The BEST episodes of The Nature of Things season 23
Every episode of The Nature of Things season 23, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Nature of Things season 23!
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 - Living in a Sunhouse / Brittle Bones / DIAL
Season 23 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/17/1982
Featured: Solar techniques to improve the thermal efficiency of a house; treatment methods for fragile bones (osteoporosis); and a laser system called DIAL (Differential Absorption Lidar) that measures levels of environmental pollution.
#2 - To Be or Not to Be
Season 23 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/22/1982
Numerous questions raised by new genetic testing techniques designed to identify fetal disorders are addressed. The evolving techniques of fetal diagnosis such as amniocentesis, ultrasound and fetoscopy are also considered.[349][350] This is a revised version of 'Prenatal Diagnosis' which was originally broadcast on December 10, 1980.
#3 - The Fragile Mountain
Season 23 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/29/1982
An examination of the measures being taken by a Himalayan mountain community that is trying to avoid a flood disaster, such as that which devastated northern India in 1978.
#4 - The Gentle Giants / Ancient Diseases / Water Weeds
Season 23 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/2/1983
The Gentle Giants: A film on the gray whales who live off the pacific coast of North America. Ancient Diseases: A look at paleopathology and what can be learned about the past of man and the history of diseases through the autopsy of ancient human remains. Water Weeds: A look at an experimental project in Listowel, Ontario, using cattails to purify sewage. The cattails thrive in sewage where they also filter out some industrial contaminants as well as deal with organic compounds.
#5 - Gutenberg Revisited / Diving Birds / Tulips
Season 23 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/20/1982
Gutenberg Revisited: A look at new developments in microelectronic information processing, focusing on the Telidon system, a Canadian invention offering two-way interactive television. Diving Birds: A look at adaptations in aquatic birds such as ducks and geese which allow them to make long dives under water. Tulips: An overview of the tulip industry in Holland.
#6 - Northern Games / Geothermal Energy / Ships of the Desert / Coriolis Effect
Season 23 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/27/1982
Northern Games: A look at the traditional games of the Inuit as they are practised 800 km north of the Arctic Circle, by youth in competition from communities across the North. Geothermal Energy: A look at how geothermal energy has been adapted to supply human needs on Iceland. Ships of the Desert: An exploration of the dromedary camel, adapted for life in the desert. Coriolis Effect: A brief explanation of the coriolis effect - what it is, how it is demonstrable, and its effect on weather.
#7 - Bring Back My Bonnie
Season 23 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/3/1982
A look at recovery after strokes. In previous years, strokes were frequently fatal, and brain damage was seen as permanent. Now, all this is changing. It has been found that with therapy many stroke victims can recover some or even most of the functions they have lost.
#8 - Long Point
Season 23 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/10/1982
Long point marsh is a sandspit on the Northern shore of Lake Erie. Discovered in 1670 by French explorers, this wildlife area has kept many of it's original features and is now an important habitat for many species of animals and migrating birds.
#9 - Japan: The Superachievers (1)
Season 23 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/24/1982
The landmarks of Japanese science and technology since the end of World War II are highlighted in the first of two related programs. The ancient craft of Samurai swordmaking and computer based steel production are also examined.
#10 - Japan: The Nation Family (2)
Season 23 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/1/1982
The everyday life of Japanese workers is traced through their values, their leisure activities and the mechanization of their factories.
#11 - Edge of the Cold (2)
Season 23 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/15/1982
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation produced four half-hour films about the Macquarie Islands. This episode of The Nature of Things compiles two of them. The first was originally entitled 'Man the Hunter, Man the Keeper.' The second was originally entitled 'The Dominant Male.' The program looks at the delicate ecological balance which must be maintained for the populations of elephant seals and seabirds on the Macquarie Islands. Narrated by Sir Edmund Hillary.[347] The other two episodes were compiled into a Nature of Things broadcast of 28 October 1981.
#12 - Newborn
Season 23 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/12/1983
A look at the first moments of an infant's life and its adaptation to the outside world.
#13 - Decade of Delay / RH Laboratory / Hawaii Telescope
Season 23 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/19/1983
Decade of Delay: A look at what can be done to make cars safer, and an inquiry into why it is not being done. RH Laboratory: A visit to the special Rh. laboratory in Winnipeg, which was the world pioneer in combating Rh disease, an infant condition that results from the presence or absence of the rhesus factor in individual blood cells. Hawaii Telescope: A look at the telescope and observatory erected by a joint venture of Canada and France on Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii.
#14 - Water: Friend or Foe?
Season 23 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/27/1983
Holland's Delta Project, a task involving difficult measures to reclaim land from the sea, is detailed.
#15 - Magnet Earth
Season 23 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/2/1983
A one-hour film from the BBC series Horizon exploring the effects of the Earth's magnetic field on animals and, to a lesser extent, humans.
#16 - On The Track of the Wild Otter
Season 23 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/30/1983
The social life of one of nature's shyest creatures is examined in a year-round study of its behavior.