Since Galileo first turned a telescope to the heavens, astronomers have studied the planets, the stars, and distant galaxies. But there are some mysteries so deep the answers cannot be found with traditional tools. For those, it takes something entirely different: a revolutionary new kind of observatory built to detect the whisper of a signal that’s never been directly measured. More Details

Plants do just about everything and they can do even more when we understand them better. Plant genome research is revolutionizing the field of biology. This program takes viewers on a lively and upbeat journey that explores how plants got to be the way they are and how we can make better use of them in the future. More Details

Drinking water pollution can cause many deadly diseases, especially in children of poor countries around the world. Learn how student fundraisers and field scientists from the U.S. have helped indigenous peoples develop water treatment systems using their own technologies. More Details

A huge bottled-water industry has recently emerged, with the U.S. its largest consumer. A blind taste test by young students suggests that most people cannot tell the difference between tap and bottled water. This program poses questions to the theory that bottled water is better for us and the environment. More Details

In the U.S., polluted waters can have damaging economic and social effects, as well as destroy environmental habitats. The Chesapeake Bay is one of the most polluted watersheds in America, but Baltimore-area students are working with commercial crab catchers and scientists in the Baltimore area to help restore its health. More Details

The Rio Grande is one of our longest rivers, its Texas section forming a natural border between the U.S. and Mexico. Competing human claims for it are viewed through the eyes of two young women: a whitewater rafting guide in upstream New Mexico and a teenager downstream near El Paso. More Details

Fair distribution of water has long been a worldwide problem. The Great Lakes contain 20% of the world’s fresh surface water, but that water is currently available to only a small portion of our population. Should other water-scarce regions have access to this water? What effect would the piping of Great Lakes water to other areas have on the lakes and on Midwestern environments? More Details

Despite its wonders, Earth's water cycle does not spread water evenly around the planet. The Ogallala Aquifer’s huge underground reservoir of water gives states such as Nebraska a large but limited irrigation source. Experience how one progressive farm family uses technology to conserve water while producing higher food yields and profits. More Details

This program is about the air that is covering the earth. Air’s weight pressing on the Earth is called atmospheric pressure, and it contributes to weather patterns, as does the sun; together they “drive” the process of weather and make life on earth possible. More Details

Today, two-thirds of the world’s humans live near coasts. The Mediterranean coastal climate is so mild that many civilizations were born here, and still thrive. But summer’s dryness often results in fierce fires. More Details

Desert regions have hot, dry climates where rain sometimes comes only once every few years. Subtropical climates can also be dry and hot, such as in the thorny Australian bush country. More Details

The tropics are the region of rainforests and savannahs. Tropical rainforests are very warm and humid throughout the year. In a savannah, there is also little variation in seasons. But the dry climate means fewer trees and more grass, so savannahs are home to herds of large animals. More Details

The weather changes every day. Climates also change, but slowly—over centuries or even millennia. The earth has had cycles in which ice ages alternate with periods of warmth. These cycles have always been natural phenomena, but humans may be responsible for the current bout of global warming. More Details

Explore the adaptations that people, plants, and animals have made to survive in the harsh climates of mountains and steppes. In high mountainous regions there is snow cover for many months of the year, but some plants and animals have adapted to this frigid environment. More Details

Oceans act as temperature regulators, bringing mild weather to coastal areas. The moderate temperatures and moisture-laden winds of coastal and island environments are optimal conditions for living things, so islands have been widely colonized by plants, animals, and humans. More Details

This program explores the Earth's polar and subpolar regions and describes the people, plants, and animals that live there. Computer animations show how the angle of the earth’s axis produces the “land of the midnight sun” and how the planet's magnetic field causes the aurora borealis, or northern lights. More Details

Live-action film footage, maps, and computerized animations help explain the reasons for the summer monsoon season in South Asia. Both the positive and negative effects of the monsoon are covered, life-giving water for the region's rice crops and misery for the many people who are flooded out of their homes. More Details

With the aid of computer animations, this program explains how cumulonimbus clouds develop into thunderstorms and how cyclones or hurricanes form over tropical oceans. Tornadoes occur over landmasses—especially in the United States—and cover a much smaller area than cyclones or hurricanes. More Details

Live-action film footage, maps, and computer animations introduce the climate of temperate regions in Europe and compare them the continental regions of both Europe and North America. More Details

Humidity has helped life develop on Earth. The water cycle, the process of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, leads to the formation of clouds and to water falling as rain, snow, fog, mist, drizzle, and other solid or liquid types. More Details

Explore the causes of global winds, including the daily rotation of the earth on its axis, the changing seasons, and the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface by the sun. A section on weather forecasting stresses the importance of accurate observations and explains the pivotal role of satellite imaging and computer modeling in predicting the weather. More Details

The mysteries of ocean ecology are evident in the annual spawning of coral, the molting of lobsters, the feeding habits of sharks and cuttlefish, and the deadly attacks of squid. Live-action footage captures opalescent squid as they lay their eggs then die in vast numbers. These are the creatures that come out when twilight falls. More Details

Live-action underwater footage captures the ecological balance between animals and plants on a Caribbean coral reef. More Details

Live-action underwater photography captures the lives of predators and prey in the world’s oceans. More Details

Live-action underwater footage reveals the hunting habits of the oceans’ deadliest predators, sharks. More Details

Live-action film captures the lives of sea stars (starfish) inhabiting the ocean bottom. More Details

This colorful program shows the hunting habits and defenses of tuna, hammerhead sharks, snake eels, lobsters, hermit crabs, and several other species. More Details

Live-action underwater footage captures the lives of several whale species, including blue whales, southern right whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, and California gray whales. More Details

Live-action footage captures the mysteries of venomous marine creatures such as nudibranchs, sea anemones, jellyfish, moray eels, and scorpion fish. More Details

Two scientists wade through the Everglades, evading alligators, one of its many wonders, while other investigators explore its topography and history. Human intervention in the last century had good intentions (hurricane control, swamp drainage) but resulted in increased storm damage, loss of natural water cleansing, and other unintended consequences. More Details

Scientific technologies and techniques are starting the restoration of the Everglades wetlands to nearly its pristine, natural state. Newly introduced and engineered plants are being used to cleanse the water of fertilizer chemicals and pollutants before reintroducing it back into the wetlands. More Details

A team of diver/scientists explores Florida’s St. John’s River from its source and along its tributaries until it empties into the Atlantic. They go below and above the river to show how humans have damaged watersheds. More Details

Gripping and enlightening, this program shows the interconnection of surface and subsurface waters. Two expert diver/scientists enter a Florida spring, floating crystal-clear waters over a heart-stopping tunnel drop into the black depths, and then follow an underground river for several miles. More Details

Both lions and cheetahs live in families and both must learn hunting and stalking skills. But the smaller cheetahs are more vulnerable than lions, so the cubs and their solitary mother are on guard, while the lion cubs and lionesses in a pride have a more relaxed social life. More Details

Lycaons (wild dogs) live in social groups where adults help each other raise babies, while jackal mothers are more solitary. More Details

Lemurs live in large groups and have adapted to living in trees using spectacular leaps that the babies must learn, while koalas also live in trees but in small families that sleep a large part of the day and move slowly. More Details

Kangaroos and Tasmanian devils are both marsupials and the babies live in the mothers' pouches a long time. The devil is a voracious omnivore, eating everything in sight, while baby kangaroos nurse mother's milk and learn hopping skills slowly and awkwardly. More Details

Wildebeests and sea lions live in totally different environments, but life for both of the babies can be perilous. More Details

These two monkey species live in groups where bickering and friendly gestures like grooming alternate in quick succession. The babies must learn these social skills, as well as how to navigate among branches high off the ground in their tree communities. More Details

These two primates live in very different social groups: baboons travel every day on the ground and socialize in large groups for mutual protection, while orangutan mothers travel alone in the trees with a baby for several years. More Details

Elephants and giraffes each have specialized organs that help them survive. The elephant's trunk is extremely versatile and so is the giraffe's tongue. As each baby learns how to use its own appendage, the elephant also learns a lesson in social behavior while the giraffe finds that effective running must be practiced alone. More Details

Hyenas and zebras have a symbiotic predator-prey relationship, but the babies in each still receive tender instruction from their adults. Zebra mothers care for their babies directly while hyena babies are often "day-cared" by other adults when their mothers go hunting. More Details

Gazelles and topi antelopes are both grass-eaters that must learn to escape from predators. The babies of both species play-fight to learn the agility and speed needed to evade their foes. More Details

Both foxes and rabbits dig holes in the ground for their babies and sometimes they may encounter each other in the same hole. While baby foxes learn the hunting skills of stealth and perseverance from their mother, the rabbit's large family of babies and their running skills promise that the foxes win only temporarily. More Details

Lynx and eagle babies must both learn to be predators, but each has different skills and learns in different ways. The lynxes’ long legs help them bounce around tree branches and play-fighting with siblings trains their powerful muscles. The eagle babies live alone in their nest, exercising their wing muscles to ready themselves for their first solo flight. More Details

These two funny-looking forest mammal babies have different skills to learn. The European elk (called moose in America) must learn to walk with long legs and ungainly feet, while the boar must learn that his long snout will smell and dig the food it needs. More Details

Doodlebugs are the larvae of the adult ant lion. These fierce predators hide under the sand and make unique traps in which to catch their prey. More Details

One of the most unique relationships in the insect world is revealed in this program. Aphids, or greenflies, suck the sap of plants and excrete a substance called honeydew. Ants use the honeydew as food and therefore protect the "herd" of greenflies from a variety of predators. More Details

Most insects begin life as eggs that hatch into larvae. In this program, two examples of aquatic larvae are shown: the stonefly and the spotted water beetle. More Details

Viewers will see many bees collecting nectar and pollen from a variety of different flowers. The roles and duties of the different bees in this society are shown and explained, as are the differences between pollen and nectar. More Details

This program compares social bees with solitary bees. Bumblebees are shown gathering pollen and building their nests, and some of their characteristics are contrasted with those of honeybees. More Details

Be amazed at the variety of ways insects have developed to protect themselves. Several methods are shown, including camouflage, warning colors, and mimicking the shape of an imposter. More Details

Marvel at the magical change from creepy caterpillar to beautiful butterfly as it emerges from a chrysalis. A variety of caterpillars are shown, and their adaptations for defense, such as sharp spines, hairy bodies, and camouflage, are featured and discussed. More Details

What is found beneath the leaves on the forest floor? Out of sight there are centipedes, millipedes, spiders, and beetles. A whole community exists in this environment, stealthy predators and cunning prey, all perfectly adapted to this ecological niche. More Details

Crickets are viewed as they find food and defend their territory. The way these insects communicate is also discussed. Mole crickets are then shown in more detail. More Details

Damselflies are territorial, carnivorous predators, as shown by the red-eyed damselflies and azure damselflies. Watch these insects as they hunt and patrol their territory to look for mates. More Details

A dragonfly nymph lives in the water for about three years. Watch as this fierce hunter catches a tadpole. After the larva has developed, the adult dragonfly is shown emerging from its hard exoskeleton, patrolling its territory, and finding a mate. More Details

If not for the lowly dung beetle, nature might be a lot less clean. Dung beetles speed up the process of decomposition by using manure as food for their developing larvae. More Details

Flies and cicada are featured in this program. Baby flies struggle to hatch from their cocoons and different flies are shown eating pollen and nectar. One unfortunate fly is caught in a spider's web. Cicada larvae live underground for several years. Once this insect emerges, it has no defense from predators except excellent camouflage. More Details

Students may think that all spiders act as the garden spider does, spinning an elegant web and patiently waiting for the prey to become entangled. The unique crab spider is an example of a spider that uses camouflage to its advantage. More Details

Green bush crickets and locusts are similar in appearance. Each insect is shown in detail so the viewer can note the subtle physical differences in antenna and legs. More Details

Two species of ground-dwelling wasps are explored, the burrowing wasp and the Ammophila or digger wasp. Unlike some other wasps, these solitary insects do not live in communal hives. More Details

Water striders, stick insects, and whirligigs are three insects that have developed unique adaptations for life in and on the water. More Details

This program reveals some interesting facts about these common insects. Many kinds of ladybird beetles (ladybugs) and fire bugs are shown for the ways they differ in size, shape, and color. More Details

Mason wasps are solitary insects, unlike other wasps and bees that are social insects. More Details

Unlike some wasps, paper wasps are social insects that live in a colony. A female wasp, called a foundress, starts her own colony by first building a nest. More Details

These two insects have similar life cycles from caterpillar to butterfly. More Details

One of the fiercest hunters in the insect world is the praying mantis. This insect has a unique adaptation for hiding in its environment and catching prey. More Details

Beetles make up one of the largest sub-groups of insects, and there are many examples of different beetles in this program. Some beetles, like carabid and tiger beetles, can walk easily through vegetation, while the rose chafer struggles. More Details

The sand wasp, also called the Bembex wasp, is a dedicated parent, caring for her egg by building a nest and bringing food back for the hungry larva. Spider wasps care for their young in a similar fashion, sometimes using old sand wasp holes as nests. These wasps hunt spiders to feed to their larvae. More Details

Scorpions and stag beetles have each developed unique physical characteristics suited for aggression and defense. Scorpions have powerful claws and a dangerous tail, and the stag beetle has large mandibles or jaws. More Details

These two species of spider both exhibit differing behaviors when capturing prey and raising their young. The trap-door spider hunts by hiding in its hole and surprising the prey. The Agelena spider hunts by using a web, but this spider is not at all aggressive when the cricket caught in her web is stolen by scavenging wasps. More Details

This program introduces the members of the order Hymenoptera, which have a characteristic slim shape and two pairs of jointed, membranous wings. More Details

Live-action footage introduces several species of bony flatfish, including turbot, brill, sole, and plaice. These side-swimmers are shown camouflaging themselves on the ocean floor. More Details

Live-action footage highlights the distinguishing characteristic of heteropterans, rigid forewings covering tiny back wings and a piercing tool used for feeding. More Details

Live-action footage captures a butterfly chrysalis warding off its enemies and highlights the scaly wings that are characteristic of all Lepidopterans. More Details

Live-action film footage introduces the characteristics of crustaceans, with a focus on decapods, ten-legged crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps. More Details

Live-action film footage reveals the characteristics of crickets and other orthopterans. More Details

Starting with members of the deer family and their characteristics, this program explains that ruminants are two-toed mammals that regurgitate their food from one of their stomach compartments for further chewing. More Details

Live-action footage highlights the annelid features of earthworms, such as a soft, segmented body with a defined head and anus, muscles for locomotion, and thick skin full of blood vessels that secrete a viscous liquid. More Details

Beginning with the common housefly, this program reviews the characteristics of dipterans: two sets of wings, halteres, and proboscises. More Details

Amphibians are introduced by comparing the habits and physical characteristics of frogs, tritons (newts), toads, and salamanders. More Details

Close-up footage shows aphids providing food for ants, who are then eaten by ladybugs. Typical coleopteran features are demonstrated by the ladybug’s two membranous folding wings, protected by two rigid wing covers. More Details

Live-action footage introduces characteristics of rodents such as mice, voles, muskrats, and gerbils, highlighting the single pair of upper and lower incisors, which distinguish them from non-rodents such as hedgehogs, rabbits, and bats. More Details

Live-action footage introduces typical bivalve mollusks including mussels, oysters, clams, cockles, fresh water mussels, and pearl oysters. There are over 12,000 species in the world, each distinguished by a shell with two halves (valves) and siphons through which the animal filters its food. More Details

Beginning with the common barn owl, birds of prey, from eagles and kites to vultures and buzzards, are introduced. More Details

Paramecia are examples of the ciliate phylum, unicellular protists that are found in all environments. Live-action photography captures the various ways these organisms move, reproduce, and feed. More Details

Beginning with the common sea anemone, this program expands students’ understanding of cnidarians to include a variety of simple organisms such as jellyfish and coral, which possess stinging tentacles and exhibit complex behaviors despite their simple body structures. More Details

Live-action footage of the brown garden snail highlights the characteristics that make this animal a gastropod mollusk. More Details

Close-up videography of the rat snake highlights its excellent vision, its sense of smell, its hunting ability, and its method of swallowing a victim whole. More Details

Comparisons between spiders, daddy-long-legs, and acarids stress that spiders are not the only members of the arachnid group. More Details

Live-action footage highlights the characteristics of echinoderms, or "animals with spiny skins," whose 6,000 species include starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. More Details

Explore the inner part of Earth’s solar system, starting with the Sun and its structure. Fly over and experience the contours of Mercury, Venus, and Mars, and learn how gravity and momentum keep the planets orbiting around the Sun elliptically, as first revealed by Kepler. More Details

Retracing the Voyager spacecrafts’ journeys, visit the distant, gaseous planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and the many rings and moons newly discovered on these incredible flybys. More Details

In order for viewers to grasp the size of Earth’s galaxy, this program first lays out the concept of light years. Comparisons with earthly time frames helps viewers understand that the light from distant stars is actually elapsed cosmic time. More Details

Experience the cosmic wonder of a universe expanding at phenomenal rates, as discovered by Edwin Hubble in the 1920's. More Details

This program will help viewers grasp the significance of water as never before. Without this bond of three atoms, life, in its current form, would not exist. More Details

Experience the world of plants as the essential foundation of life on earth. Their beauty is shown, as are their functions, such as providing food, clothing, and shelter. More Details

Find out why the solid-seeming earth is actually a changing body, constantly destroying and rebuilding itself. Tectonic plates’ movements are clearly demonstrated as the source of these alterations through exciting live-action and computer graphic images. More Details

The linear chain of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean is called the "Ring of Fire." Expanding upon the theory of plate tectonics, this program uses live-action and computer-graphic images to show how plates constantly collide or pull apart, causing molten rock beneath the surface to well up from time to time, forming volcanoes. More Details