The Nature of Things

Season 54

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 54

21 Episodes

  • Stonehenge Uncovered
    E1
    Stonehenge UncoveredThe biggest archaeological survey ever conducted of the Stonehenge landscape finds new evidence of a lost civilization.
  • Gorilla Doctors
    E2
    Gorilla DoctorsDr. Mike Cranfield looks at how he managed to be working in a Canadian veterinarian surgery to end up making house calls to some of Africa's most endangered mountain gorillas.
  • Dreams of the Future
    E3
    Dreams of the FutureDr. Jennifer Gardy tries out new technology and looks at fresh ideas of our relationships with nature.
  • The Cholesterol Question
    E4
    The Cholesterol QuestionA investigation into whether or not Cholesterol really is the cause of heart problems.
  • Decoding Desire
    E5
    Decoding DesireFrom preening peacocks to promiscuous primates, what do animals reveal about our own sexual behaviour? Explore how sexual diversity and the experience of pleasure itself may be the key to species survival.
  • Chasing Snowflakes
    E6
    Chasing SnowflakesScientists are unraveling the delicate mysteries of the snowflake. And what they’re learning is amazing.
  • The Secret Life of Pigeons
    E7
    The Secret Life of PigeonsA look at the often misunderstood pigeon, big city birds maligned with a low rent reputation of their intelligence.
  • Two of a Kind
    E8
    Two of a KindDirector Leora Eisen asks why her identical twin was diagnosed with leukemia and she wasn't. A look at how twins are solving medical mysteries as researchers examine the differences between them.
  • Myth or Science 3: You Are What You Eat
    E9
    Myth or Science 3: You Are What You EatJennifer Gardy takes an extraordinary scientific journey to put food claims to the test and discover if they’re science fact or science fiction.
  • The Lion in Your Living Room
    E10
    The Lion in Your Living RoomDespite that cats are the most-popular pet in the world, very little is known about them.
  • Mystery of the Monsoon
    E11
    Mystery of the MonsoonA look at the vast season weather system that permeates and unifies India, shaping the conditions of existence for its billion-plus inhabitants.
  • The Kung Fu Meerkats
    E12
    The Kung Fu MeerkatsA close-up look at a family of meerkats faced with surviving some of Africa's toughest drought conditions in the Kalahari desert.
  • The Great Human Odyssey: Rise of a Species
    E13
    The Great Human Odyssey: Rise of a SpeciesLike other kinds of human who once shared our world, Homo sapiens should have died away. Discover how our species faced near extinction in Africa, and then found a place to rebuild. Explore the birth of language and art at archeological excavations scientists are now calling “the cradle of the human mind”.
  • The Great Human Odyssey: The Adaptable Ape
    E14
    The Great Human Odyssey: The Adaptable ApeHow did we become our planet’s only global species, at home in every environment on Earth. Learn how our ancestors found a way through the deserts and out of Africa. Explore the meeting of Neanderthals and humans. And discover how we survived the Ice Age.
  • The Great Human Odyssey: Journey’s End
    E15
    The Great Human Odyssey: Journey’s EndEarly humans eventually colonized Australia, the South Pacific, and the Americas. But how did our ancestors master the oceans? Learn how new discoveries in ancient DNA research are changing our understanding of the earliest sea voyages, from Easter Island to the Bering Strait.
  • The Antibiotic Hunters
    E16
    The Antibiotic HuntersIncreasing resistance to antibiotics has been called “the most pressing global health problem of our time”. A new documentary travels to an ocean reef, a rainforest canopy, a frigid cave and even the mouth of a giant lizard – all in the urgent search for new antibiotics.
  • Safe Haven for Chimps
    E17
    Safe Haven for ChimpsThe touching story of how some very special chimpanzees find sanctuary and a new family when they are retired from a life in the lab.
  • SongbirdSOS
    E18
    SongbirdSOS'It seems inconceivable that we have lost almost half the songbirds that filled our skies only 40 years ago. SongbirdSOS takes a journey with the birds to discover why this is happening and what we can do about it.
  • Spirit Bear Family
    E19
    Spirit Bear FamilyCanada’s top nature documentarians spend a season with the fabled Spirit Bear of BC’s Great Bear Rainforest, capturing a mother spirit bear and her cubs.
  • Jellyfish Rule!
    E20
    Jellyfish Rule!No brains, no backbone, no problem! 600 million years ago jellyfish ruled the oceans. Now these mysterious and magnificent creatures may be taking over the oceans once again. Only this time, they’re doing it with our help.
  • Franklin’s Lost Ships
    E21
    Franklin’s Lost ShipsLast summer, 170 years after it left England, one of Sir John Franklin’s lost ships, HMS Erebus, was found in the Canadian Arctic. Our cameras were on board to witness this extraordinary underwater

 

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