The Nature of Things

Season 42

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 42

16 Episodes

  • Me, My Brain And I Unmasking The Mystery of the Conscious Mind
    E1
    Me, My Brain And I Unmasking The Mystery of the Conscious MindBob thinks but doesn't feel. Christina feels but has trouble thinking. Virginia can neither think or feel as she's pulled down into a spiral of darkness that zaps her very will to survive. Kent lives within a 20-minute time span, unable to remember his past or plan for his future. Each of these people has had an injury to a part of the brain called the frontal lobes and their stories, told in Me, My Brain And I, are helping neuroscientists unravel the mystery of what makes us distinctly human.
  • Warnings from the Wild
    E2
    Warnings from the WildAll over the planet, temperature increases are affecting wildlife. Some species are spreading to new areas. For others, climate change means extinction. THE NATURE OF THINGS with David Suzuki presents Warnings From The Wild, a documentary that draws together recent evidence of the effects of the biggest climatic upheaval in 10,000 years.
  • Touch: The Forgotten Sense
    E3
    Touch: The Forgotten SenseA film about the amazing, but often overlooked sense of touch. The film takes us on an artistic and scientific journey from a woman who has completely lost her sense of touch, to a deaf-blind child that can understand speech through his fingers.
  • Psychopaths
    E4
    PsychopathsA documentary that looks at the understanding of this condition in the scientific community, and what hope there is for treatment, therapy or a cure.
  • Drug Deals: The Brave New World of Prescription Drugs
    E5
    Drug Deals: The Brave New World of Prescription DrugsAre our regulatory agencies doing their best to ensure drug safety? Or are they buckling to corporate pressure to market lucrative new drugs before they are adequately tested? These are questions raised in DRUG DEALS: THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
  • Bioterror
    E6
    BioterrorSince the September 11th terrorist attack on The World Trade Center, the news has been saturated with information about a new threat, bio-terrorism. But how new is it? THE NATURE OF THINGS with David Suzuki presents BIOTERROR, an exploration of the past, present and future of bio-terrorism.
  • Race Against Time
    E7
    Race Against TimeIt's an epidemic of staggering proportions. Thirty-six million people are infected with the HIV virus worldwide, with over 25 million of them in Africa. More than 21 million people have died of AIDS, nearly 17 million in Africa alone. THE NATURE OF THINGS with David Suzuki presents RACE AGAINST TIME, a film about the greatest challenge of the 21st century and the work of Canadian Stephen Lewis, the United Nations Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa.
  • Return of the Peregrine
    E8
    Return of the PeregrineAdept at diving at speeds normally reserved for fighter pilots, the peregrine falcon is the fastest and most widely dispersed creature on the planet. A one-hour documentary, RETURN OF THE PEREGRINE chronicles this majestic bird of prey's journey back from the brink of extinction.
  • Genetically Modified Foods
    E9
    Genetically Modified FoodsIn 2001 the Government of Canada approved the following genetically modified crops for food use: canola, corn, cottonseed, flax, potato, soybean, tomato, wheat, sugar beet and squash. Is enough really known about genetic engineering to ensure that genetically modified (GM) food products are safe for consumption?
  • Living Forever
    E10
    Living ForeverBiologists have seen within our genes the possibility of extending human life spans to 300 years or more. In the 21st century, will scientists reach the Holy Grail? Will they find the secret of eternal youth? THE NATURE OF THINGS with David Suzuki presents LIVING FOREVER, a look at how far scientists have come in discovering the human potential for longevity.
  • Self-Experimenters
    E11
    Self-ExperimentersMost major advances in medicine and science and are made by people who push the envelope. From morphine to cardiac surgery, we owe much to the risks taken by scientists of the past who have experimented on their own bodies to make new discoveries.
  • Morphine on Trial
    E13
    Morphine on Trial
  • Cyberman: Canada's Original Cyborg
    E14
    Cyberman: Canada's Original CyborgInventor creates wearable computer technology.
  • Wired for Life
    E15
    Wired for LifeUsing pacemaker-like implants, functional electrical stimulation allows people with spinal-cord injuries to reclaim some mobility and even resume pastimes like art and sports.
  • Intuition
    E16
    IntuitionA horse buyer selects her winning choices randomly from a list, using her "gut-feeling." Upon viewing a photo, a businesswoman tells her boss that his wife is expecting a baby. An astronaut communicates telepathically from space with colleagues on earth. These and many other examples of psi-phenomena are examined in the film Intuition.
  • Beluga Speaking Across Time
    E17
    Beluga Speaking Across Time

 

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