The Nature of Things

Episode 1

Equus: The Story of the Horse: Origins

Season 58 starts with a three-part miniseries, The history of the relationship between and humans.

Episode 2

Equus: The Story of the Horse - First Riders

The story of the first time a humans tamed a wild horse and the impacts it made on history.

Episode 3

Equus: Story of the Horse - Chasing the Wind

We built the world around us with horsepower. But what is it that makes humans and horses so perfect for each other? And how have we transformed the wild horse we tamed 6,000 years ago into over 400 specialized breeds today? To answer these questions, anthropologist turned filmmaker Niobe Thompson takes viewers on an epic journey across eleven countries on three continents and back in time to the mysterious beginnings of the horse-human relationship. Over three spectacular hours of cutting-edge science and gripping adventure, Thompson explores the evolution of horsepower, discovers how our ancestors tamed the horse and learns fascinating new insights into the body and mind of this unique animal. Thompson goes on a global adventure of discovery, living and riding with horse nomads in Arabia, Siberia and Mongolia, travelling into the field with archeologists, geneticists, and horse psychologists, and above all, getting friendly with horses everywhere he goes. In the final Episode 3, Chasing the Wind, Thompson takes viewers to meet some of the most fascinating and unlikely of the world's 400 horse breeds. He meets the Yakutian, at home in the coldest inhabited place on Earth (Siberia). He meets the Arab, a spirited horse at home on the scorching sands of the Arabian Desert. And he encounters the most valuable horses on Earth: elite Thoroughbreds, a breed of super-specialized sprinters, descended from one of three 18th-century stallions.

Episode 4

A Day in the Life of Earth

The Earth undergoes vast changes every 24 hours.

Episode 5

The Real T.Rex

Join an investigative journey around the world to uncover the mysteries of the most famous dinosaur super-predator: the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Episode 6

The Memory Mirage

Can we trust what we remember about our own lives? Memory scientists say most memories are full of distortions and errors.

Episode 7

Spying on Animals

A look at how innovations in remote unmanned cameras let us bear witness to animal behaviour 24/7 - almost anywhere on earth.

Episode 8

The Genetic Revolution

Exploring the exciting, rapidly evolving world of genetic engineering.

Episode 9

Stay-at-Home Animal Dads

The mysteries and secrets of nature's single dads.

Episode 10

Food for Thought

When it comes to diet, we swallow a lot of advice. Food for Thought sorts through the latest science to create a new recipe for health.

Episode 11

The Wonder of the Northern Lights

Dr. David Suzuki meets with scientists who are unraveling the mysteries of the northern lights.

Episode 12

The Power of Play

51 mins

Researchers studying the play behavior in animals and humans. They are trying to answer big questions in a long overlooked field. Mother Nature doesn't do anything just for fun, so how and why did play evolve?

Episode 13

The Nature of Invention

Inventors are as diverse as their inventions, and they are changing our world.

Episode 14

Something in the Air

Air pollution is a major killer, even in places we think of as 'safe,' so scientists are using new technology to measure it and study its effects on our bodies.

Episode 15

Laughing and Crying

In Laughing and Crying, we meet neuroscientists, psychology researchers and evolutionary biologists who are exploring every scientific angle of these bizarre and beautiful emotional behaviours.

Episode 16

Aging in the Wild

David travels around the world to meet and learn about animal elders.

Episode 17

Turtle Beach

44 mins

Locals call it the arribada, Spanish for "arrival": the magical days and nights when tens of thousands of sea turtles come ashore on Costa Rica's Pacific coast to lay millions of eggs. In Turtle Beach Canadian naturalist and cinematographer Hugo Kitching follows a team of international scientists on a groundbreaking expedition to uncover the mysteries of this rare phenomenon.

Episode 18

Remarkable Rabbits

David learns about rabbits and hares.