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Private Notes
Go where the real action is... the moons! Once dismissed as insignificant ice balls, we now know they are anything but boring. Imagine the most explosive world in the solar system, producing more heat than anything but the sun. That's Jupiter's fireball of a moon Io, which is exploding before our eyes. Try to picture a geyser blasting 5 miles high in the furthest reaches of the solar system, a geyser not of steam but of liquid ice. Visit Neptune's moon Triton, a world so piercingly cold that everything familiar to us on Earth, including the air, is frozen solid. And then there is Europa; a moon that may harbor the only other liquid water ocean in the solar system, an ocean that may even harbor life.
There are moons out there with atmospheres so thick, you can strap on wings and fly. There are moons so small that you wouldn't stand on them, you'd hover! Moons where you'd weigh no more than a mouse, where you can throw a ball around the entire body, and where a good jump sends you a mile and a half into the air. Imagine spelunking on a world called Phobos, scuba diving on Europa, or bungee jumping off one the solar system's largest cliffs. Spend an hour exploring the moons, and you'll never ignore them again!
Through the use of extensive computer animation, this video offers an update on the construction of the International Space Station some 220 miles above the surface of the earth. The only major international program of its type, the implications of the station are immeasurably important to the viability of human habitation in space. This glance into the possible future of the human race is hosted by Liam Neeson.
The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) refers to remarkable constructions of classical antiquity listed by various authors in guidebooks popular among the ancient Hellenic tourists, particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. The most prominent of these, the versions by Antipater of Sidon and an observer identified as Philo of Byzantium, comprise seven works located around the eastern Mediterranean rim. The original list inspired innumerable versions through the ages, often listing seven entries. Of the original Seven Wonders, only one—the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the ancient wonders—remains relatively intact.
A scientist wants to recover some mammoth DNA to clone a live mammoth. So he finds a buried mammoth in the vast, rock hard permafrost of Siberia, digs it out in the middle of a blizzard and flies it home. Of course he needed a little help. So he befriended an arctic nomad who knows ever rill, rock, pond and stream in the entire region. As background to the quest, National Geographic relates the migratory history of the mammoth family.
In this remarkable full color film, we relive the last months of the war, with scenes from the heady drive of the U.S. Army across Germany. In the final days of WWII, as American armies closed in on the remaining German troops scattered throughout the country, Eisenhower executed a sweep of the German countryside. The First Army's push towards the Rhine yielded the capture of Cologne and an intact bridge in the city of Remagen, which signaled the beginning of the end for the Nazi regime. As Allied troops closed in on all sides, the American president maintained his objective of capturing or destroying all remaining armed German forces, flushing out isolated pockets of resistance. This culminated in the meeting of British, American, and Soviet forces near the Elbe and Mulde Rivers, as Berlin fell to the Russians. Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945, foretold the end of the Nazi regime, the final days of which are captured in this illuminating documentary, which includes footage of the Allied advance that has never before been seen. Get behind the glossy images of war put forth by Hollywood studios, and experience the true story behind its closing days.
The Lost Mummy of Imhotep uncovers what may be Egypt's fabled city of the dead and the legendary Imhotep, buried beneath the sands of Saqqara. At the dawn of Egyptian civilization, Imhotep built the first pyramid, became legendary as a physician and governed the greatest state on earth. The ancients made him a god, and Hollywood made him "The Mummy." But few realize that the character was based on one of the most important figures in all of ancient history, a man historians have called the world's "first known genius." For some archaeologists, Imhotep's lost burial site has been the Holy Grail of Egyptology. Now, at long last, Polish archaeologist Karol Mysliwiec may indeed have found him.
In AD 79 the legendary volcano Vesuvius erupted in one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions of all time, destroying the town of Pompeii. For 400 years archaeologists have studied the ancient bodies found buried beneath layers of ash and rock. The explanation for the victims' deaths has always been that they were killed by flying rocks and boiling lava. This is the interpretation still given to tourists who visit the site at Pompeii today. Yet an intriguing mystery lies at the centre of this explanation. The people of Pompeii had ample warning that the volcano was about to erupt, and yet they apparently stayed awaiting death in their hundreds. Why? The skeletons of those who stayed behind were miraculously preserved in the dust and very few show any sign of damage, violence or attempts to flee. How, then, did they die? This film reveals the terrible truth of what happened to the people of Pompeii on that fated day. Produced & Directed by Gary Johnstone Executive Producer for the Discovery Channel : Michael Quattrone An Optomen Television Production for The Discovery Channel and Channel Four MMI
Exploring the biological, sociological and psychological responses to anger and hatred. Included: physiological changes to the human body during extreme anger; how people deal with the consequences of violent acts.
Long ago, two species of human beings coexisted on Earth until competition drove one of them to extinction. This program, set in the southwest of France 35,000 years ago, uses re-creations of cinematic proportions to reconstruct life in the Neanderthal world at the time Cro-Magnons first entered the scene. All aspects of Neanderthal clan life are examined, including tool- and weapon-making, hunting and gathering, health and healing, childbirth, rituals, and making fire. Footage of skeletal remains and the scholarly research of eminent paleontologist Chris Stringer and Oxford Universitys Paul Pettitt support the documentary. A Discovery Channel Production.
It's a marble masterpiece, one of the most famous buildings in the world. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is simply an impossibility. More like something you dream than something that can exist. For hundreds of years, the world has watched in amazement as the building defies gravity, teetering on a razor's edge. It really is quite miraculous that it has not fallen over. And thank goodness it hasn't. If the Tower were to fall no one would feel it more than the people of Pisa. For them the Tower is the heart of their city. It is what draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, each one anxious to give a helping hand. It really needs one. The Leaning Tower of Pisa can tumble in an instant. For 800 years architects and engineers have been trying to fix the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Nearly every attempt has been disastrous. But somehow the Tower has serenely survived. Today the Tower is in greater danger than ever. It's lean is so extreme that the Italian government has closed it to avoid a potential disaster. It's been more than ten years since anyone has walked up its marble stairway which leads to its stunning bell chamber... until now. We will take a behind the scenes look inside the Tower that's been locked off to the public for so long and climb to the top for a rare view of its breathtaking vistas. We'll examine the bizarre history of the 800 year effort to save the Tower and introduce the current plan that some believe just may make the Tower safe forever, that is if it doesn't destroy it first.
Crime Scene Clean-Up goes behind the scenes into a world few have had to enter – the bloody aftermath of a traumatic crime scene.
After the cops and coroner have come and gone, leaving their fingerprint dust and discarded gloves behind, what happens then? Who cleans up after death?
Meet Ron Gospodarski, a man with unusual insight into a crime scene. Ron's business is to clean up after death, a business born out of the concerns of blood tainted by TB, Hepatitis and AIDS.
Follow Ron on his daily journey through New York City.
A Partisan Pictures Production for Discovery Communications, Inc.
El Nino has impacted people globally for the past 15,000 years, causing storms, floods, fires, drought, disease, famine, and even the extinction of entire societies. In this program, experts from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and elsewhere study the causes, impact, and implications of the dreaded natural cataclysm that is both a climatic and social phenomenon. High-tech El Nino surveillance, analysis of recent super-El Ninos, and research into the extinction of Peru’s ancient Moche people are featured, along with outstanding computer-modeled imaging and riveting archival footage.
What is it like to be a soldier who goes to war to heal? Lt. Diane Carlson Evans, who served as a nurse in Vietnam, responds, "Think of having a plane crash every day." This gritty program presents the history of the modern medic while tracking a class of prospective corpsmen training to earn the nickname "Doc" at the Navy’s Field Medical School. Archival photos and rare film footage document hard-minded innovations of medical expediency from the Civil War to today, such as triage, field hospitals, and prosthetics. Pararescuemen and combat medics who served in Vietnam and Somalia talk about their experiences. Produced by Hoggard Films for Discovery Channel
Documentary film footage and survivor interviews of a major fire that broke out on the deck of the nuclear aircraft carrier Enterprise. We see aircraft, munitions and jet fuel engulfed in flame and exploding as the crew members frantically fight to prevent more explosions, save their ship and their own lives.
Killer Elephants shows the slaughtered carcasses of young bull rhinoceros on an African Wildlife Preserve. Upon conducting an investigation into the cause of these deaths, the initial understanding was that they were caused by poachers interested in cashing in on the valuable ivory tusks of the rhinos. Yet, as carcasses were autopsied, it was obvious that the tusks remained intact and death was caused by catastrophic brutal force. Upon completion of the investigation, it was clearly determined that the deaths of these young, healthy and vibrant rhinos were caused by young bull Elephants whom had been displaced from their herds to the African Wildlife Preserve. Being social by nature, the young bull elephants developed a profoundly deep internal rage that vented through the intensely aggressive killing of the bull rhinoceros on the preserve although there was never an issue of the shortage of food or a competition for sustenance.
The Discovery Channel and Smithsonian Institute team up to find the bus-size marine monster alive in its habitat. Sonar, a manned submersible and high-tech cameras are used to search as record numbers of dead giant squid are raised by fishing trawlers.
The airplane has developed at almost warp-speed in less than a century. Get up close and personal to trace the story of the ever evolving airplane to see how, where, when and why they fly.
