The life revolution. Part 5, Cell wars. Part 6, Pandora's box.

Six-part documentary series on the promise - and perils - of biotechnology as applied to agriculture, medicine, public health, ecology and welfare. -- Part 5: Cell Wars. Focuses on the workings of the immune system, with particular reference to monoclonal antibodies and their role in the diagnosis and, more recently, the treatment of diseases such as leukaemia and AIDS. Reproduces the computer graphic sequences on the workings of the immune system first seen in Part 1, with additional sequences on the work of antibodies and the modus operandi of the AIDS virus. -- Part 6: Pandora's Box. Highlights some of the more problematic aspects of the commercial development of biotechnology, e.g. the neo-eugenic production of "designer babies" with the aid of commercial sperm banks in the U.S.; the unauthorized appropriation of genetic material for commercial use without the donors' permission or financial participation; the failure of Western biotechnology and pharmaceutical corporations to invest in Third World mass immunization programmes; and the growth of germ warfare research and development.