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Private Notes
First episode of a five-part series on the Galapagos islands. This episode looks at the life and work of Charles Darwin, with emphasis on his historic five-year voyage as resident naturalist aboard the ship Beagle, his stopover at the Galapagos, and his lifetime spent evaluating the results of the trip.
A survey of the animal and plant life of the Galapagos archipelago including: a look at the geological origins of the islands, their geography and climate; and an explanation of the generally accepted theory of how these volcanic islands, owned by Ecuador, first became populated by plants and animals.
An exploration of the scientific phenomenon known as "adaptive radiation", the way in which a small founding group of a plant or animal species can give rise to a number of new species, and the way in which a new environment encourages this proliferation - Darwin's "natural selection" in action. Oceanic islands are the best places to see the process at work, and the Galapagos provide the best of all demonstrations. The program looks at the many forms of animal and plant life in the islands, with particular attention to the evolution of the species unique to them.
Apart from their external appearance, animals go through behavioural and physiological changes to adapt themselves to different environments: for example, acquiring the ability to drink salt water. Galapagos examples seen in this program include sea lions, sea birds and the marine iguana, a cold-blooded reptile which has adapted itself to endure the cold waters of the sub-Antarctic Humboldt current.
This final program in the series looks at some of the endangered species in the Galapagos islands, and at the impact of human settlement on the native creatures. The Galapagos are a living laboratory of incalculable value for the study of evolution.
A study of the life and work of Jean Jacques Audubon, the great painter-naturalist who captured the beauty of American wildlife on canvas.
A special documentary of the Cree inhabitants of Paint Hills, on the eastern shore of James Bay in Quebec.
It was not until 1930 that the outside world knew that there were people living in the highlands of Papua, New Guinea. In 1950 the first contact was made with a group of 55,000 Mendi, part of a million inhabitants of the New Guinea highlands, formerly not known to exist. The Australians have since built an airstrip, a hospital, schools, a hotel and other permanent buildings there, but the Mendi have kept their culture intact. A CBC film crew directed by Nancy Archibald has recorded some of the ancient culture and lifestyle of the Mendi and the results are presented in this special one-hour documentary.
A special about concern for the ecological future of the Arctic islands.
The Vietnamese people's struggle to rehabilitate their land after a decade of bombing and herbicides.
David Suzuki and The Nature of Things take on the powerful forest industry, examining environmentally questionable forestry practices.
Documentary about drug problems in Toronto, Amsterdam , Liverpool and New York.
This first program of the series is a sweeping introduction to the natural wonders of Australia and reveals why its natural history has become so distinctive and strange.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, but its huge desert centre is no barren wasteland - it's full of stunning landscapes and surprising wildlife.
The seas Down Under stretch from the dazzling topics to the wild, southern ocean and are full of surprises.
"The Bush" is the classic Australian landscape - and these weird and magical gum tree woodlands are home to the most famous Aussie animals.
The seas Down Under contain a string of exotic islands, from tropical New Guinea to icy New Zealand, each with its own stunning landscapes and unique wildlife.
Australia is famously full of the weirdest animals, living undisturbed for almost 50 million years. But they are no longer alone here: people have also come to live in this land.
Drug detection experts are determined to ensure Athens Olympics 2004 is run clean, by probing to expose drug-designing chemists, dealers, crooked coaches and athletes who are prepared to do anything to win.
Uncover the startling discoveries researchers make when they scan the brains of sociopaths and learn about the scientific studies that may answer the question: does biology dictate destiny? See how these studies are being put to use in helping young people cope with anger at an early age.
Anthropologists dissect this emotion to its core: lust, romantic love and attachment. How we are aroused is explored: smell and tone of voice play into attraction and compatibility. Peel back the layers of the most profound expression of our humanity.
What triggers fear, our physiological reactions, and what purpose it serves are studied. Scientists investigate how our brain assesses the need for fight or flight.
Drawing a distinction between the lasting state of happiness and the pursuit of instant pleasure, the program explores the evolutionary role of happiness, and asks what happens in the brain, and possibly in our genes, that make some people happy and others sad.
Stephen Lewis criss-crosses Africa in a relentless effort to motivate response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic there.
Every year the Caribbean paradise is turned into a hurricane hell. From the beginning of June until the end of November its hurricane season in the islands. With winds of over 150 mph, 5 metre storm surges and torrential rain, the destruction caused by hurricanes makes them one of the most feared forces of nature.
In a refreshing hour, Build Green advises making the sun, the wind, and the rain – along with dirt, straw, and sewage – your friends. By building a house using innovative practices and materials, you'll be doing the earth a favour too.
The clear blue waters that surround the Caribbean islands are home to some of the world's most stunning underwater treasures. Coral reefs form beautiful underwater gardens visited by angels, horse eye jacks, blue tangs and stingrays.
Take the island hop of your life. Discover the rich variety of islands that are the Caribbean, and what forces have shaped this violent paradise.
The Caribbean is not just the islands. We explore the least known Caribbean, that area beyond the Sea. A journey along the greatest Caribbean shoreline of all, that of Central America.
Imagine an alien with three hearts, blue blood and a doughnut shaped brain. In an instant it could become invisible, or switch on electrifying light shows. Then imagine this bizarre creature was real, and somehow connected to us.
Today's sloths rank highly among the most surprising creatures of the animal kingdom: living suspended to the Amazon rainforest's trees, they move about extremely slowly, as if from a world where time flows differently.
Discover the roots of a long vanished mountain range, explore the remains of an inland tropical sea and trace the story of a dramatic flood.
Geologic Journey: The Rockies tells the story of the great spine of stone that runs from the Canadian North to the southern United States. As the camera takes the audience on a highwire tour through the peaks of the Rockies – in both Canada and the USA – craggy rock faces and dangerous ice reveal the growth pangs of the mountain building era. The pristine beauty of the Canadian Rockies gives way to the ghost towns and gold mines that litter the mountains in Colorado – a telltale clue to the different geologic forces at work in the Canadian range and their American cousins.
This episode is an illustration of how nothing ever stays the same, not even the Rockies. Despite the appearance of timelessness and permanence, geologists are discovering how these rocks will meet their end – a sobering perspective on time, place and the enormity of the earth’s Geologic Journey.
The largest - and one of the oldest - expanses of ancient rock on the planet has riches of gold and diamonds under it's crust.
The fabled Appalachian Mountains contain a geologic puzzle, a rich legacy, and a scarcely known threat.
The dramatic story of volcanic outpourings, massive rifting of continents and the bursting forth of a new ocean - the Atlantic.
