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How to Grow a Planet Life from Light

   2012    Science
In this series Professor Iain Stewart tells a stunning new story about our planet. He reveals how the greatest changes to the Earth have been driven, above all, by plants. In this first episode Iain journeys from the spectacular caves of Vietnam to the remote deserts of Africa. He sees how plants first harnessed light from the sun and created our life-giving atmosphere. He uncovers the epic battle between the dinosaurs and the tallest trees on the planet. And, using remarkable imagery, he shows plants breathing - and for the first time talking to each other.
Series: How to Grow a Planet

Ocean Predators

   2013    Nature    3D
Immerse yourself deep into the ocean in search of the most dangerous predators in our seas. Unveil the mysteries of these fascinating and skilled hunters. Razor-sharp teeth and lightning-fast reactions rule in this unforgiving environment. Are you ready to discover the facts behind the myths and legends about sharks, barracudas and moray eels? Shot in 3D, this documentary introduces you to the Kings of the Sea in an unprecedented way

Wild South America: Lost Worlds

   2005    Nature
A major new series exploring the wildlife of South America. This is a breathtaking aerial journey through the most spectacular locations on the continent, from the icy peaks of the Andes to the Amazon jungle and the Atacama desert. These extreme conditions are home to a mind-boggling variety of creatures, many of them rarely seen before on television.
Series: Wild South America

Life Rocky Start

   2016    Science
Four and a half billion years ago, the young Earth was a hellish place, a seething chaos of meteorite impacts, volcanoes belching noxious gases, and lightning flashing through a thin, torrid atmosphere. Then, in a process that has puzzled scientists for decades, life emerged. But how? Join mineralogist Robert Hazen as he journeys around the globe. From an ancient Moroccan market to the Australian Outback, he advances a startling and counterintuitive idea—that the rocks beneath our feet were not only essential to jump-starting life, but that microbial life helped give birth to hundreds of minerals we know and depend on today. It's a theory of the co-evolution of Earth and life that is reshaping the grand-narrative of our planet’s story.

The Private Life of Plants Living Together

   1995    Nature
The fifth programme explores the alliances formed between the animal and plant worlds. Attenborough dives into Australia's Great Barrier Reef and contrasts the nocturnal feeding of coral, on microscopic creatures, with its daytime diet of algae. Some acacias are protected by ants, which will defend their refuge from any predator. Besides accommodation, the guards are rewarded with nectar and, from certain species, protein for their larvae as well. Fungi feed on plants but can also provide essential nutriment to saplings (Mycorrhiza). The connection is never broken throughout a tree's life and a quarter of the sugars and starches produced in its leaves is channelled back to its fungal partners. Meanwhile, fungi that feed on dead wood leave a hollow trunk, which also benefits the tree. Orchids enjoy a similar affiliation. Lichens are the product of a relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic associate, usually algae. They are extremely slow-growing, and a graveyard is the perfect location to discover their exact longevity. Mistletoe is a hemiparasite that obtains its moisture from a host tree, while using own leaves to manufacture food. Its seeds are deposited on another by the mistletoe tyrannulet, following digestion of the fruit. The dodder (Cuscuta) is also parasitic, generally favouring nettles, and siphons its nourishment through periodic 'plugs' along its stem. The rafflesia has no stem or leaves and only emerges from its host in order to bloom — and it produces the largest single flower: one metre across.
Series: The Private Life of Plants

Speed Limits

   2010    Science
Richard Hammond explores the extraordinary wonders of the world of detail hidden in the blink of an eye. It takes our brain around a hundred and fifty milliseconds to process what we see. We're not aware of this time lag going on, but in those few milliseconds, there are extraordinary things happening that completely pass us by. But what if we could break through this speed limit? Bend and stretch time in ways never thought possible. What new marvels would we see? Now, using the latest high-speed cameras, Richard takes us on a journey beyond our eye's limits, letting us see secrets hidden in every element of our planet. A world where thin air can shatter rock. And water can tear through metal. A world where the fastest thing on earth lies right beneath our feet. And where a spectacular celestial display is finally captured, even though many have claimed it doesn't even exist.
Series: Invisible Worlds
Cooked

Cooked

2016  Culture
Life of a Universe

Life of a Universe

2017  Science
Wild Russia

Wild Russia

2009  Nature
The Last Dance

The Last Dance

2020  Culture
How to Grow a Planet

How to Grow a Planet

2012  Science
The Beauty of Maps

The Beauty of Maps

2010  Art
Wild Wild Country

Wild Wild Country

2018  Culture