In 1980, Mount St Helens erupted with an intensity equal to 25,000 nuclear bombs. A volcano can kill thousands of people in just a few seconds and in the last hundred years, more 70,000 people have died an unimaginable death as a direct result of a volcanic eruption. Today, half a billion people live near an active volcano. This two-part programme, captures some of the bravest people on earth, exploring and monitoring the most spectacular eruptions ever recorded. Each week two teams of mechanically minded people have just ten hours to build a contraption from the scrap they find on our specially prepared scrap heap.
Biologists say they can now trace human life back to bacteria in the elemental chaos.
These and other leading questions are posed in part two of this ground-breaking, intelligent series. 55 minutes Wild Islands examines the natural history and anthropology of islands from the Pacific's 'Ring of Fire' to the North Atlantic Ocean, and the impact of humanity on fragile eco and social systems. Continues the series about a family from South London who exchange city traffic and western comforts for life in a homestead in rural Africa. This week there are discussions about money and child rearing. A Child s World charts the key developments that mark the way on every human being's incredible journey to becoming a fully-fledged independent person.