Science & Nature Documentaries
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- StarsBuckminster FullerRobert HorneAaron KlugIt follows the work of an inventive designer (Buckminster Fuller) and his research of the geodesic dome.
- DirectorBaylis GlascockRobert SnyderStarsBuckminster FullerIndira GandhiArchitect, engineer, geometer, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, inventor of the famous geodesic dome and the dymaxion car, Buckminster Fuller was renowned for his comprehensive perspective on the world's problems.
- DirectorChristopher SykesStarsRichard FeynmanRalph LeightonThe story of physicist Richard Feynman's fascination with - and efforts to visit - a remote country in the center of Asia, called Tannu Tuva, "the land where the reindeer meets the camel".
- StarsRichard FeynmanMurray Gell-MannDavid LutyensA science documentary giving the background to and an account of the work that lead to the discovery of the "Omega minus" particle.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerStory of the American prairie as it was when vast herds of bison and elk grazed there.
- DirectorHans HassStarsHans HassLotte HassAlfons HochhauserExcellent documentary film about diving to the bottom of the Red Sea.
- DirectorBernhard GrzimekStarsBernhard GrzimekHolger HagenHermann RockmannThe borders of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania were initially drawn without considering the herds of grass-eating wild animals. The recording of seasonal animal movements by the film team at the end of the 1950s forms the framework for action, so that based on this work, new boundaries of the park could be determined in such a way, that the most important animal populations are protected all year round. The beauty of the savannah landscape and the sideways glance at numerous wild animal species living there, some of which were presented to a broader audience for the first time in this film, fill this nature documentary.
- DirectorClaude NuridsanyMarie PérennouStarsSotigui KouyatéA storyteller relates the creation of the world. A tall tale like all yarns. But this tall tale is a true tale - it is our very own story. The birth of the universe, the formation of the Earth, the appearance of life, the emergence from the waters, the colonisation of earthly paradise...a tremendous, event-filled saga unfolds before our very eyes. This "flamboyant" Genesis, both modern and timeless, is "enacted" by the direct descendants of those who were part of it - the animals.
- DirectorJacques PerrinJacques CluzaudMichel DebatsStarsJacques PerrinPhilippe LabroDocumentary on the migratory patterns of birds, shot over the course of three years on all seven continents.
- DirectorJacques PerrinJacques CluzaudStarsPierce BrosnanPedro Armendáriz Jr.Jacques PerrinAn ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world.
- DirectorJacques ErtaudStarsJacques-Yves CousteauToday, the only inhabitants of this environmentally inhospitable Pacific island are birds and crabs. Yet over 80 years ago, Clipperton hosted other visitors: a demented rapist and a terrified group of women and children. Cousteau returns to the island to recreate the deadly series of events - from the death of the brave French captain to the courage of the widow who killed her torturer - through the eyes of one of the survivors, then a child.
- DirectorChristopher SykesStarsRichard FeynmanTheoretical physicist Richard Feynman tells his story.
- DirectorSerena DaviesRushmore DeNooyerSarah HoltStarsEllen Becker-GrayJerry ChuKandace C. CummingsA look at Charles Darwin, his book On The Origin of Species, and how his theory of evolution is explained. It includes Darwin's observations through work on the Human Genome Project.
- DirectorMatthew DyasStarsAdam RutherfordEd BoydenRob CarlsonA documentary that discusses synthetic biology.
- StarsPatrick MooreCarl SaganA new probe is being launched towards Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Patrick Moore charts its progress.
- StarsRichard DawkinsThe Naked CowboySteven PinkerIn this three-part series Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary scientist and bestselling author, takes us on a journey of discovery. How does evolution work? How do we know it's true - and why do some people still deny it? As evolved creatures, do we have to be callous, selfish and immoral? Dawkins echoes Darwin's emphatic "no".
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough embarks on a remarkable 500 million-year journey revealing the extraordinary group of animals that dominate our world, and how their evolution defines our human bodies.
- CreatorBill NyeJames McKennaErren GottliebStarsBill NyePat CashmanMichaela Leslie-RuleScientist/comedian Bill Nye explores various aspects of science for young viewers.
- DirectorJoe LoncraineStarsDavid AttenboroughSir David Attenborough explores the world of bio-luminescence, the often spectacular natural light produced by some creatures. Specially designed cameras reveal nature's leading lights.
- DirectorOrlando von EinsiedelStarsAndré BaumaEmmanuel de MerodeMélanie GoubyA team of brave individuals risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas.
- StarsKenneth BranaghAvery BrooksThe first half of this special is a recreation of Al's life, from birth through his death in adolescence.
- StarsJim Al-KhaliliVicki SmithGraham ApplebyProfessor Jim Al-Khalili investigates the science of gravity, recreating ground-breaking scientific experiments including the moment when Galileo first discovered how to measure gravity.
- DirectorEmer ReynoldsStarsFrank DrakeCarolyn PorcoJohn CasaniIt is one of humankind's greatest achievements. More than 12 billion miles away a tiny spaceship is leaving our Solar System and entering the void of deep space - the first human-made object ever to do so.
- DirectorYavar AbbasStarsAlec BaldwinSean PertweePaul EssiembreA journey through space and time.
- DirectorKate BroomeStarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough investigates the latest scientific research to discover whether or not there is a global environmental crisis, and, if so, what solutions there are to it.
- DirectorPaul ReddishStarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough travels to the forests of Papua New Guinea, where 38 of the 42 kinds of bird of paradise are found.
- DirectorMatthew DyasStarsDavid AttenboroughDouglas A. LawsonFamous naturalist David Attenborough explains the rise and fall of pterosaurs, mistakenly known as flying dinosaurs. He also flies a glider to show how big the Quetzalcoatlus, at the time the largest known pterosaur species, really was.
- StarsTimothy Walker
- DirectorMiles BartonStarsDavid AttenboroughBirds of paradise are one of David Attenborough's lifelong passions. He was the first to film many of their beautiful and often bizarre displays, and over his lifetime he has tracked them all over the jungles of New Guinea. In this very personal film, he uncovers the remarkable story of how these 'birds from paradise' have captivated explorers, naturalists, artists, film-makers and even royalty. He explores the myths surrounding their discovery 500 years ago, the latest extraordinary behaviour captured on camera and reveals the scientific truth behind their beauty: the evolution of their spectacular appearance has in fact been driven by sex.
- StarsKenneth BranaghEdward GeroThe final installment in the "Walking with" series is a 90-minute documentary about the evolution of life before the dinosaurs.
- StarsLuke CollyerEd StaffordGadiel 'Cho' Sanchez RiveraThe story of Ed Stafford's 2 1/2 year journey to become the first man to walk the length of the Amazon River.
- StarsDavid TennantA two-part documentary looking at the awe-inspiring world of animal swarms. The latest camera techniques take viewers to the heart of the action, revealing how the creatures view the world around them, while footage from camcorders and mobile phones captures the impact they can have when these alien armies collide with human life.
- StarsAdam RutherfordAdam Rutherford explores the consequences of one of the biggest scientific projects of all time - the decoding of the entire human genome.
- StarsArmand LeroiExplores the revolutionary ideas of Charles Darwin on the evolution of species from their very beginnings, to the publication of his On The Origin Of Species, and all the way up to our present day understanding. Many new factors since Darwin have only enriched our knowledge of how the diversity of life on Earth evolves, such as the many scientific breakthroughs in understanding DNA.
- StarsDesmond MorrisHow humans have treat animals down the centuries and how they should treat them now.
- DirectorRobert NixonFisher StevensStarsBarbara BlockJames CameronMichael deGruyFeature documentary about legendary oceanographer, marine biologist, environmentalist, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and her campaign to create a global network of protected marine sanctuaries.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsStephen HawkingIsobel HawkingJanet HumphreyA film about the life and work of the cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, who despite his near total paralysis, was one of the great minds of all time.
- DirectorToni MyersStarsLeonardo DiCaprioScott D. AltmanMegan McArthurAn IMAX 3D camera chronicles the effort of 7 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
- DirectorLuc JacquetStarsMorgan FreemanRomane BohringerCharles BerlingIn the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
- DirectorMarkus ImhoofStarsFred JaggiRandolf MenzelJohn MillerAn in-depth look at honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Australia.
- DirectorBarbet SchroederStarsKokoPenny PattersonSaul KitchenerA documentary that follows Dr. Penny Patterson's current scientific study of Koko, a gorilla who communicates through American Sign Language.
- DirectorMikael KristerssonStarsCaisa PerssonFilmed over several years, it is a wonder-filled portrait of a family of kestrels (European falcons) who live in a church tower above a small Swedish town. The amazing cinematography, nominated for a Swedish Oscar.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioImage and music are intertwined in this third collaboration between director Godfrey Reggio and composer Philip Glass. The film was produced to celebrate the World Wildlife Fund's Biological Diversity Campaign. The film combines images of nature with pulsing rhythms in a Microcosmos (1997) meets Koyaanisqatsi (1983) spectacle.
- DirectorMark LewisStarsTip ByrneH.W. KerrGlen IngramA documentary detailing the spread of Hawaiian sugar-cane toads through Australia in a botched effort to introduce them as counter pests.
- DirectorMark LewisStarsJanet BonneyJoseph MartinezJoel VavraThrough interviews and reenactments, The Natural History of the Chicken investigates the role of the chicken in American life and tells several remarkable stories. A Maine farmer says she found a chicken frozen stiff, but was able to resuscitate it. Colorado natives tell a story of the chicken who lost its head-- and went on living. A Virginia farmer tells about (and demonstrates) the benefits of raising chickens for his own consumption. Perhaps most surprising is the case of the Florida woman: she bathes her pet bird, and takes it both swimming and shopping. Through these and other stories, this documentary illuminates the role that chickens play in (some of) our lives.
- DirectorMark LewisStarsHenry RichardsNeil YoungA documentary horror film about the environmental devastation left in the wake of the giant toads' unstoppable march across Australia.
- DirectorMark LevinsonStarsDavid KaplanFabiola GianottiSherwood BoehlertAs the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time -- or perhaps their greatest failure.
- DirectorMark LinfieldAlastair FothergillStarsTina FeyLife is an adventure for a young monkey and her son, living among ancient ruins in the jungle. But when her family is forced from their home, she must lead them to safety amidst strange new creatures and surroundings.
- DirectorTodd Douglas MillerStarsStan AdelsteinLanice ArcherRobert BakkerA documentary about the discovery of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.
- DirectorFrank WolfStarsTaku HokoyamaFrank WolfFrank Wolf and Taku Hokoyama look at the issues facing the largest wilderness area in North America from the perspective of a 2,000 km canoe journey from Yellowknife, NWT to Rankin Inlet, NT.
- DirectorStephen NealStarsBrian CoxJim Al-KhaliliPaul FootProfessor Cox takes a diamond and with the help of an audience of stars explains quantum theory.
- DirectorHector StewartStarsMagnus MagnussonStephen HawkingArthur C. ClarkeIn a studio setting, Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan (who joins them via satellite) discuss the Big Bang theory, God, our existence as well as the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
- DirectorTom CookClare StrongeStarsTim CockerillAlice RobertsProfessor Alice Roberts joins entomologist Tim Cockerill in a house filled with hundreds of spiders in a one-off documentary revealing the secret life of the spider in the home.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough explores Charles Darwin's controversial theory of evolution by natural selection.
- DirectorClaude NuridsanyMarie PérennouStarsKristin Scott ThomasJacques PerrinA documentary on insect life in meadows and ponds.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- DirectorMark DeebleVictoria StoneStarsIan HolmThe remarkable story of an African fig tree and the special relationship it has with the animals who depend on it.
- DirectorJacques-Yves CousteauStarsPierre BidaultLouis BidegantChristian BonniciFascinating underwater documentary filmed with hand-held cameras by frogmen and mostly filmed in deep-water seas from within a special designed batiscaff, by the Cousteau family of sea explorers.
- DirectorPhilippe CousteauStarsJacques-Yves CousteauOn his ship "Calypso," as well as in a submarine, Jacques Cousteau and his crew sail from South America and travel to Antarctica. They explore islands, reefs, icebergs, fossils, active volcanic craters, and creatures of the ocean never before seen. This voyage took place in 1975, and Captain Cousteau became one of the first explorers ever to dive beneath the waters of the frozen South Pole.
- DirectorJacques-Yves CousteauLouis MalleStarsFrédéric DumasAlbert FalcoJacques-Yves CousteauA documentary about the undersea explorers and how they penetrate into the underwater world.
- DirectorMichael SchwarzEdward GrayStarsFrances McDormandMichael PollanMichael Pollan, a professor of journalism and a student of food, presents the history of four plants, each of which found a way to make itself essential to humans, thus ensuring widespread propagation. Apples, for sweetness; tulips, for beauty; marijuana, for pleasure; and, potatoes, for sustenance. Each has a story of discovery and adaptation; each has a symbiotic relationship with human civilization. The film tells these stories and examines these relationships.
- DirectorDavid DouglasStarsPatricia WrightMorgan FreemanHantanirina RasamimananaA documentary that follows Dr. Patricia C. Wright's mission to help lemurs, the highly evolved creatures who arrived on Madagascar millions of years ago as castaways but are now highly endangered.
- DirectorNic StaceyStarsJim Al-KhaliliChaos theory has a bad name, conjuring up images of unpredictable weather, economic crashes and science gone wrong. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists are only now beginning to understand. It turns out that chaos theory answers a question that mankind has asked for millennia - how did we get here? In this documentary, Professor Jim Al-Khalili sets out to uncover one of the great mysteries of science - how does a universe that starts off as dust end up with intelligent life? How does order emerge from disorder? It's a mindbending, counterintuitive and for many people a deeply troubling idea. But Professor Al-Khalili reveals the science behind much of beauty and structure in the natural world and discovers that far from it being magic or an act of God, it is in fact an intrinsic part of the laws of physics. Amazingly, it turns out that the mathematics of chaos can explain how and why the universe creates exquisite order and pattern. And the best thing is that one doesn't need to be a scientist to understand it. The natural world is full of awe-inspiring examples of the way nature transforms simplicity into complexity. From trees to clouds to humans - after watching this film you'll never be able to look at the world in the same way again.
- DirectorGreg MacGillivrayStarsLiam NeesonHoward HallMichele HallTake a once in a lifetime journey across the South Pacific for a spectacular IMAX adventure. Joy, ecstasy, a spiritual high: these words describe the exhilaration of diving a pristine coral reef, and ocean explorers Howard and Michele Hall bring their love of the ocean into action. With Jean-Michael Cousteau, deep reef scientist Richard Pyle and Fijian diver Rusi Vulakoro, they explore and capture on film the dazzling underwater world of coral reefs, magical places here on Earth. This tropical excursion through the South Pacific will surprise and delight you as you fall in love with the reefs, and your heart will ache at the tragic, irretrievable loss of these fragile worlds.
- DirectorYavar AbbasStarsDilly BarlowUsing 4-D technology, the early stages of a Golden Retriever puppy, a dolphin, and an elephant are examined.
- DirectorRobert GuenetteStarsChristopher ReeveRobert BakkerPhilip CurrieEverything you want to know about dinosaurs.
- DirectorAlan RootStarsJames MasonJoan RootThe epic story of the thundering migration of wildebeest herds across the plains and rivers of the Serengeti.
- DirectorYann Arthus-BertrandMichael PitiotStarsJosh DuhamelSharon MannDive into our planet's greatest mysteries with a team of international underwater cinematographers as they explore the breathtaking bond between humanity and the ocean.
- DirectorBrett MorgenStarsJane GoodallHugo Van LawickHugo Eric Louis van LawickThe life and work of the renowned primatology scientist, Jane Goodall, especially on her research about chimpanzees.
- DirectorHoward HallStarsJim CarreyZozo KahramanaAn underwater look at the diverse coastal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific areas and the impact of global warming on the oceans.
- DirectorLuke CresswellSteve McNicholasFrom the Academy-Award nominated creators of the Broadway show STOMP and the award-winning film Wild Ocean, The Last Reef is an uplifting, inspirational large-format and 3D cinema experience capturing one of nature's more vibrant and diverse wonderlands. Exotic coral reefs, vibrant sea walls in the sub-arctic pulsating with anemones and crustaceans: these biodiversity hot spots are as vital to our lives as the rainforests. Shot on location in Palau, Vancouver Island, French Polynesia, Mexico, and The Bahamas using groundbreaking 3D cinematography, The Last Reef takes us on a global journey to explore the connection of our cities on land with the ocean's complex, parallel world of the coral reefs beneath the sea.
- DirectorAndy ByattAlastair FothergillStarsPierce BrosnanMichael GambonDavid AttenboroughJoin a voyage through aquatic realms where humans have rarely dared to go. Waddle with playful penguins, dart with lightning speed through schools of sharks, ride over stormy waves with massive whales and view rare alien-like creatures.
- DirectorMartin E. JohnsonOsa JohnsonStarsMartin E. JohnsonOsa JohnsonA groundbreaking travelogue, Simba follows the intrepid American filmmaking couple Osa and Martin Johnson on their four year expedition over the African subcontinent.
- DirectorTruman H. TalleyStarsMartin E. JohnsonOsa JohnsonLowell ThomasExpeditions in Borneo by Mr. and Mrs. Martin Johnson show the terrain, flora, fauna and lifestyle of Borneo as the Johnsons search for a huge orangutan.
- DirectorJames Leo MeehanStarsMartin E. JohnsonOsa JohnsonDick DouglasExplorers Martin and Osa Johnson set out an an expedition that takes them to Hawaii, the little explored South Pacific regions of the Solomon Islands and the New Hebrides Islands, Australia, then through the Suez Canal, down the Nile River to Tanganyika, a safari to the Belgian Congo--where they observe a large variety of wildlife and meet up with a tribe of pygmies--and finally wind up in Uganda.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerThe first of the True-Life Adventure featurettes. Fur seals arrive on the Pribilof Islands for the purpose of mating. The older seals are known as bulls and have "harems" of females which they protect very seriously. The younger male seals get together, train themselves to fight, and then help each other overthrow the bulls to become the new masters of the harems.
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsWinston HiblerFrom the still waters of lagoons and marshes to the wild blue wilderness of the vast oceans, experience the beauty and variety of these majestic birds, each perfectly designed for its habitat.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerMogens LindGet a glimpse of "nature's own engineer" hard at work. A young male beaver must defend his new family against hungry predators, mischievous river otters and the ever-impending threat of winter.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerAlthough first glance reveals little more than stones and sand, the desert is alive. Witness moving rocks, spitting mud pots, gorgeous flowers and the never-ending battle for survival between creatures of every shape, size and description.
- DirectorJames AlgarStarsWinston HiblerKjeld JacobsenThe lives of black bears in Yellowstone National Park.
- DirectorHubert SauperStarsElizabeth 'Eliza' Maganga NseseRaphael Tukiko WagaraDimond RemtuliaA documentary on the effect of fishing the Nile perch in Tanzania's Lake Victoria. The predatory fish, which has wiped out the native species, is sold in European supermarkets, while starving Tanzanian families have to make do with the leftovers.
- DirectorDereck JoubertStarsJeremy IronsFifty years ago there were close to half-a-million lions in Africa. Today there are around 20,000. To make matters worse, lions, unlike elephants, which are far more numerous, have virtually no protection under government mandate or through international accords. This is the jumping-off point for a disturbing, well-researched and beautifully made cri de coeur from husband and wife team Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers from Botswana who have been Explorers-in-Residence at National Geographic for more than four years. Pointing to poaching as a primary threat while noting the lion's pride of place on the list for eco-tourists-an industry that brings in 200 billion dollars per year worldwide-the Jouberts build a solid case for both the moral duty we have to protect lions (as well as other threatened "big cats," tigers among them) and the economic sense such protection would make. And when one takes into account the fact that big cats are at the very top of the food chain-and that their elimination would wreak havoc on all species below them, causing a complete ecosystem collapse-the need takes on a supreme urgency.
- DirectorJudy IrvingStarsMark BittnerMaggie McCallIvan StormgartA homeless musician finds meaning to his life when he starts a friendship with dozens of parrots.
- DirectorMichael GuntonMartha HolmesStarsDaniel CraigKoert-Jan de BruijnFocuses on the cyclical journey taken by all living creatures, from birth to having youngsters of their own.
- DirectorChristopher SykesStarsAdelaide CarpenterAubrey de GreyChristopher SykesFollowing the revolutionary life-extension and immortality ideas of this somewhat eccentric scientist, Dr. de Grey.
- DirectorJeff Orlowski-YangStarsJames BalogSvavar JónatanssonLouie PsihoyosFollow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
- DirectorWard KimballStarsDick TufeldWalt DisneyHeinz HaberWith a combination of documentary footage and animation, the science and history of rockets, and the effects of space travel on man are illustrated.
- DirectorDavid JohnsonStarsAlice Roberts
- DirectorOliver BootleStarsAlice RobertsMichael J. BentonTom BuglerA new exhibit at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum will feature three T. Rex skeletons of various ages and sizes. Follow along as scientists tease out clues to how these animals probably looked and behaved despite an abundance of missing pieces.
- DirectorChristopher RileyStarsDallas CampbellMichael MinovitchGary FlandroIt's the end of an era. Thirty-five years after leaving Earth, the Voyager spacecraft is about to leave the solar system. This fascinating documentary draws on remarkable footage and images from the NASA and BBC archives as it examines the legacy of a craft that has had a profound effect on our knowledge of the cosmos. Voyager - The Edge of Space tells the incredible story of a mission that was only supposed to last five years but is still going today, and of the two small spacecraft that have fundamentally changed our understanding of the solar system. Featuring contributions from scientists who have worked on or been inspired by Voyager, it assesses just what the mission has achieved - and asks what happens next.
- DirectorPeter ChinnStarsAlice RobertsSangeet PrabhakerProfessor Alice Roberts rebuilds her own body from scratch, editing out errors left behind by evolution and adding adaptations from the natural world to create a life-size model of the perfect human.
- DirectorTim WalkerStarsAlice RobertsBernard BuiguesKevin CampbellProfessor Alice Roberts on the natural history of the woolly mammoth, revealing adaptations that helped the species evolve from their origins in the tropics to surviving in Siberia
- DirectorNick GreenBen LawrieToby MacdonaldStarsAlice RobertsBen GarrodJoanna MorganInvestigates the greatest vanishing act in the history of our planet - the sudden disappearance of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
- DirectorMichael DuffyStarsAlice RobertsAlfred KinseyFrank Banta