Home Making • 1990 • episode "6/12" • Trials of Life

48:34

Developed over centuries, coral reefs house fragile ecosystems, but they too have to fight to survive.

S1E6 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature

5:27

Our planet was once populated by megafauna, big top-of-the-food-chain predators that played their part in balancing our ecosystems. When those megafauna disappear, the result is a "trophic cascade," where every part of the ecosystem reacts to the loss. How can we stay in balance? George Monbiot suggests rewilding: putting wolves, lions and other predators back on top -- with surprising results.

TED-Ed • Nature

48:34

As snails surf the waves in pursuit of a meal, how do the tides create opportunities for marine life?

S1E7 • Blue Planet I • 2001 • Nature

41:41

David Schwimmer explores an underground world of monsters and aliens. The largest gathering of the largest fish on the planet--over four hundred whale sharks--assembles in the same small patch of ocean just off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Why are they here? Mysterious Planet embarks on an epic journey to find out: from the clear blue waters of the Caribbean, into the largest network of flooded caves on Earth, spiritual underworld of a lost civilization, home to monsters and alien life forms ,where a meteorite the size of Manhattan is hurtling towards planet Earth, on course to kickstart the evolution of a whole new line of ocean giants.

S1E2 • Mysterious Planet • 2020 • Nature

58:40

Life and Death explores the impact of Darwin’s ideas on our understanding of the meaning of extinction and the interconnections between all life on earth and the environment. Darwin learned many lessons from the giant fossils of extinct animals he found in Argentina and Chile. He eventually revealed to us the unpalatable truth that the logical conclusion to evolution is not perfection but extinction. The extinction of one species creates an environmental niche for new species to fill. Darwin’s theory also gives us vital knowledge we can use to help prolong the existence of our species by respecting the interconnections between all elements of the natural world and the environment. It’s a story in which Darwin’s ideas are taken up with great enthusiasm by his followers throughout the 20th century. But humanity misses one opportunity after another to acknowledge and reduce its destructive impact on the planet. As a result we have set in motion the sixth mass extinction of life on earth. And we are running out of time to do something about it by preserving ecological "hotspots" like certain rainforests which are some of the most productive cradles of evolution. This programme is a warning, but also a celebration, of the knowledge Charles Darwin gave us in his theory of evolution. It confirms that Darwin’s theory continues to inform our understanding of ourselves, our planet and the intricate interconnections between all life on earth.

S1E3 • Darwin's Dangerous Idea • 2009 • Nature

58:54

Sophie is joined in the theatre by chirping crickets, hissing cockroaches and groaning deer to reveal the very different ways that animals have adapted their bodies to send audible messages that are vital to their species. She also explores how and why the human voice evolved to become the most versatile sound producer in the natural world. She demonstrates what sound actually is and how it travels. Unpacking the power behind sound, she uses it to shatter glass and reveal how the human body can resonate in a way that amplifies our voices to send our messages further. She also explores how different species use very different frequencies to communicate and why humans can only hear a fraction of these animal messages. Finally, she investigates why we all have unique vocal prints, and how computers are learning to recognise these.

S1E1 • Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: The Language of Life • 2017 • Nature