Earth's metallic core makes the planet a huge magnet, generating a magnetic field that protects us from dangerous cosmic rays and solar energy.
Scientists are just now unlocking the amazing secrets of how rain is made; some raindrops form around micrometeorites from outer space, others are created by bacteria that float into the upper atmosphere.
2013 • Environment
Which places on earth are poised to generate the next mega-tsunamis and the science of what happens as the wave emerges from open ocean and bears down on land.
2013 • Environment
Explore what drives the strange science behind places like Canada's Bay of Fundy-where water levels rise as much as 50 feet during high tide, and Alaska's Turnagain Arm, where 10-foot tall "bore waves" routinely wash in from the sea.
2013 • Environment
Volcanoes have incredible effects on the weather; eruptions create localized weather phenomena like acid rain and violent volcanic lightning.
2013 • Environment
NASA satellites have mapped Earth's gravity and discovered mysterious spots where gravity is weaker; how earthquakes change the planet's gravitational field.
2013 • Environment
Venus and Mars show how inhospitable Earth could have been if things were just a little bit different.
2013 • Environment
Earth's metallic core makes the planet a huge magnet, generating a magnetic field that protects us from dangerous cosmic rays and solar energy.
2013 • Environment
Blizzards; it's one of the Earth's most beautiful secrets until it turns into a storm that can bring entire cities to a grinding halt.
2013 • Environment
Steamy underworlds hiding mysterious treasures, extreme waters teeming with unique life, and jarring rock formations made of frozen lava.
2013 • Environment
The author returns to Turkey to explore Derinkuyu, an ancient underground city and survival bunker that could shelter thousands in times of crisis.
S1E7 • Ancient Apocalypse • 2022 • Environment
World War 3 breaks out & a nuclear nightmare becomes reality as thousands of hydrogen bombs destroy the world's greatest cities. Resulting in a Nuclear Winter, plunging the planet into a sudden Ice Age.
S1E4 • Doomsday: 10 Ways the World Will End • 2016 • Environment
The Venus Project proposes an alternative vision of what the future can be if we apply what we already know in order to achieve a sustainable new world civilization. It calls for a straightforward redesign of our culture in which the age-old inadequacies of war, poverty, hunger, debt and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but as totally unacceptable. More at thevenusproject.com
James May asks the big questions about the weather, including what is a cloud?
S1E3 • James May's Things You Need to Know • 2011 • Environment
Are electric cars, solar panels, wind turbines conserving earth's resources and putting an end to pollution? Quite the contrary; these technologies rely on rare minerals and add pressure on their resources. Mining for them releases radioactive substances & refining them needs thousands of gallons of water. Global leaders are aware of this. Why are they withholding the whole truth about green tech?
2020 • Environment
We investigate the emerging threats posed by plastic pollution to life on Earth. The hyper-convenience of our modern way of living produces staggering volumes of plastic waste daily. Scientists now know that this waste breaks down into ever tinier pieces, spreading right across the globe and posing direct health risks, including through bioamplification of toxic additives moving up the food chain. We explore the drastic changes it will take to deliver a sustainable future for our planet.
2021 • Environment