The Nature of Things

Deep in the jungle amidst the ruins of an ancient empire, bat scientists meet for an all out Bat-a-thon, a blitz of research to discover more about the furry little flyers.

Sarika journeys to the Arctic where beavers have been encroaching farther north every year. Will the Arctic ever be the same as they populate more of the northern tundra?

Worldwide weather systems are starting to break. How air, ocean and even lava currents are changing in unprecedented ways thanks to a hotter planet.

After a brain injury, the scientist must relearn how to live and work in Canada's North; she discovers that the ancient Arctic was a strange and surprising place.

A moderate drinker takes a sobering look at everyone's favourite social lubricant, asking the question: is any amount safe?

Sarika Cullis-Suzuki explores how nature's slowest creatures survive and thrive. A celebration of resilience, adaptation and the quiet brilliance of taking life slowly.

Dogs using buttons to communicate in our language have gone viral, inspiring intrepid owners and scientists to dive deeper: can dogs truly talk to us?

This rollicking romp through the barnyard reveals the mysterious and often misunderstood world of chickens, including their sophisticated social order and surprising cognitive capabilities.

The science of adolescence: understanding this dramatic, mysterious and critically important phase of life, for humans and other animals.

With the planet getting warmer, host Anthony Morgan discovers it's time we knew more about our unique cooling system and oft maligned superpower, SWEAT!

Why ultra-processed foods are irresistible – and how they impact our health. Sarika Cullis-Suzuki and Anthony Morgan investigate.

From New York to Kolkata, there are surprising benefits to us that come from sharing space with the wildlife in our cities.

Grasslands account for half of the total land area on the planet and most have been converted for human use. There are some places though where people and wildlife can both prosper by sharing space.

Water provides the largest habitat on Earth, but water-dependent wildlife is declining fast. Learning to share these watery worlds can offer a brighter future for the entire planet.  

Forests are essential for life on our planet, but humans are cutting more down every year. These inspiring people are reshaping how we live and work in Earth's forests, sharing space with wildlife. 

From goats that can sense upcoming volcanic eruptions to birds that know how to avoid tsunamis and cyclones, scientists are using wearable technology to tap into the "secret knowledge" of animals.

A richly visual and deeply uplifting story of humanity's connections to buffalo how their return to the Great Plains can usher in a new era of sustainability and balance.

New hosts Sarika Cullis-Suzuki and Anthony Morgan take on the world's longest-running science documentary series.

Through a journey of scientific discovery, naturalist Connel Bradwell explores queerness and sexual diversity in Nature, and questions why we've been missing it all along.

Science is revealing the truth about 'dad bods' and how having a child can dramatically affect the brains and bodies of men. Real dad bods are less about the pudge and more about the smarts.

Shark nerds are on a mission to reveal the JAWSOME lives of Canada's Great White Sharks.

Sarika Cullis-Suzuki uncovers what it was like to grow up in prehistoric times and how kids once lived, played and learned tens of thousands of years ago.

Popular nonbinary comedian Mae Martin explores the science of gender and sexual fluidity.

Anthony Morgan joins the fossil dig of a lifetime as paleontologists discover why a tiny patch of land became a giant dinosaur graveyard.

ISIS destroyed thousands of ancient artefacts and buildings in Mosul. Now, archeologists are making incredible discoveries in the wreckage.

Last of the Right Whales follows the whale migration from the only known calving grounds in the waters of the southeastern U.S. to the shifting feeding grounds around the Bay of Fundy, Gulf of St. Lawrence and New England coast. Meet the people committed to saving a species that is still struggling to recover from centuries of hunting, and who are trying to make room for the whales in our modern world.

Remarkable superpowers make rats the evolutionary heroes of the animal kingdom.

Is cannabis a medical cure-all or snake oil? Scientists distinguish the medicine from the myths.

How staff at a luxury hotel in Niagara Falls, NY helped ferry enslaved people to freedom.

The inside story of the high-stakes race to defeat a killer virus and save millions of lives. 

When humanity hits pause, nature reboots; scientists discover the surprising ways pandemic lock downs affected our planet. 

Artificial intelligence is becoming more empathic, emotionally intelligent and creative. So what does it mean to be human?

Disappearing tendons? Longer legs? Artificial body parts? What will humans look like in the future?

The secret ingredient to becoming a better cook? Science! Top chefs and culinary experts explain the chemistry, physics and microbiology of cooking

The easy and effective ways we can all fight climate change ... and turn down the heat.

Facial recognition is one of the brain's more sophisticated functions. What happens now that machines are learning from human biology and face recognition technology is spreading?

Goodbye backyard ice rinks, mountain glaciers and forest biodiversity: what Canada might lose due to climate change.

It may surprise you to learn that you are a dancer. In fact, we are all dancers. This film takes us into the beating heart of why humans simply must dance.

The key element of life on Earth, it has the power to build and destroy.

Unraveling the secrets of the most extreme sleepers of the animal kingdom. Why and how do animals sleep? How do they deal with sleep deprivation? And do animals dream?

Global temperatures are rising and so are we: millions of young people rise up to demand their right to a livable planet.

How screens affect our children's development, learning abilities and mental health.

Signs of life and hope emerge from the scorched landscapes of the worst wildlife disaster in modern history. of life and hope emerge from the scorched landscapes of the worst wildlife disaster in modern history.

3,711 passengers and crew. 14-day quarantine. 1 deadly infectious disease. Coronavirus aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Uncovering the truth about the richest and most powerful woman in world history.

Canadians push the limits of cold endurance while baby harp seals brave icy water and flying squirrels cuddle.

Rain brings unexpected benefits for spadefoot toads, grizzlies, and whitewater kayakers - but too much can be deadly.

The invisible element that shapes our lives; falcons, butterflies and spiders hitch a ride, while Canadians harness, and harvest, the wind.

The driving force behind all weather, sunlight creates a banquet for blue whales, helps vultures soar, and is essential for training some extreme athletes.

Crews go to great lengths to get amazing shots of wildlife people and weather. Working with scientists is essential.

Neanderthals weren't brutish or dim-witted. New discoveries reveal they were more human than we ever thought!

Veteran polar bear guide Dennis Compayre goes on a remarkable journey into the world of a polar bear mom and her newborn cubs as they leave the safety of their den for the first time.

Veteran polar bear guide, Dennis Compayre watches as a mother bear teaches her young cubs to hunt and discovers how they are struggling to adapt to a rapidly warming Arctic.

A filmmaker explores one man's quest to save a walrus, as the debate around marine mammal captivity evolves in Canada.

The epic story of three legendary women who fought to save the great apes - and inspired a generation.

Canada's prairies are among the world's most endangered, least protected ecosystems, but there are people working to keep them wild.

The remarkable story of a solitary wolf living against the odds and his close bond with renowned wildlife photographer Cheryl Alexander.

A captivating exploration of the science of colour, including a look at people and animals who experience it in fascinating ways.

For most of its existence, planet Earth has been a brutal, inhospitable, toxic nightmare, until a half billion years ago when – KABOOM! – life suddenly appeared. First Animals, a new documentary from The Nature of Things, takes you back to the Cambrian Explosion through newly-discovered fossils that tell us more about our own origins.

Why do some people seek out terrifying experiences, while others avoid fear at all costs? Why does fear spur some to fight and leave others frozen? Although the emotion of fear is as old as life itself, scientists are asking new questions and getting new answers about how our brains process it

Under Thin Ice follows Canadian extreme divers and cinematographers Jill Heinerth and Mario Cyr on a journey to investigate how Arctic wildlife is adjusting to global warming.

Sable Island, Nova Scotia, is a remote, almost mythical landscape in the northwest Atlantic that's famous for its wild horses. But what many people don't know is that it's also home to the largest breeding colony of grey seals in the world. Every winter, tens of thousands of female seals head to Sable to give birth. In 2016 alone, more than 80,000 pups were born. Huge males arrive too, ready to fight for the right to breed with their chosen female.

The accidental discovery in Alberta of one of the best-preserved dinosaurs opens a prehistoric cold case to uncover the secrets of its mysterious death. 

Sifting through a mountain of salt science for a grain of truth about the war on sodium declared by health experts in 1977. 

An introduction to the unsung animal heroes who clean up messes in the urban spaces they share with humans. 

Sarika Cullis-Suzuki takes us on a personal and intimate journey to discover the spectacular and surprising world of the intertidal zone, and reveal how it holds the key to the health of the world's oceans and our own survival.

One of the world's most incredible urban wildernesses. It offers a fascinatingly vivid account of the push-pull relationship at play in humankind's transformation of natural environments...and a reminder of nature's power when left to it's own devices.

Scientists uncover the complex and emotional lives of the ocean's most intelligent predators.

David Suzuki takes us on a journey to learn how to live better and age well.

Scientists are racing against time to save the world's coral reefs before they're lost forever.

7 weeks, 8,000km, countless adventures...and 1 gram of honey. The life of a single bee, through her own eyes.

A journey around the world and back in time, to discover why horses and humans make perfect partners.

Travel back to the moment humans tamed the horse, and learn how horsepower made history.

How did humans save the wild horse from extinction? And how did we create over 400 specialized breeds today?

From volcanoes to earthquakes & dust migration to meteorites — scientists reveal how much the Earth changes in 24 hours.

Join an investigative journey around the world to uncover the mysteries of the most famous dinosaur super-predator: the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Can we trust what we remember about our own lives? Memory scientists say most memories are full of distortions and errors.

A look at how innovations in remote unmanned cameras let us bear witness to animal behaviour 24/7 - almost anywhere on earth.

Trailblazing scientists are making ground-breaking discoveries in the rapidly evolving world of genetic engineering.

From emus to penguins, meet some of the most devoted stay-at-home animal dads on the planet.

When it comes to diet, we swallow a lot of advice. Food for Thought sorts through the latest science to create a new recipe for health.

The aurora borealis delights and amazes us, but we're just beginning to understand its beauty.

Researchers studying the play behavior in animals and humans. They are trying to answer big questions in a long overlooked field. Mother Nature doesn't do anything just for fun, so how and why did play evolve?

Inventors are as diverse as their inventions, and they are changing our world.

Air pollution is a major killer, even in places we think of as ‘safe,' so scientists are using new technology to measure it and study its effects on our bodies

Scientists around the world are learning new things about the unmistakable behaviours behind the soundtrack of our lives' most memorable moments.

Go on a journey around the globe to meet the world's animal elders and discover their secrets to survival.

Scientists explore the extraordinary mass nesting behaviour of the olive ridley sea turtle, and reveal the hidden world inside a turtle nest.

From playful mating rituals to cunning survival strategies, there's remarkable diversity among the world's rabbits and hares.

The first days of spring sees Arctic fox pups take their first steps and black bear cubs learn to climb trees after the long cold days of winter, while female caribou make the dangerous trek to reach their calving grounds.

Killer whales and blue sharks are on the hunt, while amorous fireflies light up the night forest with their dazzling display, as summer reveals Canada's landscape at the peak of its splendour.

Fall chronicles a remarkable season of change: young northern gannets leap off perilous cliffs as chipmunks race to gather winter supplies, and prairie rattlesnakes give birth to live young.

Lynx hunt snowshoe hares in the boreal forest and the ancient dance between wolves and caribou on Canada's vast tundra reveal the harshest time of year when landscapes are transformed by the cruel and dramatic beauty of snow and ice.

Watch the incredible feats of endurance and technical wizardry needed to capture the sequences featured in the landmark series The Wild Canadian Year.

Event special fusing dramatic new archaeological discoveries, large-scale engineering experiments, and CGI animation to reveal new secrets about the greatest mysteries of the Egyptian Pyramids - Who built them and how?

Nature created it. Humans harnessed it. And now, as climate change helps light a flame to our forests, scientists are desperately trying to understand it.

The climate is changing and the ancient ice of the Yukon's southern mountains is disgorging a missing chapter of human history.

A revealing look at the secret life of trees - how they communicate, wage war, and work together to transform our world.

Forgotten bones of Jumbo the elephant help scientists crack unsolved mysteries surrounding the world's first animal superstar.

Mysterious new artifacts turning up in Chesapeake Bay bear an inexplicable resemblance to those from Ice Age Europe. Two renowned archaeologists risk it all to prove that brave souls crossed over the Atlantic ocean on an ice bridge to populate North America twenty thousand years ago.

Lions, elephants, and baboons: Three sisterhoods of the savannah, where the mothers rule, and the daughters inherit the wilderness.

Sport scientist challenges top winter athletes to compete against legends of the past in vintage gear.

Explore why magic is a unique tool for gaining new insights into human cognition, neurobiology, and behaviour.

Jennifer Gardy lifts the lid on poop to discover if it's myth or science that we're flushing a valuable resource down the toilet.

The evolutionary story of how fungi shaped all terrestrial life - including us.

Despite intense archaeological scrutiny, much of the ancient city of Pompeii still remains a mystery. Now a team of archaeologists, scientists, and historians are taking a high-tech approach to uncovering Pompeii's secrets.

Adam Walker, a competitive long-distance swimmer, was protected from a great white shark by dolphins. This changed his life. Adam wants to set off on a worldwide scientific inquiry to explore the world of dolphins.

The story of a natural disaster and how Californians are responding as they face a water level that is dropping to zero.

The brain can not only change itself, but it can also heal itself in ways we never thought were possible. Dr. Norman Doidge looks at how energy - light, sound, electricity, and motion - awaken the brain's own capacity to heal.

Scientists, dreamers, and billionaires are rushing to put humans on the red planet. Not just in the future, but now. Will Mars be our new home? The journey has begun.

A fascinating journey inside the evolving science of transplants, where breakthrough discoveries are solving the organ crisis and transforming the future of medicine.

New research dispels old myths about animal intelligence.

Scientists and musicians explore the many ways that music profoundly affects the human body, the brain, and human emotions.

A unique window into the mysterious world of the Great Horned Owl; taking us across North America to meet passionate owl experts, volunteers, scientists, and the owls they love.

Most people experience trauma at least once. For many the memories fade with time. But for some they make it impossible to move beyond trauma.

Jennifer Gardy takes a bizarre trip to the edge of perception as she attempts to make sense of our senses.

The hidden wild world of insect life in our homes is revealed when a family lets a team of bug experts explore their home.

How we move our bodies can speak louder than our words, and the information we unknowingly share can be surprising.

Elation and despair as cancer patients pin hopes on an experimental trial.

A filmmaker tries to unlock the mystery behind his father's cancer. Is there a connection to golf's manicured perfection?

A family of arctic wolves struggles to raise their pups in the harsh and unforgiving landscape of Canada's far north.

Can you have ADHD and not know it? Learn the telltale signs.

Bold and beautiful, the red fox can change its behaviour to make a home from deep in cities to far out on the arctic tundra.

We've all heard people say, ‘It was beyond my control' or ‘I couldn't stop myself'. We like to think that we're all ultimately in control of our actions. But how true is this really?

Think you know David Suzuki? Think again. On his 80th birthday we reveal the man behind the image

More than half of Canadian households own a pet — keeping them healthy has grown into a billion dollar industry. What lengths will people go for their furry friends?