Babelgum - PBS

Soviet Propaganda Machine

2008-07-18T15:01:30Z

After World War II, the world longed for peace. But the Soviets and the West were prepared for a new kind of war - a propaganda war to control the hearts and minds of their own people. The program weaves observations with archival film to trace the 70-year history of the communist and capitalist propaganda machines.

Secret Soviet Moon Mission

2008-07-18T12:01:43Z

This episode presents the story of the mastermind responsible for the entire Soviet space program: Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. Under his leadership, the Soviets achieved amazing triumphs in rocket science. Despite his astonishing achievements, he died with his greatest dream unfulfilled: to land a Soviet citizen on the moon.

Soviet Sports Wars

2008-07-18T15:01:48Z

In the early 1950s, Stalin launched a massive Soviet sports program to demonstrate to the world that communism was superior to capitalism. This program presents the bittersweet stories of four premier Soviet athletes.

Secret Victories of the KGB

2008-07-18T15:01:52Z

To the West, they were traitors. To the Soviet Union, they were heroes. Now free to speak, Western and Soviet agents paint a fascinating portrait of one of the greatest espionage conspiracies in history.

EARTH: Flotsam Found

2008-07-18T15:01:58Z

Ziya Tong follows retired oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer as he discovers a giant garbage patch in the middle of the North Pacific Gyre. WIRED SCIENCE takes a look at new ways that water, wind and technology are being used to fight today's fires and investigates the impact of global warming on plant growth, and Adam Rogers tests out a new technology that claims to be able to "read your mind" and tell if you are lying.

TECHNOLOGY: World War 2.0

2008-07-18T15:02:06Z

In the premiere episode of this series, Josh Davis of Wired magazine investigates an internet botnet attack of Estonia's banks and newspapers; WIRED SCIENCE reports on cardiac surgery performed by a "robo-doc"; Adam Rogers explores the disappearance of home chemistry sets; and Ziya Tong delves into technology that is helping children with Asperger's Syndrome by translating facial expressions into emotions.

e² Design:The Green Machine

2008-07-18T15:02:10Z

In this episode, Mayor Richard Daley take viewers on a tour through Chicago and showcases his mission to make it "the greenest city in America," even turning City Hall into a green-roofed structure.

e² Design:Green for All

2008-07-18T15:02:13Z

This episode follows architect and activist Sergio Palleroni as he continues his mission to provide architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crisis regions. Palleroni already has four global initiatives underway aimed at providing architecture students with hands-on field experience building housing for the poor. In East Austin, Texas, and Yagui, Mexico, he and his student team are helping rural communities build thousands of homes while teaching them to build their own housing and reduce the cost of building by being resourceful.

e² Design:The Green Apple

2008-07-18T15:02:14Z

The first episode begins in New York, a city that is leading the charge to green its industrial skyline with several groundbreaking projects. New York combats the urban myth of the bustling city as a "concrete jungle." This episode explores some of Manhattan's most prominent and technologically advanced structures like One Bryant Park and The Solaire, as well as the innovative minds behind them, and illustrates how the ubiquitous skyscraper can surprisingly be a model of environmental responsibility.

Battle of the X-Planes

2008-05-28T10:00:56Z

NOVA goes behind the doors of Boeing's Phantom Works and Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works to record classified meetings, flies the most revolutionary planes, and examines the high-stakes battle to build the most capable and versatile fighter ever created, the Joint Strike Fighter. Marking the first time film-makers have been allowed inside a major weapons competition, Battle of the X-Planes reveals the breakthrough designs, heartbreaking setbacks, adrenaline-fuelled test flights, and one final nail-biting decision, the winner of the most lucrative contract in military history.

Life and Death in the War Zone

2008-05-19T16:00:33Z

Treating patients with life-threatening injuries is always a challenge. Now imagine handling a medical emergency at the height of the Iraq War, beset by heat, sand, and frequent enemy attacks. NOVA heads into battle with the medics, nurses, doctors, and military staff of the 10th and 21st Cash units, following them from their intense pre-war preparations to their deployments in Kuwait and the desert north of Baghdad. Shortly after their doors open, the medical and ethical dramas begin. Prepared for everything from chemical and biological attack to mass U.S. casualties, the Cash staff quickly find that their biggest challenge is taking up the slack from devastated Iraqi hospitals. When Iraqi military and civilian victims, some of them children with horrific injuries, begin taxing supplies and manpower, heart-wrenching ethical decisions must be made. Experience Life and Death in the War Zone, an intimate story of survival in a combat hospital.

Hunt for the Supertwister

2008-05-19T17:00:39Z

In seconds, a super twister can leave immense swaths of death and destruction. But what if technology could help us tame nature's most violent tornadoes? Join fearless storm chasers as they untwist mysteries that may explain how these killer storms spawn and where they are likely to strike. And venture into America's “Tornado Alley” to witness some of the most shockingly intense tornado footage ever filmed.

The Great Robot Race

2008-05-28T10:01:04Z

Twenty-three bizarre looking vehicles line up at the gate of the DARPA Grand Challenge with one thing in common: there’s nobody behind the wheel. With names like Terramax, Ghost rider, and Stanley, these vehicles are armed with cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence, laser-guided vision, GPS navigation, and 3-D mapping systems. Sponsored by the Pentagon’s research agency, this 130-mile robotics race through Nevada’s scorching desert has a $2 million prize, though its ultimate goal is to gather new ideas for the future of unmanned warfare. But can these advanced robots overcome the gruelling terrain and technical challenges?

Unearthing Secret America

2008-04-07T18:01:23Z

The great arc of early American history is brought to life through three tremendous archeological finds. The Jamestown fort reveals the struggles of the colonists; slave quarters at Monticello and Williamsburg introduce us to a secret world for the first time.

Losing It

2008-04-01T15:05:38Z

This episode tackles the basic problem that confronts those who are overweight: how to lose weight and keep it off over the long term. In a FRONTIERS sponsored experiment, the cameras follow a dozen subjects for several months as they adopt different strategies for weight loss, ranging from online diet systems to gastric bypass surgery. The program also looks at research that reveals the body's complex weight-regulation system, and explains why dieting is so difficult.

Don't Forget!

2008-04-01T15:04:18Z

Alan Alda investigates how people create memories - and how as they age, memories become slippery and elusive, sometimes vanishing forever. He visits two men who live entirely in the present or the distant past, unable to recall events that happened even

Future Car

2008-04-02T12:02:04Z

Alan Alda visits the research labs and testing tracks of the Big Three auto makers to find out what people will be driving 10-20 years from now. Fuel efficiency and alternative fuels are the future, and Alda test-drives a gasoline-electric hybrid that's already on the road, as well as several hydrogen-fueled cars still in development. The search for a quiet, fast, safe, exciting and non-polluting fuel-cell car takes Alda from Germany to California to Iceland, which is attempting to become the first nation to entirely replace imported petroleum with domestically produced hydrogen.

The Dark Side of the Universe

2008-04-10T15:02:24Z

Alan Alda joins some of the world's leading astronomers as they wrestle with the startling implications of their latest discoveries: that everything we can see, from the world around us to the most distant galaxies, is only a tiny fraction of the entire cosmos. Most of what's out there is dark - either dark matter or dark energy. And our universe is perhaps only one in an infinity of universes.

Coming into America

2008-04-01T15:01:46Z

The fully automatic car may be down the road a ways, but cars that do your thinking for you are just around the corner -- they watch out for hazards, they listen to you, they read your lips, they even know when you're distracted.

Surgical Slimmers

2008-04-01T15:02:14Z

In spite of the risks, people are lining up to solve their weight problems in the operating room. And if the latest device -- an implantable stomach "pacer" -- works out, millions more will be taking the surgical way out.

Cars that Think

2008-04-03T15:00:52Z

The fully automatic car may be down the road a ways, but cars that do your thinking for you are just around the corner, they watch out for hazards, they listen to you, they read your lips, they even know when you're distracted.

Going Deep

2008-04-07T18:01:13Z

A look back at the decades of effort that culminated in the deep sub Alvin reaching the ocean floor, and a look forward to what's next now that Alvin's retiring.

Chimp Minds

2008-04-07T18:01:10Z

A visit with an engaging if unruly bunch of cousins that we formally broke up with about 6 or 7 million years ago, with whom we share almost all of our genes but not a lot of our lifestyle. Why the difference? Maybe it's in how we learn.

Hot Planet - Cold Comfort

2008-04-16T12:00:37Z

So you think global warming won't affect you? Wait until the great Atlantic Conveyor shuts down. And find out what's already happening in Alaska.

Hydrogen Hopes

2008-04-07T18:01:08Z

We've all heard of hydrogen as the fuel of the future, but what will it take to get there from here? How can we create hydrogen from renewable sources like the sun, and how do we store it safely once we've got it?

Hidden Motives

2008-04-03T12:03:41Z

If you think you know why you do things, you're probably wrong. Explore how our unconscious determines our behaviour, including why we buy things that are "cool."

Cybersenses

2008-04-03T15:00:54Z

Replacement synthetic senses for people are now a reality. Children as young as 12 months are already getting artificial hearing while the first trials of electronic retinas for the blind are just beginning.

Robot Pals

2008-04-03T12:03:32Z

To be really useful, robots need to behave as cooperative partners rather than mindless machines. We'll meet three robots, including a future member of an astronaut team, that are trying to better understand us.

Beyond Human: Living Machines

2008-04-01T18:01:18Z

This program investigates the smart machines and robots that may one day run society and do work for humans. To explore this strange new era, the program integrates live action with extensive animation and visual effects.

Beyond Human: Body Electric

2008-04-01T15:00:39Z

This program looks at miniscule machines that may become part of human bodies: robots coursing through the blood stream to battle cancer cells one on one; virtual vision systems projected directly into the cerebral cortex; or computers designed to interface with nervous systems.

Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire: The Way of the Samurai

2008-04-01T18:00:58Z

By 1690, Japan is a nation completely isolated from the outside world, except for a small community of Dutch traders. Among them is German Doctor Englebert Kaempfer, whose writings provide valuable insights on daily life in Japan. Culture and commerce flourish. But ruling daimyo warlords and their samurai armies continue to grow restless. The Shogun Tsunayoshi is a product of both classes. Under his rule, art and education excel, and "Laws of Compassion" are introduced. Samurai, geisha, courtesans, merchants, writers and actors are attracted to Edo, and the classes begin to mix. Japanese interest in Western science increases, making the policy of isolation more difficult. In 1853, Mathew C. Perry sails American ships into Edo Bay, and demands a formal opening of the nation. Realizing that resistance is futile, the Japanese negotiate treaties with the U.S. and other nations in the West. Ten years later, the samurai class is disbanded and the Tokugawa Shogunate ends. After 265 years of isolation, the modern era of Japan has begun.

Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire:The Will of the Shogun

2008-04-01T18:00:51Z

With Ieyasu in control, peace descends on Japan, and a new society based on the samurai ethics of obedience and loyalty is established. In 1600, William Adams becomes the first Englishman to set foot in Japan. Impressed by European trading vessels, Ieyasu asks Adams to help him build his own fleet. Aware that the English have no interest in converting the Japanese to Christianity, Ieyasu decides to expel the Portuguese and Spanish, who too often combine missionary work with trade. When he dies at 72, Ieyasu's vision of a strictly controlled class system based on the rule of the samurai is a reality. But his grandson, Iemitsu, will rule more harshly. With no wars to fight, Iemitsu tightens control over the power and movement of the daimyo and their restless samurai armies. Though foreign missionaries have been expelled, Iemitsu still fears the influence of Christianity. In 1637, impoverished peasants and persecuted Christians explode in anger in the Shimabara Rebellion, and thousands die. In order to prevent further dissention resulting from foreign influence, Iemitsu closes Japan to the western world. It will be more than 200 years before the nation will open its doors again.

Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire: The Return of the Barbarians

2008-04-01T18:00:49Z

Birth of a Dynasty

2008-04-01T18:01:24Z

Europe, 1400: A continent torn apart by war and plague is dominated by the authority of the Catholic Church. In the towns and cities live merchants and entrepreneurs who sense that their world is changing. With increasing trade and wealth an appetite for enlightenment develops.No longer neglected in the shadows of the Church, classical philosophy, poetry, art and sculpture begin to reach a new audience. This is especially true in cosmopolitan cities like Florence, home of Cosimo de'Medici.

The Magnificent Medici

2008-04-01T18:01:06Z

Florence, August 1466: Lorenzo de'Medici, the 17-year-old heir to the dynasty, foils a murderous plot against his father and saves his family from a coup d'etat. The Medici still dominate Florence, but now take extra precautions, picking a useful bride for Lorenzo. Clarice Orsini, a baron's daughter and cardinal's niece, brings connections, class, and military muscle to the Medici dynasty

The Medici Pope

2008-04-01T18:01:16Z

Florence, 1501: 26-year-old Michelangelo carves a giant masterpiece which will come to symbolize his struggle against a family he once adored. Raised from a young age alongside the Medici heirs he watched as they were cast into exile with a price on their heads. Now they are searching for a path back to power.

The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance

2008-04-01T18:01:01Z

Florence, 1537: Alessandro de'Medici the Duke of Florence, lies murdered in his bed.His cousin is plucked from obscurity to lead Florence. He is just 17. His rivals think he's a puppet, but despite his youth, Cosimo de'Medici, the new Duke of Florence, is ambitious.

By the Rivers of Babylon

2008-04-15T12:01:39Z

In 586 B.C., the Babylonians lead almost all that remains of the tribe of Judah, the Israelites, to exile in Babylon. Only a few generations earlier, the northern tribes of the Israelites were taken into exile and vanished forever. Now the Judeans, too, seem destined to disappear. They fight back, however, by writing a book. Using Judean stories from the past to explain present disastrous situations, the book becomes the earliest edition of the most influential work in history: the Bible. This episode introduces the early and profoundly influential figures of Judaism: Abraham, who is the first to recognize the concept of one God; Moses, who receives the Ten Commandments from God; and David, whose sins teach the Israelites that no one is above the law of God.

The Book and the Sword

2008-04-14T15:05:55Z

In 458 B.C., a scribe named Ezra arrives in Jerusalem from Babylon. He gathers the mostly illiterate Judeans together in a square and reads the Bible to them. In the years that follow, the study of the Bible not only becomes an essential part of Jewish life, it prepares the Jews to face a mortal threat to their survival. In 330 B.C., Alexander the Great sweeps into the Middle East. In his wake comes Greek culture, the allure of which convinces many to abandon their ancestral ways. But when the Greek king Antiochus the Madman forbids the practice of Judaism, Judah the Maccabee leads the Jews in an epic fight to defend their religious freedom. In 160 B.C, the Maccabees succeed in driving out the Greeks and establish what would prove to be the last independent Jewish kingdom.

The End of Days

2008-04-15T12:00:53Z

In 63 B.C., the Roman General Pompeii leads his legions into the land of Judea. It is the beginning of a clash of cultures between Rome and the Jews that would grow into one of the most brutal conflicts in history. It also pits Jew against Jew, as many of the different factions of Judaism, such as the Zealots and the Essenes, clash over the interpretation of the true will of God as revealed in the Bible. Terrorism, political assassination, starvation, and crucifixion dominate the landscape. The period ends with the Roman sack of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. Out of the ashes will rise two new religions: rabbinical Judaism and Christianity.

The Gifts of the Jews

2008-04-15T12:02:35Z

With the destruction of the Temple, the Romans have destroyed the only place on earth, according to Biblical Law, where Jews can worship God. The Judaism of priests and sacrifices is lost forever, and rabbis struggle to reinvent the religion of Moses and David. They are forced to work during a period of incredible bloodshed and turmoil. In 132 A.D. Jewish zealots rise against Rome's legions in the Bar Kochba rebellion, forcing them to withdraw from the region. The Romans return with a vast army and slaughter nearly 600,000 Jews. They change the name of the region from Judea to Palestine and ban all Jews from Jerusalem. Desperate to start new lives, many Jews flee to distant lands, only to face another challenge, a breakaway form of Judaism called Christianity. As it rises to political power, Christianity becomes deeply anti-Semitic. But Judaism survives, and in doing so, preserves for all its unique gifts, including the rights of the individual and the rule of law: gifts that will change the Western world forever.

Lawrence of Arabia: Part 1

2008-04-10T12:19:37Z

Born to unmarried parents in the strict Victorian era, Lawrence is embarrassed by his illegitimacy. He spends most of his childhood alone, driving for physical and academic achievement. At Oxford, his passion for medieval history results in an expedition to study the great crusader castles of Syria, where he gains invaluable knowledge of the Arabs. While employed as an archaeologist, he is recruited by British intelligence to monitor Turkish activities. He also befriends an Arab who will deeply influence his views towards Arabs and their cause. After World War I begins, Lawrence becomes an intelligence officer in the British Army. His mission is to gather information about an Arab Revolt planned against Turkish rulers. In return for a promise guaranteeing their independence, the Arabs join the war on the British side. But a secret agreement between the British and French will shatter this dream. Torn by conflicting loyalties, Lawrence continues to assist the Arabs, becoming more deeply entrenched in their fight. Against all odds, he leads the Arabs in a daring attack on the Turkish port of Aqaba. It is a stunning success and a turning point for Lawrence, the Arabs, and the British.

Lawrence of Arabia: Part 2

2008-04-10T15:02:08Z

Flush with victory, Lawrence and the Arabs continue their attacks on the Turks, inflicting serious damage. Undertaking increasingly dangerous missions, Lawrence is captured alone and brutalized by the Turks, but escapes. Though the experience is disputed by many, Lawrence stands by his story. After the Turks surrender Jerusalem, the Balfour Declaration paves the way for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. In the hope that control of Damascus will legitimize Arab claims for independence, Lawrence leads the Arabs in an allied race for the city. However, soon after, the truth of the British deception is exposed. Now a celebrated figure to the British public, Lawrence returns to England and continues to fight for an Arab homeland in Europe. At the Paris Peace Conference, Britain, France and America draw new maps, ensuring their control over the Middle East. Reeling with guilt for his part in deceiving the Arabs, Lawrence retreats, enlisting as an ordinary recruit in the Royal Air Force. In 1935, he leaves the military for the last time, planning to spend his life in seclusion. Weeks later, he is killed in a motorcycle accident. Although gone, the impact of Lawrence's role on the Middle East will be felt for generations to come.

Are We Alone?

2008-04-09T15:02:05Z

Created and hosted by science writer Timothy Ferris (Seeing in the Dark), the program explains why many scientists now believe life is abundant in the universe, and examines how a signal from an alien world could change the course of civilization. This episode traces our search for life on other planets and explores the origin of life on Earth. The discovery of water and organic molecules across the solar system leads scientists to speculate that life may be cosmically commonplace. And recent discoveries of exotic creatures thriving in extreme environments on Earth has broadened our search for life-harboring worlds. It now seems reasonable to believe that life may exist on any planet that contains water and a molten core, no matter how far it is from a sun.

Is Anybody Listening?

2008-04-09T18:01:47Z

This episode investigates the attempt to detect signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. Since inter-stellar space flight would be slow and expensive, the best way to contact intelligent extraterrestrials may be communication - sending messages rather than starships. Earth's radio and TV broadcasts have now traveled far beyond our solar system, reaching hundreds of other stars -and, presumably, planets. Since inhabitants of otheer planets, if they exist, may be doing the same, SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, employs large radio telescopes designed to scan the heavens for signs of intelligent life.

Lost Liners: Part 1

2008-04-10T12:16:26Z

In the short span of three years, three of the greatest ocean liners perished. Titanic, the world's most famous liner, sank on her maiden voyage in 1912, killing 1513. Two years later in Canada's greatest maritime disaster, the RMS Empress of Ireland sank in fourteen devastating minutes, taking more lives than Titanic. Lusitania, a British passenger ship, was torpedoed in 1915 by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland. Part One chronicles the maiden voyage, sinking and ultimately, the discovery the the lost Titanic by Dr. Robert Ballard.

Lost Liners: Part 2

2008-04-10T12:18:32Z

Dr. Ballard and his crew embark on an expedition in the cold, clear waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway to explore the ghostly remains of the Empress of Ireland. Fibre optics and remote vehicles allow viewers to tour the once elegant steamer, which sank just five miles off the shores of Quebec on a foggy morning in 1914. Part Two looks at the sinking of the Lusitania and it's harrowing aftermath and weaves historical footage with never-before-seen images of the Empress of Ireland as she rests uneasily at the bottom of the sea.

Martin Luther: Driven to Defiance

2008-04-09T15:02:33Z

Martin Luther is born into a world dominated by the Catholic Church. For the keenly spiritual Luther, the Church's promise of salvation is irresistible. Caught in a thunderstorm and terrified by the possibility of imminent death, he vows to become a monk. But after entering the monastery, Luther becomes increasingly doubtful that the Church can actually offer him salvation. His views crystallize further when he travels to Rome and finds the capital of Catholicism swamped in corruption. Wracked by despair, Luther finds release in the pages of the Bible, discovering that it is not the Church, but his own individual faith that will guarantee his salvation. With this revelation, he turns on the Church. He attacks its practice of selling Indulgences in his famous 95 Theses, putting himself on an irreversible path to conflict with the most powerful institution of the day.

Martin Luther: Reluctant Revolutionary

2008-04-10T12:13:46Z

The Catholic Church uses all of its might to try to silence Luther, including accusations of heresy and excommunication. Protected by his local ruler, Frederick the Wise, Luther continues to write radical critiques of the Church. In the process, he develops a new system of faith that places the freedom of the individual believer above the rituals of the Church. Aided by the newly invented printing press, his ideas spread rapidly. He is called before the German imperial parliament in the city of Worms and told he must recant. Risking torture and execution, Luther refuses, proclaiming his inalienable right to believe what he wishes. His stand becomes a legend that inspires revolution across Europe, overturning the thousand-year old hegemony of the Church. But as the reformation expands into a movement for social freedom, Luther finds himself overwhelmed by the pace of change, and is left vainly protesting that his followers should be concerning themselves with God.

Cathedral in the Sea

2008-04-09T18:01:45Z

Award-winning filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall capture the fascinating and unusual behavior of creatures deep within the ocean realm. Never-before-seen behaviors of sharks, whales, dolphins and many other unusual marine creatures are among the wonders examined in this series. The cold waters of the Northeastern Pacific Ocean conceal one of the most spectacular marine ecosystems on earth: the submarine forests of giant kelp. This is the ocean's own cathedral, where thousands of rarely seen creatures, at once strange and fascinating, dwell.

Creatures of the Darkness

2008-04-10T12:27:06Z

When the sun sets and darkness falls, the world beneath the sea is transformed. Nocturnal creatures that shun the light of day rise from the dark abyss or emerge from dark caves and crevasses. Opalescent squid rise from the deep and nocturnal predators gather by the hundreds to reap the harvest of squid. Harbor seals attack sleeping fish. A lobster molts its shell and a one hundred pound Humboldt squid attacks reef fish.

City in the Sea

2008-04-10T12:26:18Z

This film reveals the intricate behavioral relationships among the animals of the Caribbean coral reef. At specific locations on the reef, images of various sea life are captured. Caribbean reef squid hover over the coral, communicating with each other by flashing intricate patterns and brilliant colors. A huge barracuda pauses at a cleaning station as gobies clean parasites from its sharp teeth. A two hundred pound loggerhead turtle descends to pick up and crush a conch shell, then uses its front flippers to pull out the tough meat. Also examined are the behaviors of reef sharks, stingrays and many other creatures.

Sharks

2008-04-10T18:05:31Z

Sharks are more than simply well engineered eating machines. They are complex animals with fascinating behaviors, and this episode explores their natural history. While the sharks' dramatic predation techniques are shown, their much less often-filmed behaviors are also explored. The hammerhead, blue, mako, whale, basking and great white sharks make up part of the cast of characters whose complicated behaviors are captured.

Survival in the Sea

2008-04-10T18:04:55Z

The survival of a species depends on the ability of individual animals to reproduce and avoid predation. This episode will examine the complex behaviors marine animals use to spawn, escape predators and survive in the ocean realm. Scorpion fish are seen using camouflage to ambush prey. Giant damselfish build nests of algae. In one of the most spectacular underwater sequences ever captured, striped marlin use their sharp bills to slash through schools of mackerel.

Great Whales

2008-04-10T12:22:13Z

No other creature has so greatly inspired the imagination of man than the cetacean. This film captures the secret lives of whales. Enter the world of a humpback whale as he swims through a maze of Caribbean coral reefs or a blue whale, the largest and rarest creature that ever lived, as it feeds on swarms of shrimp-like krill. California grey whales swim over the ocean floor on their sides sucking up tons of mud then filtering out the crustaceans that live within. Rarely seen footage provides spectacular glimpses into the lives of the greatest creatures that ever inhabited the sea.

Star Gardens

2008-04-10T12:24:57Z

Beneath the cold waters of the North Pacific is a reef community as complex and as spectacular as a tropical coral reef. Instead of hard corals, these cold-water reefs are covered with anemones, coral-like algae and starfish which entirely cover the reef in some places. In this strange environment, the behaviors of many species are profiled. Wolf eels crush and swallow spiny sea urchins. Fringehead fish fight with mouths that are half as wide as their bodies are long. And stunning time-lapse photography shows that starfish dance and fight with fascinating personality.

Venom

2008-04-09T15:02:20Z

The creatures of the ocean realm use numerous strategies for predation and defense. Many of these survival strategies include the use of deadly venom. But as with all the creations of evolution, no survival strategy is foolproof. This film investigates the behaviors of creatures that sting and creatures that circumvent the use of venom. Jellyfish, anemones, scorpion fish, lionfish and demon stingers are just a few of the creatures featured.

Mountain in the Sea

2008-04-10T12:21:38Z

Cocos is a tiny island three hundred miles off the west coast of Costa Rica. Because it is so small and so isolated, Cocos is refuge to an astounding concentration of large migratory marine animals. This episode includes spectacular, never-before-seen sequences of hammerhead sharks being cleaned by butterfly fish and the mating dance of a school of one hundred giant marbled rays.

Filming Secrets

2008-04-09T18:01:59Z

Howard Hall Productions, one of the world's foremost underwater film crews, is profiled in action. Sophisticated U.S. Navy designed underwater mixed-gas rebreathers enable the crew to film spectacular images of marine life without the disturbances of underwater bubbles. The film crew uses specialized equipment to film whales, dolphins, sharks and many other fascinating creatures within the ocean realm. But even with the use of such sophisticated equipment, underwater film work is seldom easy. In this final episode, the HHP film crew will look back with humor upon the successes as well as the mishaps that resulted in filming Secrets of the Ocean Realm.