The Nature of Things

A year in the life of whooping cranes, and the humans saving them from extinction.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Sarika Cullis-Suzuki and Anthony Morgan study ultra-processed foods; they examine why these foods are appealing; they investigate the health effects.

As global temperatures rise, Anthony Morgan investigates the human body's natural cooling system; he examines sweat, an often underappreciated bodily function and its crucial role.

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

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

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

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

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

Mae Martin explores the science of gender and sexual fluidity.

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, experts are finally learning the story of prehistoric kids and how they helped shape humans into who we are today.

A hair-raising journey into the salon, the lab, a remote Chinese village, a baby nursery and even a wildlife sanctuary to explore the surprising new research at the root of it all.

Find out if science can ease the human conditions of loss, rejection, and unrequited love.

A pristine river in Quebec is granted rights through legal personhood, protecting it and those who call it home.

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

Anthony Morgan shines a light where the sun doesn’t usually shine. Why we have butts, how they evolved and how to keep yours healthy.

Sarika Cullis-Suzuki travels back in time to solve the evolutionary mystery of the walking whale.

The human voice is the most sophisticated communication tool, but most of us don’t know how to unlock its potential.

Broken genitals and cannibalism. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of how bugs get busy.

Five orphaned grizzly bear cubs get a second chance at life in the wild, but can they survive without their mother? A groundbreaking study follows the bears to find out if rewilding works.

How have humans survived extreme environmental change in the past? And what will it take to survive what’s next?

Some scientists are proposing radical ways to cool our warming planet – but others say it’s time to restore nature on a global scale.

New archaeological discoveries are challenging our understanding of when the first people arrived in North America, rewriting the human story.

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

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

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

North Atlantic right whales are on the brink of extinction. Follow the fight to save them.

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

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.

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

We see faces in everything. Facial recognition is an evolutionary superpower unique to humans.

Narrated by Ryan Reynolds, Curb Your Carbon reveals the easy and effective ways we can all fight climate change ... and turn down the heat.

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

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

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

When humanity hits pause, nature reboots. Scientists discover the surprising ways pandemic lockdowns affected our planet.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

An excavator operator working in a pit in the oil sands discovers a perfectly preserved dinosaur corpse. It's like a crime scene and the world's paleontologists are on the case.

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

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

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

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?

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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 Great Pyramid of Egypt may be humanity’s greatest achievement. It’s a skyscraper of stone built without computers or complex machinery. Now the secrets of the pyramid could finally be exposed, thanks to a series of astonishing new findings. Egyptologists are unearthing evidence across the country to reveal a story that tells of more than just how Egypt built a pyramid – they are discovering how the pyramid itself changed Egypt and the world. David Suzuki is joining the experts and scientists on the front-line who are unraveling new clues to the world’s greatest ancient mystery.

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

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 winter.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

New research dispels old myths about animal intelligence.

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

The race to get to Mars is on, seizing the imagination of the world. Every month there seems to be a new revelation.

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.

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

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.

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 to uncover Pompeii's secrets.

Every year, athletes keep going higher, farther and faster, shattering previous world records and setting new ones. But are today’s record holders really better than those of the past? Or do modern athletes get their edge from their high tech gear? Top sports scientist Steve Haake sets off on a journey to investigate.

Experience a calf’s first year of life as it grows up in Jasper National Park amid some of the most striking scenery on the planet.

Scientists are unraveling the delicate mysteries of the snowflake. And what they’re learning is amazing.

From 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.

A investigation into whether or not Cholesterol really is the cause of heart problems.

Dr. Jennifer Gardy tries out new technology and looks at fresh ideas of our relationships with nature.

Dr. 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.

The biggest archaeological survey ever conducted of the Stonehenge landscape finds new evidence of a lost civilization.

A remarkable journey across Canada’s natural landscapes revealing the surprising influence early humans had on the land and its wildlife.

Scientists are attacking food allergies in new and inventive ways, driven by the alarming increase in the number of people, particularly children, who suffer from them – and can die from them.

A rare look at the leatherback turtle as it migrates between the chilly waters off Eastern Canada and the sunny beaches of the Caribbean.

The quest to solve a great mystery in history: Identify the Black Death killer and unlock secrets that could save millions of lives.

Orphan elephant Sities must learn how to be a wild elephant when she leaves the safety of a Kenyan sanctuary to begin her journey back to freedom.

Canadian scientist Fred Urquhart unravels the mystery of the monarch's winter home.

What if each of us could make the symptoms of an illness disappear? Cast a spell so powerful it would actually heal our bodies, help us walk, or breathe better? For centuries placebos have been thought of as just fake medicine, but Brain Magic: The Power of Placebo explores the growing scientific evidence that placebos can have powerful—and real—effects on our minds and bodies.

Dr. Jennifer Gardy is back. But this time, Dr. Gardy’s journey of scientific discovery will plumb our very hopes and dreams - our quest for self-improvement. Are raw vegetables really better for you? Can you be fat and fit? Should you ditch caffeine? Dr. Gardy puts her own body on the line in lively experiments and scientific investigations to discover whether many popular health claims are science fact or science fiction.

Lyme disease, a mysterious tick-borne illness, has become one of the fastest-spreading diseases in North America. Tiny, dangerous and once uncommon, the population of ticks is growing at an alarming rate. The documentary explores how climate change has hastened the spread of the ticks and this devastating disease, one that is often misdiagnosed and mistreated, and is mired in medical controversy.

North America is under attack by a sly and wily aquatic invader. Introduced in the ‘70s for the purpose of cleaning up algae in fish ponds, the aggressive Asian carp escaped into the Mississippi river system during floods. The 50-kilogram bottom feeders have advanced north at a surprising rate, becoming a familiar sight with their frenzied and often physically threatening mass leaps into the air. Despite their fascination with this newcomer, scientists on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border agree this invader is a threat we need to take seriously.

The conservation of the caribou and their environment is much-contested territory.

The exotic world of fruit and the story of nature, commerce and obsession.

There is a new hybrid species which is part wolf, part coyote.

People struggle to combat a blood-sucking little insect that is both delicate and deadly.

Twelve hours of light. Twelve hours of dark. For our entire history we have lived and worked in rhythm with the sun. But all that changed with the invention of artificial light. Light fixtures, computer and television screens - all of these have allowed us more time to live, work, play and shorten our nights. But at what cost? Are we putting our health at risk? We explore how the type of light we are exposed to in the hours between dusk and bedtime can play tricks on our bodies and cancel the healthful benefits naturally triggered by the absence of light.

Are we alone in the universe? We may be very close to finding out. For millennia humans studying the stars had no idea if there were any other planets in the universe, let alone ones similar enough to ours to sustain life. Now, scientists may be close to discovering Earth-like planets, using a new space telescope and a technique pioneered by two Canadian astronomers.

There are those of us who see squirrels as cute and fascinating, but there is also a large contingent who regard them as “tree rats” - little pests that never tire of wreaking havoc in our attics, gardens, and just about anything else that catches their fleeting fancy. So who’s right? Nuts about Squirrels reveals the secret world of the ubiquitous urban grey squirrel with squirrel robots, micro-chipped acorns and an army of citizen scientists.

Wolves and Buffalo follows the fortunes of one pack of wolves, the Delta Pack. Will the pups survive their first year? Will the packs alpha animals retain their pack position to breed again next year? As they try to bring down the buffalo to keep themselves and their new pups alive what will the future hold for these ancient warriors?

In 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.

Multiple sclerosis patients use social media to engage in an unprecedented battle with the Canadian medical establishment for access to a controversial treatment.

Most 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?

Scientists explore the mysteries of animal consciousness and find growing evidence of compassion, cooperation, altruism, empathy, intelligence and communication in all sorts of different species.

A 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.

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.

A 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.

Examining modern China's ideas about nature and the environment.

Scientist 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.

In 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?

One 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.

Is your garbage can making raccoons smarter? Stunning footage shot in the deep, dark of night combines with groundbreaking research in this fascinating documentary to explore the remarkable ways that city life is changing raccoons.

Revisiting the 2009 release of nearly extinct black-footed ferrets in Saskatchewan to see what happened.

Filmmaker Jeff Turner documents grizzly bears in the Northern Cascades of British Columbia.