The BEST episodes of The Nature of Things season 22
Every episode of The Nature of Things season 22, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Nature of Things season 22!
Hosted by the world-renowned geneticist and environmentalist, David Suzuki, every week presents stories that are driven by a scientific understanding of the world.
#1 - Waterproof Frog / The Piano / In the Sub-Nuclear Kitchen / The Record
Season 22 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/4/1981
Waterproof Frog: A look at the unique frog Phyllomedusa which lives in the arid Gran Chaco region of central South America. The frog protects itself against water loss by coating its body with a waxy secretion. The Piano: A program about the history and science of the piano. In the Sub-Nuclear Kitchen: A brief look at particle physics and the huge particle accelerator at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. The Record: A history of the phonograph record.
#2 - Tipping the Scales
Season 22 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/13/1982
The various factors which influence human weight are examined through reports on eating habits, diets, and basic metabolism.
#3 - A Natural Turn of Events / Kidney Transplant / Kelp
Season 22 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/9/1981
A Natural Turn of Events: Construction in Toronto has led to the creation of a long spit of land - the Leslie Street Spit - which is turning into a prime nesting location for many kinds of birds, and also for migrating Monarch butterflies. Kidney Transplant: Kidney dialysis and transplants, with Dr. Michael Robinette of the Toronto General Hospital. Kelp: A look at kelp harvesting in China, and the products that can be made from it.
#4 - Microscope: Making It Big / Desert Doctors / Polar Bear Pass
Season 22 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/6/1982
Microscope: Making It Big: A look at the history and present development of the microscope. Desert Doctors: A look at the mobile hospitals used to treat people inexpensively in India's Rajisthan Desert. Polar Bear Pass: A look at Polar Bear Pass, an important oasis of arctic wildlife on Canada's Bathurst Island.
#5 - Jute Plastic / Honeybees / Hildebrand
Season 22 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/24/1982
"Jute Plastic." Bangladesh is the world's chief supplier of jute fibre for use in the manufacture of twine, burlap, tarpaulin and carpet-backing. This item shows how jute is harvested and processed for export, and how synthetic fibres are now threatening the economy of Bangladesh which depends on jute production for much of its income. "Honeybees." The life and social order of a honeybee colony - the role of drone, queen and worker bees, their feeding and how they communicate. "Hildebrand." A follow-up to last season's report on Dr Joel Hildebrand of the University of California at Berkeley, who in Dec. 1981 celebrated his 100th birthday at his office on the campus where he is still very active in teaching and research.
#6 - Mind's Eye / Tide Mill / Colour It Snake
Season 22 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/10/1982
Mind's Eye: A report on recent research into how the brain constructs vision from the information supplied by the eyes. Tide Mill: A look at a grist mill at Ealing in England which for two centuries has run on tidal power. Colour It Snake: A discussion of the ways in which the basic pigments in snake scales are arranged to produce colour patterns fitting various survival needs.
#7 - An Island Shall a Monster Make / Philip Morrison on Nuclear War
Season 22 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/20/1982
A magazine edition highlights the giant lizards on the island of Mona near Puerto Rico, and physics professor Philip Morrison's work on the atomic bomb as a team member on the Manhattan Project.
#8 - Hanuman Langurs: Monkeys of India / A Helping Hand / Formation Flight
Season 22 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/3/1982
Hanuman Langurs: Monkeys of India: A look at the social organization and adaptation to human settlements of Hanuman langurs, social monkeys who are named for the monkey god Hanuman. A Helping Hand: A look at myoelectric prostheses, artificial limbs which, while being powered by batteries, are actually controlled by amplified muscle electricity. Formation Flight: Examining the reasons why large birds tend to fly in formation.
#9 - Reconnective Surgery / Shark Vision / Batteries
Season 22 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/14/1981
David Suzuki examines reconnective surgery and the vision capabilities of sharks, visits an irrigation project in India and explains the functions of batteries. The micro-surgery segment was taped in China and features Dr. Chen Chung Wei of the 6th People's Hospital in Shanghai. Dr. Chen is credited with pioneering the techniques now being practiced at Toronto's General hospital.
#10 - Rabies in Ontario / Island of Coral / Hazards of Microwave Ovens
Season 22 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/21/1981
Steps being taken to combat rabies in Ontario, an Island of Coral which provides a home for some of the world's most unique creatures, and the advantages and hazards of microwave ovens.
#11 - Edge of the Cold
Season 22 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/28/1981
David Parer's Australian examination of the wildlife on Macquarie Island, narrated by Sir Edmund Hillary.
#12 - The Thoroughbred : A Magic Way of Going
Season 22 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/11/1981
A study of the genetic and biological development of thoroughbred horses, tracing the history of the animal from the time that horses were small creatures to the sleek, larger size animals they are today.
#13 - Twins - And Then There Were Two
Season 22 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/18/1981
This is a special edition based on two half hour programs that first aired in 1978. Producer Heather Cook has revised and updated the original programs to include the latest research data in studies that have been continuing over long periods at various medical centres and universities in North America. The program explains how cells divide to produce twins and the differences between fraternal twins and identical twins.
#14 - Aspirin / Windy Bay / Fluorescent Light
Season 22 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/27/1982
Aspirin: An examination of how the common drug aspirin may have widespread application in combating heart and circulatory system diseases. This depends on its action, only recently appreciated, of inhibiting blood clotting. Windy Bay: A look at Windy Bay, on Lyell Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands, one of the last areas of virgin rainforest on the Canadian west coast. Windy Bay is now threatened by clearcut logging even though it has been suggested as a priority site for international conservation. Fluorescent Light: How fluorescent lights work and how they are manufactured.
#15 - The Asteroid and the Dinosaur
Season 22 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/24/1982
An examination of the theory advanced by physicist Luis Alvarez and others that an asteroid impact was responsible for the sudden total extinction of the dinosaurs over sixty million years ago.
#16 - Waves / The Harp Seal / Blackfly
Season 22 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/31/1982
Waves: An update of the program "Freak Waves" originally broadcast in December 1980. A further look at research being done into wave formations that can destroy oil rigs on the open sea. The Harp Seal (repeat): The development of the Harp Seal is traced, from birth through nursing to its eventual migration northward. Blackfly (repeat): A look at disease and other problems caused by blackflies.