The BEST episodes of The Nature of Things season 58

#1 - Turtle Beach

Season 58 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/17/2019

Scientists explore the extraordinary mass nesting behaviour of the olive ridley sea turtle, and reveal the hidden world inside a turtle nest.

#2 - Spying on Animals

Season 58 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/4/2018

Remote cameras let us bear witness to animal behaviour anywhere, anytime.

#3 - Equus: Story of the Horse - Chasing the Wind

Season 58 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/2018

How did humans save the wild horse from extinction? And how did we create over 400 specialized breeds today?

#4 - Something in the Air

Season 58 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/17/2019

#5 - Food for Thought

Season 58 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/30/2018

When it comes to diet, we swallow a lot of advice. Food for Thought sorts through the latest science to create a new recipe for health.

#6 - Equus: Story of the Horse — Origins

Season 58 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/2018

A journey around the world and back in time, to discover why horses and humans make perfect partners.

#7 - Equus: Story of the Horse — First Riders

Season 58 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/30/2018

Travel back to the moment humans tamed the horse, and learn how horsepower made history.

#8 - A Day In The Life of Earth

Season 58 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/14/2018

From Volcanoes to Earthquakes, Scientists Reveal How Much Earth Changes in a Single Day

#9 - Ageing in the Wild

Season 58 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/10/2019

Humans have long been obsessed with “eternal youth”. By 2021, the anti-ageing industry is expected to be worth over $330 billion, with many wacky and unorthodox methods proposed for staying youthful and extending our time on Earth. In Ageing in the Wild, viewers get a glimpse at how species in the animal kingdom live long and healthy lives.

#10 - The Wonder of the Northern Lights

Season 58 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/13/2019

David meets with scientists who are unraveling the mysteries of the northern lights.

#11 - The Memory Mirage

Season 58 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/28/2018

Can we trust what we remember about our own lives? Memory scientists say most memories are full of distortions and errors.

#12 - The Genetic Revolution

Season 58 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/11/2018

Exploring the exciting, rapidly evolving world of genetic engineering.

#13 - Stay-at-Home Animal Dads

Season 58 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/2/2018

In nature, dads often get a bad rap. There are lots of male animals that are absentee fathers, and who provide little to nothing in the way of “child care.” But there are some unsung heroes in the animal kingdom: fathers who fly solo after moms leave them behind with the kids. Why do these devoted dads raise their young all by themselves? Scientists are just beginning to uncover the answers to this evolutionary mystery. The male seahorse is well known for being the parent to get “pregnant,” holding the fertilized eggs in his stomach pouch while they develop. And this devoted dad isn’t alone. A distant relative, the broad-nosed pipefish also becomes a pregnant papa, carrying his brood until they hatch and swim away. Emperor penguin fathers have incredible endurance. They suffer through some the harshest conditions on Earth while balancing a fragile egg on their feet! In the fierce winter storms of Antarctica, they brave the cold, wind and darkness to protect their precious cargo until it hatches in the spring. Other fathers go a step further, nurturing their kids even after they’re born. The brilliant-thighed poison dart frog acts as the family minivan, packing up his tadpoles on his back to transport them to a larger pool when their own pool dries up.

#14 - The Nature of Invention

Season 58 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/27/2019

Behind every invention is an inventor with a fascinating story. Broadcaster and author Britt Wray has spent years in the lab studying synthetic biology and now wants to meet inventors to find out what inspires them, and what makes them tick.

#15 - The Power of Play

Season 58 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/20/2019

From youngsters fooling around to adults having a laugh, playing is a fact of human life. However, new findings in animal behaviour show us that play is no laughing matter. Evolutionary biologists believe it’s one of the keys to survival. And, as they’re learning, it’s not just people and pets that play, but reptiles, amphibians and insects, too. The Power of Play takes us around the world to meet the people who are turning play science into one of the most promising areas of research today. One scholar we’re introduced to is Stuart Brown, a California psychiatrist known as the “grandfather” of play research. Brown recognised play was essential to human nature as far back as 1966, finding that playing freely as a child is a key to being mentally healthy as an adult.

#16 - The Real T.rex

Season 58 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/21/2018

Join an investigative journey around the world to uncover the mysteries of the most famous dinosaur super-predator: the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

#17 - Laughing and Crying

Season 58 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/3/2019

David explores the soundtrack to life.

#18 - Remarkable Rabbits

Season 58 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/7/2019

David learns about rabbits and hares.