The WORST episodes of The Nature of Things
Every episode of The Nature of Things ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Nature of Things!
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 - Spas: Magic or Medicine?
Season 24 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/26/1983
The host David Suzuki visit some of these stations in Japan and elsewhere in the world and lay eyes on the therapies that are available there. In addition, it will parallel between the American attitude toward this form of treatment and that of the inhabitants of other countries.
#2 - 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.
#3 - 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.
#4 - 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.
#5 - 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.
#6 - 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.
#7 - 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.
#8 - 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.
#9 - 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.
#10 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - 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.
#13 - 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.
#14 - 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.
#15 - 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.
#16 - 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.
#17 - 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.
#18 - 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.
#19 - Swimming / Diabetes: Beating the Needle / Glass Eyes
Season 24 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/5/1983
Season Premiere: Dr. David Suzuki profiles veteran Canadian swimmer Dan Thompson, the lifestyles of diabetics and the manufacturing of glass eyes.
#20 - Cobra: India's Good Snake / Blue Babies / High Flight
Season 24 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/12/1983
Cobra: India's Good Snake: Ignorance and superstition surround the cobra, threatening the members of this species which is helpful to man. Blue Babies: David Suzuki talks with cardiologist Peter Olley of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto concerning the pharmaceutical and medical treatment of infants born with a congenital heart defect. High Flight: Research is beginning to uncover the reasons why birds can fly at high altitudes that would cause brain damage in humans.
#21 - Animal Imposters
Season 24 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/19/1983
The clever methods of various creatures either to hunt or to avoid being hunted are examined in locations including Central America and Australia.
#22 - The Cathedral Engineers / Neem: A Natural Insecticide / Bluebird Trails
Season 24 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/2/1983
The Cathedral Engineers: Shot on location in France and New York City, the program looks at the history and philosophy of European gothic cathedrals. Neem: A Natural Insecticide: Products of the neem, one of the world's most useful trees, are used to make everything from soap to insecticide. Bluebird Trails: Pushed out of prime nesting sites by the introduction of the english sparrow and starling in 1900, the North American bluebird is making a comeback thanks to specially constructed bluebird boxes built across eastern North America.
#23 - Suzuki@80
Season 55 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/24/2016
David Suzuki is celebrating his 80th birthday in March, and we’re planning a very special program. After more than 50 years in the public eye, you may think you’ve seen Suzuki in just about every way possible: almost naked, confronting industry, skateboarding down the street, and even buried up to his neck in a bog. No wonder we all think we know who he is, but in this deeply personal show you’ll meet a David you haven’t seen before.
#24 - Getting Us Typed
Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 7/26/1962
Examines work of Dr. William Sheldon, who has spent about 30 years gathering statistics about the human physique, classifying body types, and correlating this information to medical and psychiatric studies.
#25 - Excursion Into Hell
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/26/1964
Centuries ago, people in warmer parts of the earth believed that a dread disease was contracted from unhealthy air generated in swamps. From this belief came the word "malaria," which means "bad air". The word is still used to describe a parasitic disease that remains one of the world's major public health problems. Efforts to find and isolate the causes of malaria make one of the greatest scientific detective stories of all time. Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles were found to be implicated. But so far, their control is far from accomplished. Program features Dr. A. Murray Fallis, parasitologist with the Ontario Research Foundation and professor at the University of Toronto. Host is Lister Sinclair.