The Nature of Things Season 53 Episodes

Episode 1

Carpe Diem: A Fishy Tale

A look at threats presented by the Asian carp.

Episode 2

Ticked Off: The Mystery of Lyme Disease

52 mins

Lyme disease, a mysterious tick-borne illness, is the fastest spreading vector-borne disease in the United States, and over the past decade, the tick that carries Lyme has been spreading across Canada with alarming speed. TICKED OFF: THE MYSTERY OF LYME DISEASE is a fascinating and eye-opening documentary that explores a disease that has devastating effects, is often misdiagnosed and mistreated, and continues to be mired in a medical controversy. More than 30,000 cases are reported in the USA every year, but the real number could be as high as 300,000. And despite hard evidence that the Lyme-carrying, deer tick has already established populations across Canada, some people claim that patients here are still being told that they cannot contract Lyme in this country. Doctors agree that if it's caught early Lyme disease can usually be cured with two to four weeks of antibiotics. There are others who believe that if it's not caught early, the infection can develop into a debilitating condition they call Chronic Lyme. Yet unlike West Nile, Encephalitis or SARS, where the medical profession and scientists joined forces to find better treatments or a cure, many patients, who claim to have chronic Lyme, say that they are being denied treatment and left to suffer. So why is this happening? From the micro world of the tick and its disease-causing bacteria, to the macro world of human suffering and medical science, TICKED OFF: THE MYSTERY OF LYME DISEASE investigates the story behind this current medical mystery.

Episode 3

Myth or Science: The Quest for Perfection

Dr Jennifer Gardy conducts an experiment on herself in an attempt to prove or disprove popular health claims.

Episode 4

Brain Magic: The Power of Placebo

An exploration of the scientific evidence of the effects placebos have on the body and mind

Episode 5

Invasion of the Brain Snatchers

A new field of study of emerging that focuses on topics such as zombie ants to a human influencing creature.

Episode 6

Untangling Alzheimer's

Untangling Alzheimer's is a dramatic and inspiring medical investigation driven by David Suzuki's journey to understand the science of Alzheimer's and the surprising new insights into its cause. David has a very personal interest in the disease because his mother, aunt and two uncles died of it. We join David on an intimate journey as he explores the newest breakthroughs in this devastating disease as well as his own chances of contracting the cruel condition.

Episode 7

A Dog's Life

DescriptionBy following Daisy, a Jack Russell terrier, for an average day, it can be assumed that dogs are well-adapted to life with people.

Episode 8

Survivor of the Fabulous

Gay filmmaker Bryce Sage has had a big question on his mind ever since he came out of the closet - how is evolution compatible with the existence of gay men?

Episode 9

Where Am I?

Navigational skills, and why some people excel at them while others do not.

Episode 10

The Great Butterfly Hunt

A chronicle of the annual Monarch butterfly migration includes a profile of a Canadian scientist who's spent 40 years trying to discover exactly where the creatures mysteriously disappeared each winter.

Episode 11

How to Be a Wild Elephant

In 2010 a baby elephant named Sities was rescued and brought to the Trust's Nairobi Nursery to begin her rehabilitation. Her remarkable story was followed by audiences worldwide who watched her progress from day one. Now three years later we catch up with Sities, who has reached the age where she can be integrated into the wild elephant herds of Tsavo East National Park.

Episode 12

Secrets in the Bones - The Hunt for the Black Death Killer

This documentary shows the bones of the dead DNA have revealed the cause of the Black Plague. It also shows how science will prevent it in the future.

Episode 13

Trek of the Titans

Studying the world's largest turtle off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Episode 14

The Allergy Fix

Scientists are attacking food allergies in new and inventive ways, driven by the alarming increase in the number of people, particularly children, who suffer from them - and can die from them.

Episode 15

Wild Canada: The Eternal Frontier - A New World

The wildlife in Canada, as never seen before.

Episode 16

Wild Canada: The Wild West

From the Rockies to the Pacific, western Canada has astonishing wildlife and landscapes, some of which have been influenced by early humans.

Episode 17

Wild Canada: The Heartland

From the prairies to Canada's vast boreal forest that stretches almost from coast to coast, we reveal a huge wilderness of extremes that has been shaped over millennia by both humans and wildfires.

Episode 18

Wild Canada: Ice Edge

From polar bear cubs making their first discovery of ice to a caribou calf 'dancing' in the chilly spring air to eider ducks diving under the ice to find mussels, we witness the extremes and wonders of life in the far north.

Episode 19

Making Wild Canada

Behind the scenes of the process of creating the "Wild Canada" series.