-12-26
- Season 27 1970-01-01
- Season 28 1993-12-26
- Season 29 1970-01-01
- Season 30 1970-01-01
- Season 31 1996-12-26
- Season 32 1970-01-01
- Season 33 1970-01-01
- Season 34 1970-01-01
- Season 35 1970-01-01
- Season 36 1970-01-01
- Season 37 1970-01-01
- Season 38 2003-12-26
- Season 39 2004-12-16
- Season 40 2005-12-25
- Season 41 2006-12-25
- Season 42 2007-12-23
- Season 43 2008-12-28
- Season 44 2009-12-21
- Season 45 2010-12-28
- Season 46 2011-12-27
- Season 47 2012-12-26
- Season 48 2013-12-28
- Season 49 2014-12-29
- Season 50 2015-12-28
- Season 51 2016-12-26
- Season 52 2017-12-26
- Season 53 2018-12-26
- Season 54 2019-12-26
- Season 55 2020-12-28
- Season 56 2021-12-28
- Season 57 2022-12-26
- Season 58 2023-12-26
- Season 59 2024-12-29
Season 59 Episode
- Season 42 Back from the Brink, the Science of Survival: Peak Performance
- Season 42 Back from the Brink, the Science of Survival: Completely Stuffed
- Season 42 Back from the Brink, the Science of Survival: Grilled and Chilled
- Season 42 Back from the Brink, the Science of Survival: Fight, Flight and Fright
- Season 42 Back from the Brink, the Science of Survival: Luck, Genes and Stupidity
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures - Season 42 Episode 2 Back from the Brink, the Science of Survival: Completely Stuffed
5.10 60 minutes Tonight’s lecture examines how food is processed and used by our cells. The food we eat contains the fuel we need to power our bodies. But what are these fuels? How do we get them from our dinner plates to our cells? And what other things are there in the food apart from fuel? Dr Montgomery explains what happens to the fuel and oxygen in a cell, describing how food is converted into an energy currency to be spent in different ways around the body.
As well as focusing on normal function of the body, the lecture also explores how the body reacts to abnormal levels of food intake. What effect does gluttony have on the body? What happens when we are starved of food, or deprived of water? What happens when we become dehydrated? How long can someone survive without any fluids? And what happens if we miss some key bits of food out of our diet?
Finally, Dr Montgomery turns his attention to people who have survived on the edge of existence as he meets some real-life castaways. How did their bodies cope without access to food or water for so long?
