In this two-hour special, NOVA captures the turmoil that tore apart the community of Dover, Pennsylvania in one of the latest battles over teaching evolution in public schools. Featuring trial reenactments based on court transcripts and interviews with key participants, including expert scientists and Dover parents, teachers, and town officials, "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial" follows the celebrated federal case of Kitzmiller v. Dover School District.
Earth teems with a staggering variety of animals, including 9,000 kinds of birds, 28,000 types of fish, and more than 350,000 species of beetles. What explains this explosion of living creatures—1.4 million different species discovered so far, with perhaps another 50 million to go? The source of life's endless forms was a profound mystery until Charles Darwin brought forth his revolutionary idea of natural selection. But Darwin's radical insights raised as many questions as they answered. What actually drives evolution and turns one species into another? To what degree do different animals rely on the same genetic toolkit? And how did we evolve?
The Hobbit Enigma examines one of the greatest controversies in science today: what did scientists find when they uncovered the tiny, human-like skeleton of a strange creature, known to many as the Hobbit, on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003?
Jack Parsons: Jet Propelled Antichrist is a story about one of the fathers of modern rocketry and a founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) which as part of NASA still leads the way in the development of rockets and the exploration of space. He was also an occultist, a sorcerer and a magus. The infamous magician Aleister Crowley the self-proclaimed Great Beast called him son. He called himself ‘The Antichrist’ and was repeatedly investigated by the FBI. At the age of 38 Parsons died in a mysterious explosion that made headlines around the US. Officially it was a tragic scientific accident — other interpretations of the event persist to this day.
A documentary film that takes us on a scientific and spiritual journey where we discover that by changing one's perceptions, the human body can heal itself from any disease.
David Attenborough brings to life, in unprecedented detail, the last days of the dinosaurs. Palaeontologist Robert DePalma has made an incredible discovery in a prehistoric graveyard: fossilised creatures, astonishingly well preserved, that could help change our understanding of the last days of the dinosaurs. Evidence from his site records the day when an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest devastated our planet and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Based on brand new evidence, witness the catastrophic events of that day play out minute by minute.
A documentary series from Channel 4, hosted by professor Richard Dawkins, well-known darwinist. The series mixes segments on the life and discoveries of Charles Darwin, the theory of natural selection and evolution, and Dawkins' attempts at convincing a group of school children that evolution explains the world around us better than any religion.
During the last Ice Age, millions of large animals roamed the Earth, from wooly mammoths and giant sloths to cave lions and saber-toothed cats. But as the temperatures rose, three-quarters of these species died out. What happened? Can environmental changes alone really explain this mass extinction, or did humans—who at this very time were beginning their conquest of the planet—play a key role? To find out, researchers around the world are hunting and studying fossils in their search for answers to solve the mystery of the Ice Age giants.
Unlocking the Mystery of Life represents a unique programming opportunity for local stations. Its broadcast release coincides with the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in history-James Watson and Francis Crick's discovery that the DNA molecule carries hereditary information in the form of a code that many scientists have likened to computer software or a written language. This discovery (announced on April 25,1953) sparked a scientific revolution. But it also left a fundamental question unanswered. Where did the information in DNA come from? How did the software in the cell arise? Unlocking the Mystery of Life explores these questions through the stories of a growing number of scientists who no longer believe that natural selection or chemistry, alone, can explain life's origin. Instead, they think that the microscopic world of the cell provides evidence of purpose and design in nature.
Take a fascinating journey inside the bizarre world of a living human being with this compelling documentary from National Geographic, where microscopic cameras and other state-of-the-art technologies reveal perspectives that will blow your mind. Tracking the body of a female from infancy to old age, viewers will observe the digestion of a meal, the development of the cardiac system and other mesmerizing aspects of the body's inner workings.
Featuring Michael Pollan and based on his best-selling book, this special takes viewers on an exploration of the human relationship with the plant world — seen from the plants' point of view. Narrated by Frances McDormand, the program shows how four familiar species — the apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato — evolved to satisfy our yearnings for sweetness, beauty, intoxication.
Unmasks fraudulent cover-ups, wild speculations, and deceitful myths that have been presented as the absolute "facts" of evolution. Should evolutionism, the foundational faith of eastern mystical thought, be taught in schools as science, when Creationism, the foundational belief of Judeo-Christianity, has been expelled?
On October 3rd of 2007 in Birmingham, Alabama, Professor Richard Dawkins and his Oxford University colleague Professor John Lennox engaged in a lively debate over what is arguably the most critical question of our time: the existence of God. The debate centered on Dawkins's views as expressed in his best-seller, The God Delusion, and their validity over and against the Christian faith. Both presenters agreed to the format and topics of discussion. It was one of the great debates of the last 100 years and is well worth watching and studying.
The universe, endless expanse. In this galactic double feature you will experience a breath-taking insight into our solar system. Up close, made for IMAX® Theaters and of course in 3D!
A documentary chronicling the history of the telescope from the time of Galileo. Featuring interviews with leading scientists discussing Galileo's first use of the telescope to the latest discoveries in cosmology.
Join critically-acclaimed author and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and world-renowned theoretical physicist and author Lawrence Krauss as they discuss biology, cosmology, religion, and a host of other topics.
Peter Westerveld, artist and visionary, doesn’t want institutions to resolve the problems linked to earth’s problems. Growing up in Africa, he witnessed the advance of the desert and dedicated himself to finding solutions for the ongoing erosion and desertification of the land. The film follows Peter and the NGO working with him to realise his project; to build contour trenches that capture and store rain water under the surface and replenish the desert land.
Evolutionary biologist Professor Armand Leroi believes data science can transform the pop world. He gathers a team of scientists and researchers to analyse over 50 years of UK chart music. Can algorithms find the secret to pop success? When the results are in, Armand teams up with hit producer Trevor Horn. Using machine-learning techniques, Armand and Trevor try to take a song by unsigned artist Nike Jemiyo and turn it into a potential chart-topper.
Every month, an estimated 200,000 Australians deliberately hurt themselves. They cut, scratch, burn and sometimes even break bones. It's called self-harm, and it peaks in teenagers and young people. The Silent Epidemic explores this dark and often secret behaviour, asking why more and more people are turning to self-harm as a way to cope with life. Interweaving their personal stories with scientific enquiry, The Silent Epidemic casts a unique lens onto what is fast becoming a problem that can no longer remain hidden. In response to the growing numbers, a group of Melbourne scientists are hunting for a radical solution to self-harm with a world-first experiment. The Silent Epidemic charts their progress: it is both a wake-up call, and ultimately, a story of hope. Written by Mark Hamlyn