In this unhosted program, a film by the British Information Service traces the remains of graves, temples, houses, tools and other possessions of prehistoric civilizations in the United Kingdom. During the Old Stone Age, men hunted wild animals with crudely made tools and lived in caves. When the ice receded in the New Stone Age, the environment and geography of Great Britain was much changed, and men became farmers. Archaeologists interpret this history based on findings at such sites as the Windmill Hill settlement in the U. K., which has yielded the earliest examples of British pottery. Scenes from Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands show the extensive remains of this prehistoric village preserved by blowing sand dunes. And Belas Knap burial mound near Cheltenham reveals the stone chambers and tombs of that period. This two-part program concludes with the Bronze Age, when men learned to produce metals and create more uniform tools, such as a cast ax head.

Due to studio difficulties, there is no sound track on this program for the first few minutes. Dr. Schwartz displays some of the creatures brought from Cook's Pond near Blairstown, NJ: a painted turtle, a bullfrog, a tree frog, and an aquarium of pond water with a variety of fish, insects, plants, and tadpoles, all part of the web of life. He then describes smaller pond organisms (hydra, damsel fly nymph, and planaria) that he shows viewers under a television microscope he developed.

Lynn Poole recalls his first experience seeing an airplane. He then diagrams and explains jet propulsion, based on Newton's Third Law of Motion. A film by the British Information Service details the development of the jet propulsion gas turbine by its creators, Sir Frank Whittle and Captain Patrick Johnson, from its patent to its use in the air and sea. U.S. General H.H. Arnold arranged for the Whittle engine to be manufactured in the United States. A second film shows the July 15, 1954 maiden flight of the Boeing 707 Stratotanker/Stratoliner, America's first jet transport. In conclusion, Lynn Poole points out an article about "The Johns Hopkins Science Review" in the August 17, 1954 issue of the Saturday Evening Post.

Lynn Poole shows photos and demonstrations from past programs and poses questions for viewers on the topics of skin grafting, atoms, electroencephalography, x-rays, and diffraction grating. Afterwards he gives the answers with explanations. Next a series of six simple experiments are performed, questions are asked about each, and answers are given afterwards. The experiments' concepts include molecular model identification, cold steam power, surface tension disruption, carbon dioxide production, and interaction of acetone with acetate rayon.

Dr. Sullivan explains that dermatology is the science of skin and its diseases. Skin, covering approximately 18 square feet, is a human's largest organ and serves as the body's protection. Using both live animals from the Baltimore Zoo and representations of animals, Dr. Sullivan explains their protective mechanisms: the lizard's skin changes color for camouflage; the duck's preen gland maintains its feathers with a precursor of vitamin D; the rat's sebaceous glands repel lice; the lion's mane protects it from other animals' bites; and a turtle's shell, a porcupine's quills, and a pachyderm's thick skin all protect the animal within. Dr. Sullivan draws a diagram of the layers of human skin, stressing the epidermis and protective barrier that prevents water from penetrating skin. He notes that a frog has no transitional layer, so its skin can take up water. The human sweat glands continuously secrete a wet film on the skin. The sebaceous glands secrete sebum, which contains two emulsifiers that allow the skin to sweat.

Lynn Poole announces that the current issue of TV Stage has an article about "The Johns Hopkins Science Review." A film by the U.S. Dept. of Interior then shows the historical use of the Colorado River. In the late 1800s, Thomas Blythe acquired 40,000 acres in Palo Verde Valley, California and filed the first water rights to the river. In 1867 Jack Swilling built the first irrigation canals in Arizona. By diverting water from the river to land, the southwest began to thrive. However, floods, such as the one that created Salton Sea in 1905, alternating with droughts required a plan to stabilize the flow of the Colorado. Arthur Powell Davis, Director of the U. S. Reclamation Service, proposed a dam, and the Boulder Canyon Project Act was passed in 1928. In 1931 dam construction was begun in Black Canyon, and Hoover Dam (called Boulder Dam from 1933-1946) was completed in 1936, two years ahead of schedule. The resulting Lake Mead, named in honor of U. S. Reclamation Commissioner Dr. Elwood Mead, extends over 100 miles upstream, can hold 2 years of flow from the Colorado River, and has become a very popular recreation area for water sports.

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.