The Nature of Things

Season 51

The Nature of Things is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on CBC Television on November 6, 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that humans have on it. The program was one of the first to explore environmental issues, such as clear-cut logging.

The series is named after an epic poem by Roman philosopher Lucretius: "Dē Rērum Nātūrā" — On the Nature of Things.

Where to Watch Season 51

18 Episodes

  • The Nano Revolution: Welcome to Nano City
    E1
    The Nano Revolution: Welcome to Nano CityThe Nature of Things explores an exciting new technological frontier - the world of nano materials and systems in our everyday lives.
  • The Nano Revolution: More Than Human
    E2
    The Nano Revolution: More Than HumanLooking at the use of nanotechnology in medical treatments.
  • The Nano Revolution: Will Nano Save the Planet?
    E3
    The Nano Revolution: Will Nano Save the Planet?Looking at the use of nanotechnology to solve pollution and environmental issues.
  • Jungle Prescription
    E4
    Jungle PrescriptionOne of the most powerful hallucinogenic drugs on the planet is in a tea made from medicinal plants: it's called ayahuasca. There are studies around the world that say that this indigenous cure may also provide answers as to how to treat Western drug addicts.
  • Emperor's Lost Harbour
    E5
    Emperor's Lost HarbourIn Istanbul, Turkey, workers building a railway tunnel make a remarkable discovery - an ancient harbour, buried and shrouded in mystery ...until now. Will archaeologists be able to uncover the treasures of the past before it is buried again?
  • Myth or Science
    E6
    Myth or ScienceScientist Jennifer Gardy turns her critical eye towards the myths, lies, misunderstandings and errors behind the headlines, putting the science of the daily news to the test both in the lab and on the streets.
  • Waking the Green Tiger
    E7
    Waking the Green TigerExamining modern China's ideas about nature and the environment.
  • The Autism Enigma
    E8
    The Autism EnigmaA fresh perspective on autism research with the developing "Bacterial Theory" of autism. The fastest-growing developmental disorder in the industrialized world, autism has increased an astounding 600 per cent over the last 20 years. Science cannot say why. Some say it's triggered by environmental factors and point to another intriguing statistic: 70 per cent of kids with autism also have severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Could autism actually begin in the gut? The Autism Enigma looks at the progress of an international group of scientists who are studying the gut's amazingly diverse and powerful microbial ecosystem for clues to the baffling disorder.
  • Programmed to be Fat?
    E9
    Programmed to be Fat?New science links man-made chemicals to the global obesity epidemic. Man-made chemicals may be programming us to be fat - before we're even born.
  • Surviving :) The Teenage Brain
    E10
    Surviving :) The Teenage BrainA look at the science deep within the teenage brain and a celebration of evolution's masterpiece - the years that bring us judgment, adaptation and innovation. In short the years that make us human.
  • Mysteries of the Animal Mind
    E11
    Mysteries of the Animal MindScientists explore the mysteries of animal consciousness and find growing evidence of compassion, cooperation, altruism, empathy, intelligence and communication in all sorts of different species.
  • The American Tiger
    E12
    The American TigerMost tigers today are privately owned - experts estimate that the number of tigers living in the United States is nearly double of those in the wild. What's life like for the American tiger?
  • MS Wars: Hope, Science and the Internet
    E13
    MS Wars: Hope, Science and the InternetMultiple sclerosis patients use social media to engage in an unprecedented battle with the Canadian medical establishment for access to a controversial treatment.
  • Suzuki Diaries: Future City
    E14
    Suzuki Diaries: Future CityIn a new installment of Suzuki Diaries, David and his daughter, Sarika, set out to discover whether some of Canada's biggest cities are ready for the challenges of the future.
  • Journey to the Disaster Zone: Japan 311
    E15
    Journey to the Disaster Zone: Japan 311Prior to the anniversary of the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami, David Suzuki travels to the areas most affected by the disaster to learn how the catastrophe is helping to change the mind-set of people.
  • The Perfect Runner
    E16
    The Perfect RunnerAnthropologist Niobe Thompson explores the evolutionary past of humans.
  • Smarty Plants: Uncovering the Secret World of Plant Behaviour
    E17
    Smarty Plants: Uncovering the Secret World of Plant BehaviourA luscious exploration of the natural world, Smarty Plants integrates pioneering science with a light hearted look at how plants behave, revealing a world where plants are as busy, responsive and complex as we are.
  • Polar Bears: A Summer Odyssey
    E18
    Polar Bears: A Summer OdysseyShot over twelve months, this blue chip wildlife documentary tells the story a young polar bear's epic migration through the icy waters of Hudson Bay and his subsequent adventures on land, where he must spend the ice-free season. It is his first summer alone without his mother to guide and feed him. His struggle to survive is set against the biggest environmental story of our time: climate change.

 

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