The Nature of Things

Season 3

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 The Nature of Things • Season 3

25 Episodes

  • Looking Ahead
    E1
    Looking AheadSeries consultant Lister Sinclair is host on the season's opener on which he explains how scientists approach their work and how The Nature of Things will present scientific items during its 26-week run.
  • Brainwashing
    E2
    BrainwashingBritish psychaitrist Dr William Sargeant discusses and illustrates various brainwashing techniques such as weakening of mind.
  • Tubes To Transistors
    E3
    Tubes To TransistorsHosts Dr Patterson Hume and Dr Donald Ivey of University of Toronto talk about electronics age brought about by vacuum tube and transistor.
  • From Water To Land
    E4
    From Water To LandPalaeontologist Dr Alfred S. Romer of Harvard University explains evolution of lungs, legs, and a new kind of egg in aquatic creatures.
  • Chemistry Of Salt
    E5
    Chemistry Of SaltDr Fred H. Knelman of Montreal, talks about sources and chemistry of salt and industrial applications of salt and its components.
  • Ear Operation
    E6
    Ear OperationFilm of an ear operation from BBC series YOUR LIFE IN THEIR HANDS, with commentary by Dr Hugh Barber, Toronto ear specialist.
  • The Way The Ball Bounces
    E7
    The Way The Ball BouncesProfessors Donald Ivey and Patterson Hume demonstrate principles behind bounce in a rubber ball.
  • Lie Detectors
    E8
    Lie DetectorsThis program examines autonomic nervous system, how it works, and what it can reveal.
  • Smoking And Lung Cancer
    E9
    Smoking And Lung CancerIn cooperation with National Cancer Institute and Canadian Cancer Society, today's show explores results of years of lung-cancer research in Britain and North America.
  • Science Museum
    E10
    Science MuseumTo commemorate the Canadian Centennial in 1967 it has been proposed that Canada build a national museum of science. The program includes filmed demonstrations of how science and technology can be made meaningful to the general public.
  • Tornadoe
    E11
    Tornadoe
  • The Descent of Man
    E12
    The Descent of ManRecent fossil discoveries in Africa have shed new light on the ancestry and evolution of man. Guest Dr. L.S.B. Leakey, renowned British anthropologist and paleontologist, unearthed fossil remains in the Olduvai Gorge that have extended the time scale of human evolution from 500,000 to two million years or more. A deductive story in anthropology and paleontology is told as Dr. Leakey describes his finds and interprets their significance
  • Isaac Newton
    E13
    Isaac NewtonSeries consultant Lister Sinclair pays tribute to Sir Isaac Newton. The program attempts to capture the spirit of the time through the words of Newton himself and those of his contemporaries
  • New Atoms For Old
    E14
    New Atoms For OldDrs. Patterson Hume and Donald Ivey of the University of Toronto explain the value of atoms and the care needed in handling them because of their radio-active properties.
  • Car Crashes
    E15
    Car CrashesWhat happens in a car crash - to car and to its occupants? What causes a crash?
  • April 28, 1963
    E16
    April 28, 1963
  • Bird Migration
    E17
    Bird MigrationIn this program the origins and patterns of bird migration, and the latest theories of bird orientation and navigation, are discussed with Dr. William W.H. Gunn of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists.
  • Fact & Fiction
    E18
    Fact & FictionHosts Dr Donald Ivey and Dr Patterson Hume of University of Toronto, contrast observation to synthesis.
  • Code of Life
    E19
    Code of LifeDr Louis Siminovitch, Professor of Medical Biophysics at University of Toronto, discusses what is currently known about heredity.
  • The Chemistry Of Bread
    E20
    The Chemistry Of BreadBaking bread may be a familiar process, but it is by no means a simple one. A very great number of fundamental chemical actions are demonstrated in baking of one loaf of bread
  • The Infra-Red
    E21
    The Infra-RedDetection of heatwaves by Special infra-red receptors has many industrial, military and other uses.
  • Human Overpopulation
    E22
    Human OverpopulationIn aftermath of industrial revolution, with scientific advances offsetting human control, human species has experienced an increase so explosive that grave doubts are now held about future food supply.
  • Mars
    E23
    MarsLister Sinclair talks to leading scientists about Mars and plans for observing the planet from close range: Dr. Albert G. Wilson, a former director of the Lowell Observatory, now with the Rand Corporation, and the Chief of the Space Sciences Division at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Robert V. Meghreblian.
  • Spiders
    E24
    SpidersMan has not ignored the spider - even before interest in them could be called scientific, spiders gave rise to constant legends and myths and were involved in medicine, art, history, and religion. This program is devoted to the subject of spiders - what they are, varieties, feeding, mating habits, milk production and legends behind some of the more notorious species including the Black Widow. Introducing and discussing the subject is freelance writer William Whitehead who has done post-graduate work on the Black Widow spiders.
  • Hypnosis
    E25
    HypnosisDr. Martin T. Orne of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard University Medical School discusses the subject of hypnosis. Hypnosis has become an important tool for medical science - including childbirth, surgery, dentistry, and psychotherapy. Many types and uses of hypnosis are illustrated by Orne on the program. Last show of the season.

 

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