This program opens with a visual of the sound waves of Lynn Poole's voice as they appear on an oscilloscope. A brief film shows some of the glass tools that are basic to scientific research. Frank Witt, a Johns Hopkins University graduate student in electrical engineering, then explains the design and function of a cathode ray oscilloscope. He shows how to solve a simple electrical problem using this oscilloscope and comments that its applications make it one of science's most versatile tools. Chemistry graduate student Bernard Blaustein discusses the process, history, applications, and importance of distillation. He also explains equipment used to separate liquid from a dye using distillation. After a brief film on the history of microscopes, Dr. Dethier explains the parts of a microscope and their functions. He then offers a microscopic view of both a butterfly's wing and a snow flea. At the conclusion of the show, Lynn Poole asks viewers to send him what they consider to be the greatest achievement in science in 1953.

Lynn Poole displays and discusses various symbols including: the skull and crossbones, horseshoe, swastika, barber pole, cigar store Indian, mortar and pestle, and chevron. Words can be symbols also. Latin, although not spoken today as a living language is still used in scientific communication. Latin began as the language of Rome and its vicinity, but through many conquests the Romans spread the use of Latin to the rest of Italy and what is now France, Spain, and North Africa. The Romans also conquered Greece, but since Green was also a highly developed literary language, the Greeks retained their own language. Latin also became the language of the Roman Catholic Church and medieval universities. Many scientific discoveries made during the Renaissance and the early modern period were given names in Latin. Even today Latin names such as Zea mays (corn) are used in scientific communication. Carl von Linné or Carolus Linneaus in Latin classified life forms in an orderly way using Latin terms. In his classification of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species, a dog would be animal, chordata, mammalia, carnivora, canidae, canis familiarus. The Babylonians were fond of the number 60, which is retained today in 60 seconds in a minute, and 60 minutes in an hour, and even 360 degrees in a circle, which is 6 times 60. Weights and measures have been standardized so that they mean the same thing all over the world.

Lynn Poole displays a nurse's cap designed by Florence Nightingale as a prelude to the premier of a film on nursing education and training produced by the Maryland Society for Medical Research. Non-speaking guests invited to the studio for the film's showing include Dr. D. C. Smith, of the Maryland Society for Medical Research; Mrs. George H. Yeager, Mrs. Edwin Stewart, and Mrs. Thomas Webster, of the Women's Auxiliary to the Baltimore City Medical Society; Ruth Mowbry, of the Maryland State Nursing Association; Dr. Walter Graham, of the Medical Research Organization, and nurses from numerous local hospitals. Before the film is run, nurse Elizabeth Singleton briefly discusses different nursing programs that are available. The film, available for loan or purchase, shows what to expect and what is studied, both theory and practice, in nursing school: uses of equipment, functions of drugs, importance of sterile technique, care of newborn infants, proper nutrition, x-ray technology, and emergency measures.

Lynn Poole points out that 1953 was the seventh consecutive record birth year in the United States. A film then follows Deborah Lynn Coleman through the first 24 hours after her birth. The nurse clears Deborah's air passages, supplies oxygen, puts penicillin ointment in her eyes, and attaches an anklet with her mother's name. The obstetrician then examines her, removes the umbilical cord, and checks her body size and weight. A pediatrician examines her, and she is given her first feeding of sugar water and is burped. Interspersed with Deborah's debut are filmed asides on planning for increased housing, schools, transportation, and food production to support this baby boom and improve their standard of living. At the conclusion of the program, Lynn Poole introduces now two-month old Deborah, and interviews her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Coleman, and her sister Trudy.

Dr. Paul Hessemer considers the possibilities of the star of Bethlehem seen by the three Wise Men at the birth of Christ: comet, nova, meteor, or conjunction of planets. With illustrations and charts, he explains planetary orbits and demonstrates how the "star" most likely was a triple conjunction of planets on that date.

Dr. Schwentker says that prematurity is generally defined as a birth weight of less than 5.5 pounds; however, immaturity of a baby's organs is more significant than prematurity. A film documents the public procedures in place for rescuing a baby born prematurely at home. Dr. Gordon shows what staff do when a baby is admitted to the premature nursery: suction airways, supply oxygen, transfer to incubators with lesser oxygen concentration, administer moist heat, and monitor for infections. Nurse Abernathy discusses maintaining a constant temperature for the infant and feeding premature babies by polyethylene tube, gavage, or medicine dropper until bottle feeding is possible. A film shows the progress of a premature infant over a few weeks. Dr. Gordon raises the question of the cost justifying the results of caring for premature babies and concludes that both long-term development research and actual evidence, such as his teenage son and other thriving children born as small as two pounds, prove the worth.

A brief film shows the function of the human hand, wrist, and critical apposable thumb. An abstract film suggests that the reason for the shape of the human body and the economical structure of the bones is to provide the greatest results with the least energy. Dr. Borden discusses the complicated structure and rotation of the human wrists, forearms, and shoulders. A concluding film presents a child's development of hand skills.

Dr. Olsen, one of the team of scientists from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, briefly discusses the history of fire. He explains the zones and structure of a candle's flame and uses the Schlieren system of photography to detect the density gradients in the rising gas. Capt. Gayhart discusses the study of early spark-ignited flames, and he diagrams the operation of the Schlieren system. Mr. Edmondson shows three films of a flame's development in a stream of combustible gas taken at 100,000, 20 million, and 200 million frames per second.

Under supervision of physics teacher Malcolm Davies, students from the Rocket Club of the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute demonstrate the thrust of a CO2 cylinder on a student-built dynamometer. They then use the CO2 capsule to propel a rocket on a horizontal wire. Student Julian Palmore compares zinc, sulfur, and a mixture of the two as alternate rocket propellants and explains a diagram of a student-built rocket. Another student explains the laws of uniform acceleration as a rocket rises and falls. Film clips and photos document the actual launch the students' rocket project. Mr. Davies exhibits two related books on the subject: Tomorrow's Air Age by Holmes Alexander and Your Trip in Space by Lynn Poole.

This program focuses on the scientific achievements of four U. S. universities. At Indiana University, Vaclav Hlavaty solved the differential equations of unified gravitational and electromagnetic field thus providing proof for Einstein's unified field theory. Erwin Schrodinger and Karl Schwarzschild, pioneers in this research, are also discussed. From the New York University, Dr. Serge A. Korff directed a study of the effects of cosmic radiation from a high altitude observatory built on Mt. Wrangell in Alaska. His plane pilot was Dr. Terris Moore, president of the University of Alaska. University of Pittsburgh's Dr. Buchsbaum, professor of zoology, worked with colleagues to research how cells bathed in a nutrient fluid react to drugs and disease. A film shows these cell reactions under a phase-contrast microscope. Under the direction of Henry J. Gomberg, William Kerr, assistant director of the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project and assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Michigan are investigating peaceful uses of atomic energy. They have developed a beta ray microscope that uses radioactive isotopes as tracers in specimens under microscopic investigation. This allows them to see how atoms are distributed in alloys and tracing the path of carbon in plants.