Mon, Feb 22, 2010
During an excavation on an island off of Venice, explorers discovers a mass gravesite of what seem to be victims of the black death in the 16th century. One unusual skull caught their attention. There was a brick shoved into the skull's mouth. Top Italian Forensics investigates why.
Mon, Apr 19, 2010
Meet the scientists, adventurers, and engineers who are determined to launch a mission to Europa - and follow them through the challenges, frustrations, and triumphs that come with planning a distant mission to an alien world. Through CGI and quests to the edge of our planet, National Geographic goes on a journey to an alien moon to answer the basic question: are we alone in the universe?
Mon, Apr 26, 2010
An extremely rare genetic disease passed down through generations, fatal familial insomnia's (FFI) primary symptom is sleeplessness, but with a fatal twist: victims are dead within months. National Geographic delves into the science of sleep to find out why we need sleep and what happens to us when we don't get it. Witness the pioneering research inside the sleeping brain as well as the mind forbidden to rest for days at a time.
Mon, Aug 16, 2010
Using information from the investigation following the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, this documentary outlines the immediate 24 hours following the massive explosion. The first atomic bomb contained 140 lbs of enriched uranium and reduced the downtown to a wasteland with 70,000 people killed immediately. Another 40,000 died three days later when a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The Army spent 10 weeks studying the impact of the explosion focusing on thermal flash. The immediate impact was that some were vaporized leaving only atomic shadows. Triangulating these led them to conclude that the bomb exploded only a few hundred yards from its intended target. There was heavy damage for 3 miles in every direction. A great many were burned but there was very little information about radiation poisoning at the time. Today, scientists are still studying but the study continues today with the study of 120,000 Hiroshima survivors.
Mon, Aug 30, 2010
They are some of the most lethal substances on earth -- transmitted through food, water, the people around you or even the air you breathe. These are bioweapons, strains of bacteria and viruses that include the most feared diseases in human history. Now, imagine that you have just become the leader of your nation and new intelligence confirms that terrorists are trying to make and unleash a biological weapon in one of your cities. What are their chances for success? National Geographic reveals a surprising picture of what could happen during a biological attack by examining potential scenarios, vulnerabilities, historical instances and the steps we can take to protect ourselves from the world's most dangerous pathogens.
Mon, Nov 8, 2010
With exclusive access to BP's clean up operations, National Geographic investigates what happened to the 4.9 million barrels of oil that poured from the sea floor in one of the worst environmental disasters of all time. From the front lines of the cleanup efforts, National Geographic follows the first two months after the spill, tracking cleanup efforts as experts seek to learn the ongoing effects and BP battles the spill and the public's outcry.
Mon, Nov 15, 2010
In Papua New Guinea, there are people who may be the last on Earth with living memory of a practice most of the world believes to be long vanished--human mummification. In a search for the last mummy made in the region, National Geographic's team of anthropologists and researchers trek through caves, villages, and mountains to uncover the secrets of the ancient tradition. At the heart of their quest is an aging tribal leader named Gemtasu who wants to revive the practice--with his own body.
Mon, Nov 22, 2010
Animal domestication was a major prerequisite for human civilization to evolve. Join National Geographic as we explore how a dramatic shift from wild to tame happened by investigating foxes, chickens, dogs and rats. Travel to Siberia to see how the physiology of foxes changes when only friendly foxes are bred. In Georgia, follow a scientist as he decodes the DNA of a special population of chickens. And in Moscow, a researcher gains insight into domestication by studying a group of stray dogs.