Manhattan Project: Niels Bohr

Niels Bohr said, 'Anyone who is not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it.' Naomi Alderman investigates the remarkable insights of a scientific genius.

Bohr is the man who figured out the structure of the nucleus at the centre of the atom, recognising that the quantum world of tiny particles behaves very differently to the tangible, everyday world around us. He built a scientific family around him, mentoring some of the greatest theoretical physicists of the twentieth century.

Special thanks to Jim Al-Khalili, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey.

Produced by BBC Studios Audio in partnership with The Open University.