Explorer
Season 2012
TV-G
A weekly series of short documentary segments funded by the National Geographic Society and done in the style of the National Geographic Specials. In 2003, the show was re-branded National Geographic Ultimate Explorer. A news-style journal format is now used instead of the more traditional format of the specials.
Where to Watch Explorer • Season 2012
13 Episodes
- Guerrilla Gold RushE1
Guerrilla Gold Rushaka: Colombias Gold War With the price of gold soaring to historic highs, Colombia is in the throws of a gold rush unlike anything it has seen in years. Across dense jungle and the rural countryside, wildcat miners are tearing up huge swaths of land in a frenzied search for the precious metal. But even more worrying for authorities is that this gold may be fueling a new chapter in the civil conflict that has defined Colombia for the last five decades. Navigating the ever-shifting front lines, National Geographic correspondent Mariana van Zeller examines how left wing guerrillas, criminal organizations and international mining companies are all staking their claim to Colombia's gold. - Finding the Lost da Vinci
E5Finding the Lost da VinciLeonardo da Vinci's "The Battle of Anghiari" vanished 500 years ago, with only copies rendered by other artists left behind to confirm its existence. Scientist and art enthusiast Maurizio Seracini, has dedicated 36 years to tracking down the missing mural, and seems to be on the verge of uncovering the hidden fresco behind the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. - Sex for Sale: American EscortE7
Sex for Sale: American EscortThe world's oldest profession is now a thriving black market economy, with an underground workforce that's just an Internet connection and a phone call away. National Geographic's Mariana van Zeller journeys to the heart of the American escort industry and uncovers the gritty reality behind the supply and demand of high-end sex work. - Witness: Joplin Tornado
E9Witness: Joplin TornadoOn May 22, 2011, an EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, a city of 50,000 in the southwest corner of the state. Packing winds of more than 200 miles an hour, the tornado tore through the center of the city, tearing off two floors of the city's main hospital, demolishing churches and businesses, and rendering whole neighborhoods unrecognizable. More than 150 people lost their lives in the storm, and the devastation to the city was enormous. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/episodes/joplin-tornado/ - Murder in the Roman EmpireE10
Murder in the Roman EmpireAn ancient murder mystery plays out like an episode of C.S.I. When human bones are found hidden under the floor of an old army barracks, a homicide detective is called in to examine the evidence. Preliminary observations indicate the victim may have been bound and killed with blunt force trauma to the skull. The culprit must be found and brought to justice. But there is one key problem: The victim died nearly 1,800 years ago. - Omens of the ApocalypseE11
Omens of the ApocalypseA wide-ranging investigation of animal die-offs, including the thousands of blackbirds that died in Arkansas on New Year's Eve, 2010, leads to an exploration of how the human mind is inspired, or derailed, by seeming patterns or coincidences in nature.
