The Nature of Things Season 54 Episodes

Episode 1

Stonehenge Uncovered

The biggest archaeological survey ever conducted of the Stonehenge landscape finds new evidence of a lost civilization.

Episode 2

Gorilla Doctors

Dr. Mike Cranfield and the gorilla doctors perform check-ups, give medicine to and sometime operate on Africa's endangered mountain gorillas.

Episode 3

Dreams of the Future

Four writer/director/producers collaborate to create stories of how current scientific research will impact us all in the future.

Episode 4

The Cholesterol Question

The truth about cholesterol and heart disease.

Episode 5

Decoding Desire

Sex has been on the minds of scientists about as long as it has been on everyone else's - but what about desire? DECODING DESIRE unravels the mysteries of sex and desire and explores how sexual diversity and the experience of pleasure itself may be the key to species survival. Traditionally, the common assumption has been that men are sexually dominant with strong desires, while females are more interested in security and monogamy. But is this really true? Scientists are increasingly looking at animals to reveal more about our own sexual behaviour. Decoding Desire features leading scientists who examine weird and wonderful mating behaviours - from preening peacocks to promiscuous primates - revealing research that shatters old assumptions and alters our views about human sexuality. Whether exploring the brain chemistry of love and monogamy, the decreasing differences between men and women or the surprising truth behind what turns us on and why, Decoding Desire will challenge everything you thought you knew about sex and desire and leave you looking at men, and women, in a whole new way.

Episode 6

Chasing Snowflakes

Scientists are unraveling the delicate mysteries of the snowflake. And what they're learning is amazing.

Episode 7

The Secret Life of Pigeons

Pigeons are part of the city landscape just about anywhere and are also very misunderstood.

Episode 8

Two of a Kind

88 mins

Filmmaker Leora Eisen sets out to discover how her twin sister could end up with life-threatening leukemia, even though they share the exact same DNA.

Episode 9

Myth or Science 3: You Are What You Eat

Jennifer Gardy takes an extraordinary scientific journey to put food claims to the test and discover if they're science fact or science fiction.

Episode 10

The Lion in Your Living Room

The science behind the domestic cat.

Episode 11

Mystery of the Monsoon

A look at the vast season weather system that permeates and unifies India, shaping the conditions of existence for its billion-plus inhabitants.

Episode 12

Kung Fu Meerkats

A close-up look at a family of meerkats faced with surviving some of Africa's toughest drought conditions in the Kalahari desert.

Episode 13

The Great Human Odyssey - Rise of a Species

This episode delves into the ways that humans grew their population from a few into many thousands.

Episode 14

The Great Human Odyssey - The Adaptable Ape

How did we become our planet's only global species, at home in every environment on Earth. Explore the meeting of Neanderthals and humans. And discover how we survived the Ice Age.

Episode 15

The Great Human Odyssey - Journey's End

An anthropologist travels the world to explain the miracle of the human race.

Episode 16

The Antibiotic Hunters

Resistance to antibiotics has been called "the most pressing global health problem of our time". Travel to an ocean reef, a rainforest canopy, a frigid cave and the mouth of a giant lizard - all in the urgent search for new antibiotics.

Episode 17

Safe Haven for Chimps

The touching story of how some very special chimpanzees find sanctuary and a new family when they are retired from a life in the lab.

Episode 18

Songbird SOS

It seems inconceivable that we have lost almost half the songbirds that filled our skies only 40 years ago. Songbird SOS takes a journey with the birds to discover why this is happening and what we can do about it.

Episode 19

Spirit Bear Family

Canada's top nature documentarians spend a season with the fabled Spirit Bear of BC's Great Bear Rainforest, capturing a mother spirit bear and her cubs.

Episode 20

Jellyfish Rule!

45 mins

Jellyfish, also known as jellies, are one of the oldest yet simplest creatures on Earth, they having no brain, no blood, no spine, no heart, no eyes and no ears. They are also one of the most efficient creatures, everything they do which contributes to their survival and thus longevity as a species. Most contain venom which through their tentacles can sting, and in several cases even kill humans. Blooms of jellies seem to be taking over many of the coastal salt water regions of the world, which concerns many scientists. Already efficient creatures, jellies seem to be thriving even more by the actions of man in pollution, marine transportation, and coastal development among others. What these blooms have done in many cases is decimate if not obliterate populations of other marine wildlife, including species which comprised important fisheries, and including in some fish farms. Scientists and technologists are working in combating the many negative effects of jellies specifically on the human species. In one small way in this regard, there are now fisheries of what used to be considered these largely inedible creatures. Regardless of what scientists learn about jellies and how to control them, they all agree that jellies will still be around long after man is gone.

Episode 21

Franklin's Lost Ships

The discovery of HMS Erebus reveals evidence of one of the worst disasters in polar exploration history.