PBS Terra
Foxes: Dog Hardware, Cat Software | Animal IQ
- Title
- Foxes: Dog Hardware, Cat Software | Animal IQ
- Runtime
- 9:05
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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Foxes may look like tiny dogs, but they pounce like cats -- what’s going on inside the brains of these incredible animals? We called David and Amy Bassett to learn more! How badly do you want to play with the Bassett’s foxes?
Like this episode of #AnimalIQ? Whale maybe you should subscribe to Terra 🐋 https://bit.ly/3mOfd77
Foxes are described as “dog hardware running cat software.” These animals are incredible problem solvers, build extremely detailed mental maps of their environment, and can recognize individuals. Over the last 70 years, some foxes were selectively bred to be friendly to humans, and these descendants behave completely differently than their wild counterparts. What can we learn about #animalintelligence from #domesticatedfoxes? Natalia and Trace talk to David and Amy Bassett ...
- Title
- Why the Number 37 Is Keeping Seismologists Up At Night
- Runtime
- 10:55
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a sleeping monster lurking just off the Northwest coast of the United States. It extends 600 miles between Northern California and Vancouver B.C. and experiences a massive megathrust earthquake every 250 years on average. The last one happened 321 years ago and scientists say there is a 30% chance we’ll see another in the next 50 years. It’s expected to rival the 9.0 quake that shook Japan for 6 minutes, which was the most destructive natural disaster in human history. It unleashed a tsunami that reached 100 feet in some areas, caused an estimated $360 billion in damages and claimed some 16,000 lives.
If this sounds om...
- Title
- Can You Drive Better Than a Computer? | Overview
- Runtime
- 9:47
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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Traffic causes a litany of problems for society, from increased emissions to accidents. This traffic scientist thinks automated vehicles will help us finally solve it.
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena shaping our planet from a 10,000-foot view—literally.
- Title
- How Intelligent are Dogs, Really? (feat. @TraceDominguez) | Animal IQ
- Runtime
- 9:35
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Dogs are humanity's best friend, but did we domesticate the brains out of our favorite companions? What's your favorite dog video? Share it with us! 🐕
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The humble dog has been adapting and evolving alongside humanity since before we learned agriculture and how to make our own tools. This long history means #dogs are incredible at human-canine interaction but is there a downside to this all human-focused adaptation? Hosts Natalia Borrego and @TraceDominguez talk to Laurie Santos, Director of the Yale Cognition Center, to find out.
On Animal IQ we dig into the research and talk to the experts to find out just how smart animals appear to be. We then use that knowledge to fill in our AIQ Rubric across five domains of intelligence: Social, Rational, Awareness, Ecological, and our own intelligence X-Factor. Every animal is clever, but their talents v...
- Title
- This is Animal IQ! A new show coming to Terra (feat. @TraceDominguez)
- Runtime
- 1:09
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Animal IQ is the newest show on PBS Terra and we know you're going to love learning about the secret smarts of animals. New episodes beginning this Thursday, Feb. 25!
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We know animals are intelligent, but what we don’t know is how to compare the intelligence of one animal to another. Our Animal IQ Rubric helps us measure five domains of intelligence to finally answer the question: how smart are Earth’s animals?
For generations, humans have wondered if other creatures think the way we do. Scientists devise tests, experiments, and devices to probe the cognition of our fellow fauna. Researchers use puzzle boxes, hidden cameras, brain scans, and mirror tests to suss out social skills, learning ability, vocalization, memory, and even collaboration. Yet, after centuries of study, some animals still leave us stumped. Do we have the tools to understand animal intelligence? Can we really know which anima...
- Title
- You need THIS to survive climate chaos
- Runtime
- 6:13
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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What are the most important essentials you’ll need to comfortably survive a disaster? In this episode of Weathered, Maiya explains the basics of disaster prep and shows you what she keeps in her own go-bag and pantry. She also explains her thought process behind why she’s included each item to help you get started on your own path to preparation!
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we are ALL vulnerable to natural disasters and that a little preparation may save you a lot of pain, suffering – and even your life – should the worst occur. That’s why stocking your pantry and packing a go-bag are so crucial for making sure you and your loved on...
- Title
- Building a Mile-Long Ice Wall Takes Some Cool Science | Overview
- Runtime
- 7:47
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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It’s a mile long and 150 feet high, and covered in the most spectacular ice falls anyone has ever seen. And it’s all human-made. The Ouray Ice Park is the world’s premier location for ice climbing and attracts visitors from around the world. Nobody has ever attempted to create anything on this scale. How do they do it?
The people who make this place every winter call themselves ice farmers. They rely on a complicated system of above-ground plumbing and intimate knowledge of ice to build this frozen marvel. But even ice farmers get surprised by the behavior of ice and water. The water molecule is one of the strangest on the planet, and there’s so much more for scientists to learn about it.
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- Title
- Why on Earth are Winters Getting Worse if the Planet is Getting Warmer? | Weathered
- Runtime
- 11:42
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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Why do we see so much extreme winter weather even as the climate warms? Veteran climate scientist Judah Cohen describes one theory explaining the connection between changes in the jetstream, polar vortex events, and climate change. These bring blizzards, cold temperatures, and record-breaking snowfall to places that are expected to be warming. Examples are the Texas deep freeze in 2021 and in 2022, the extreme snow in Virginia which stranded drivers on I95 for over 24 hours. Watch to find out how global warming could be the cause of major weather shifts that actually increase snowfall events.
In 2015, Boston was brought to its knees by the worst w...
- Title
- The Extreme Physics Behind Drone Racing ft. @JordanTemkin | Overview
- Runtime
- 7:50
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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Two-time Drone Racing League Champion Jordan Temkin knows the feeling of personal flight. Come along for a ride with Jordan as we dive into the mechanics and the physics of FPV (First-Person View) drones.
Thanks to the @Thedroneracingleague for collaborating with us on this episode!
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena shaping our planet from a 10,000-foot view—literally.
- Title
- How Bison Are Saving America's Lost Prairie
- Runtime
- 8:29
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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American prairies were once home to as many as 60 million bison. But when ranching and agriculture displaced elk and bison from the prairies, America’s grasslands all but disappeared. Now, the Nature Conservancy manages the largest remaining protected tract of tallgrass prairie in the entire world, the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in northeastern Oklahoma.
This 40,000-acre expanse is much more than grass. It is a biologically rich habitat that harbors a diverse collection of plant and animal species—more than 750 species of flora and 80 different mammals. This prairie is also a vital component in nature’s fight against climate change. The key to keeping the prairie healthy? Bison.
The Nature Conservancy reintroduced 300 bison to this prairie in 1993, and the herd has grown to more than ...
- Title
- Catastrophic Landslide in California: Can We Stop the Unstoppable?
- Runtime
- 10:23
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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Landslides occur in mountainous areas all over the world. One of the most devastating in US history struck on January 9, 2018, when 1,000,000 cubic tons of mud, boulders, and uprooted trees barreled into the sleeping town of Montecito, CA, claiming 23 lives and causing around $1 billion in damage. But as shocking as this event was, it was not an anomaly. They occur in every US state, killing dozens and costing around $4 billion each year. And the hazard is growing as we increasingly build in risky areas and climate change makes triggering events, like fire and heavy rain, more common.
For this episode of Weathered, we traveled to Montecito to speak with ...
- Title
- Watching a Star Die
- Runtime
- 4:40
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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See the universe through one astronomer's very high-powered lens...
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At the moment a star dies, astronomer Emily Levesque can see how time, space, and the universe all work. Emily Levesque studies the moment of mystery when a star dies — the millisecond when its bright light explodes into a supernova or collapses into a black hole. By peeking through high-powered telescopes and analyzing reams of data, Emily can go back in time to discover what happened in the universe millions of years ago. In her world, the night sky only gets more beautiful when you understand how it lives and dies.
#HumansElements #Astronomy #WomenInSTEM
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PBSDigitalSt...
- Title
- Can Native American Hopi Teach Us How to Survive Colorado River Drought?
- Runtime
- 10:04
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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The Colorado Basin provides water to over 40 million people in 7 US states and it is currently experiencing its worst drought in 1200 years! But unlike other droughts, our actions may have real impacts on the outcome and it’s very likely that we can make things better.
Based on current projections scientists are using terms like “aridification” to describe it, meaning that, if we don’t change course things may not go back to normal for a very long time. How is this “hot drought” different from those that have visited the region before? How are climate change and warming temperatures driving these changes? And what can we do to adapt? Watch t...
- Title
- Who Made These Giant Desert Figures… and WHY?
- Runtime
- 7:22
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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The three human figures and two animals that make up the Blythe Geoglyphs - or Blythe Giant Intaglios - are enormous. So big in fact, that they can’t be fully appreciated from the ground. But the figures were carved into the earth long before air travel was invented. So who made them...and why?
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena shaping our planet from a 10,000-foot view—literally.
- Title
- Origami: Art, Engineering… or Both?
- Runtime
- 4:02
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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How can one sheet of folding paper inform engineering and the future of space travel?
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More info below ↓↓↓
Jinkyu “JK” Yang sees endless possibilities in a single sheet of paper. The aeronautics and astronautics professor at the University of Washington uses origami as a creative way to design foldable structures. The resulting shapes could inform new designs for a rocket’s landing gear, medical devices, or solar panels — all while pushing the boundaries of where art and science meet.
Human Elements, produced by Seattle-based KCTS9, is a show about the people behind science’s facts and figures. Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3mOfd77
#HumansElements #Origami #STEM
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- Title
- Saving the Endangered Goldenrod | Overview
- Runtime
- 8:01
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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Red River Gorge, a geological wonder in Kentucky and one of the world’s top rock climbing destinations, is a haven for rare species and a place of many surprises. What makes this place so special? We’ll explore in this episode of Overview.
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena shaping our planet from a 10,000-foot view—literally.
- Title
- What Can We Learn From 2020's Record-Breaking Hurricane Season?
- Runtime
- 9:45
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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Hurricanes are the most powerful and destructive storms on the planet. And 2020 surpassed all expectations, becoming the most active hurricane season on record. Have you ever wondered how they form? Or how climate change is affecting them? And, what can we learn from a lab that creates hurricane-force wind and rain to test the strength of houses?
Weathered is a show hosted by meteorologist Maiya May and produced by Balance Media that helps explain the most common natural disasters, what causes them, how they’re changing, and how we can prepare.
#Weathered #Hurricanes #Climate
Subscribe here so you never miss an episode: https:...
- Title
- How Birds Can Teach Us to Build Better Airplanes
- Runtime
- 3:42
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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How one researcher is turning everything we know about flight on its head...
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Vikram Baliga studies anatomy and movement of animals in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. He examines how birds use their wings to generate force and carry them through the sky. Truly understanding the mechanics requires hands-on study — so Baliga sources bird cadavers from museum collections at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. It sounds morbid, but with a closer look, humans can learn how to build better aircraft or automobiles, using superior natural design informed by millions of years of bird evolution.
Human Elements, produced by Seattle-based KCTS9, is a show about the people behind science’s fa...
- Title
- There's One Thing About Fall Colors Scientists Can't Explain
- Runtime
- 7:14
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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It’s one of the most breathtaking natural spectacles on the planet — trillions of green leaves across New England transform into the brilliant hues of fall. This is nature’s masterwork. But how and why do the leaves change color in fall? The answers may surprise you.
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena shaping our planet from a 10,000-foot view—literally.
- Title
- Life Aboard the International Space Station
- Runtime
- 4:01
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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From 250 miles above the Earth’s surface, NASA astronaut Anne McClain has a unique perspective. Subscribe so you never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3mOfd77
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Circling the planet 16 times a day aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Anne McClain performs experiments in the only existing floating laboratory. From growing crystals to study Parkinson’s disease to determining how farmers might better irrigate their crops, she pushes the boundaries of human knowledge — all while looking back down on everything and everyone she’s ever known.
Human Elements, produced by KCTS9, is a show about the people behind science’s facts and figures. Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss an episode.
#HumansElements #Space #Science
Keep up wi...
- Title
- Wild Horses: America's Most Beloved Invasive Species?
- Runtime
- 8:16
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Thank you to Target for supporting PBS. You can learn more at: https://target.com/community
Share your story today: https://to.pbs.org/3izZeXh
Wild horses made their home on the islands of North Carolina centuries ago, supposedly descendants of horses brought by shipwrecked colonizers. Today, they are celebrities on these islands, creating a tourist frenzy and drawing thousands of people every summer to the northern beaches of North Carolina.
But the situation is complicated. The horse population needs to be managed because they can cause serious damage to the ecosystem. How can we respect these horses and keep them wild while protecting the islands?
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena shaping our planet from a 10,000-foot view—literally.
- Title
- When Zoo Animals Speak, This Scientist Listens
- Runtime
- 6:12
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Can animals talk? Just ask animal welfare scientist Dr. Bonnie Baird.
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Dr. Bonnie Baird can talk to animals — well, sort of. Instead, she carefully observes the behavior of the many species that call Woodland Park Zoo, in Seattle, WA, home. Though the creatures can't “say” how they feel, exactly, Bonnie uses data to translate their behavior into something we can understand and respond to. Are the giraffes happy? Do penguins get too hot? Can the sheep get a good night’s sleep? As the zoo’s animal welfare scientist, Baird answers these questions and more to help keep the animals healthy and content.
Human Elements, produced by KCTS9, is a show about the people behind science’s facts and figures. Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss an episode.
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- Title
- Meet the Fire Lookout of Big Sky Country
- Runtime
- 8:09
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
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Check out PBS Terra’s new series Weathered: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giDX6ByhWO8
Are real-life fire lookouts, like those popularized by the successful adventure game Firewatch, becoming obsolete with modern technology like aerial observers and observation satellites?
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Meet Mark Hufstetler, a fire lookout at Baptiste Tower in Flathead National Forest, Montana, who believes human observation is still imperative in fire detection and management.
See how people like Mark have been protecting our forests for over a century and continue to play a vital role in protecting our natural resources.
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredib...
- Title
- We Can't Stop Wildfires—But Here's How We Live With Them
- Runtime
- 10:16
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
As wildfires become more destructive, we look to design solutions and indigenous knowledge to become safer. Subscribe and get ready for the next disaster: https://bit.ly/3mOfd77 More info below ↓↓↓
In 2018, the Camp Fire sent a shower of embers through Paradise, California, burning down 18,000 structures and killing 86 people. Now the 2020 fire season looks even worse, devastating communities, forcing thousands to evacuate, and choking the air with smoke. In this episode of Weathered, scientists and Native leaders tell us what we can do to reduce the harm fires can cause through design, building materials, and listening to the land. We’ll even watch researchers burn a home in their lab to identify weak points and make them stronger.
Weathered, produced by Portland’s Balance Media...
- Title
- How to Think Like an Octopus
- Runtime
- 5:25
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
↓ More info below ↓To understand how extraterrestrials might think, one researcher points to the octopus.
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The place that the octopus evolved — the bottom of the sea — is so alien to us that it might as well be another planet. Some scientists, like Dominic Sivitilli, think it’s the closest we can get to understanding how extraterrestrials might think. The octopi’s sophisticated nervous systems and sensitive suckers allow it to do incredible things like escape aquariums — but Sivitilli is learning how each of an octopus' eight arms might actually have a mind of its own. We don’t know yet if alien life exists, but if they do, they might think like an octopus.
Human Elements, produced by Seattle-based KCTS9, is a show about the...
- Title
- Why Are These Mountains BLUE?
- Runtime
- 6:54
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
↓ More info below ↓
This is our premiere episode of Overview, a show that will be publishing every three weeks on Terra.
There are a LOT of trees in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and they’re responsible for that dreamy blue haze on the horizon.
Trees produce fine mists of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which scatter blue light waves. But these compounds are also a key ingredient in ground-level ozone, and in the mid-90s the area had serious air quality issues. Not only was it dangerous to breathe, but the hazy blue was also disappearing from the horizon.
But it wasn’t just the tree's fault. Here’s what happened...
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena ...
- Title
- This is TERRA (Trailer)
- Runtime
- 0:57
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra.
↓ More info below ↓
Terra is the home for science and nature shows from PBS Digital Studios. Join us and explore the frontiers of science and be inspired by the world around us to better understand what makes it tick.
Premiering September 24 is Overview hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart. Overview showcases incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena and forces shaping our planet from a 10,000 foot view--literally.
Launching on October 1 is Human Elements. The world of science is full of facts and figures, but behind the study are the people. Human Elements is a show about capturing the connection between scientist and subject, from intelligent octopi to telescopes that can see into the past.
And finally, starting October 5 is Weathered. From wildfires to hurricanes to tornadoes, we are de...
- Title
- Antarctic Penguins: Overrated? | Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 14:05
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- When in Antarctica, meeting penguins is an absolute must. But it’s not always easy.
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Finding — and filming — penguins was hosts Caitlin Saks and Arlo Pérez’s top priority during their month-long stay at McMurdo Station. With four species of penguin living in Antarctica, including the Adélie, the most widely-distributed penguin species in the world, tracking down these waddling wonders might sound simple.
To find Adélies, Caitlin and Arlo set out on a quest to Cape Royds, home to the southernmost Adélie penguin colony in the world. There, they meet with expert Jean Pennycook to learn about why people love these black and white birds and how Antarctica’s penguin populations are indicators of climate change. But non-ideal conditions and gusting winds put a damper on their plans (and the penguins they do come across seem to be either busy pooping or getting busy with each other). Caitlin and ...
- Title
- Exploring Antarctica's Active Volcano Mt. Erebus | Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 7:29
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- What’s covered in ice, soars 12,500 feet, and sometimes features a bubbling lava lake in its crater? Mount Erebus, of course.
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Antarctica is an otherworldly land of extremes. But perhaps nothing there is as extreme as Mount Erebus, one of Antarctica’s two active volcanoes and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. Conveniently, Erebus’ summit is a mere 25 miles from McMurdo Station, Antarctica’s largest research base.
Hosts Caitlin Saks and Arlo Pérez join Jessie Crain, a National Science Foundation Antarctic research support manager, on an exhilarating helicopter trip from McMurdo to Erebus’ summit and then land on its flanks. At altitude in -30° F conditions, they embark on foot and see firsthand how breathtaking (literally) Erebus is — and why an active volcano in a land of ice is a scientific wonder. Together, Caitlin and Arlo discover Dr. Suess-like ice towers (gas-emitting fumarol...
- Title
- What Do You Eat in Antarctica? | Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 12:51
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- If you’re a penguin or other seabird in Antarctica, there’s plenty of fish (and some seal placenta) to go around. But what do the people eat?
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Generally, an adult human consumes around 1,600 to 3,000 calories daily. But in colder climates, people need to eat more: Keeping our warm-blooded bodies warm requires a lot of energy. It’s so cold in Antarctica that the average person needs to consume 3,200 to 5,000 calories a day (watch out, Michael Phelps). And because the continent is frozen, no food grows there naturally.
So how do the hundreds of scientists and support personnel who visit Antarctica’s McMurdo Station each year stay fed?
Throughout their one-month stay in Antarctica, hosts Caitlin Saks and Arlo Pérez discover the secret sauce of Antarctic cooking from exper...
- Title
- Why Don’t Fish Freeze in Antarctica? I Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 12:02
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Under the ice in Antarctica is a world few people ever get to see.
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Bizarre creatures—ancient sponges, gigantic jellyfish, sea spiders, ribbon worms, and notothenioid fishes that manage not to freeze—make their home here. “Every time I come down here, every year, I always find something I haven’t seen before,” diver Steve Rupp says.
To discover Antarctica’s dazzling hidden underbelly, host Arlo Pérez meets with Steve and his fellow Antarctic diver Rob Robbins, while host Caitlin Saks explores the McMurdo Aquarium with evolutionary physiologist Chi-Hing Christina Cheng. Arlo and Caitlin learn that the Antarctic marine realm is not only spectacular to see, but fascinating for scientists to study. The water is so cold that fish inhabiting it should freeze like an icicle, a phenomenon that evolutionary biologist Paul Cziko uses supercooled water, snow, and fish guts to demonstrate.
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- Title
- Where Does the Poop in Antarctica Go? | Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 13:07
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- What happens to all the garbage—and human poop—in Antarctica?
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Antarctica is home to McMurdo Station, the U.S. Antarctic Program’s base of operations, and a handful of other research stations. These stations are occupied by scientists and other staffers, all of whom generate a whole lot of waste. And every scientist and staffer, like everybody else on Planet Earth, poops. (If you didn’t know this, maybe give “Everyone Poops” a read after you watch this episode.)
Under the Antarctic Treaty System, an international agreement to protect the continent, waste of any kind—garbage, human poop, you name it—can’t be left on the continent. So what happens to it? To find out, Caitlin and Arlo embark on their most peculiar Antarctic quest yet.
At McMurdo Station, as Caitl...
- Title
- Exploring Antarctica’s Glaciers (with a PlayStation Controller) | Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 10:40
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Beneath Antarctica’s glaciers, a 12-foot-long robot named Icefin explores places neither boats nor divers can reach.
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Icefin is testing technologies designed for exploring Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. But before its successors go into space, this robot has a serious job on Earth: taking measurements from under a glacier so researchers like Georgia Tech astrobiologist Britney Schmidt can better understand how climate change is affecting Antarctica’s vulnerable ice. NOVA’s Caitlin Saks and Arlo Perez meet with Britney and her team of young scientists and engineers on the 8-mile-long Erebus Ice Tongue to discover how this robot is gathering data before its “grandkids” leave our planet.
Then, Britney, her team, and Icefin head to the Florida-sized Thwaites Glacier on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Thwaites is one of the most remote places on Earth, but this so-called “Doomsday Glacier” is on the front line ...
- Title
- What is it Like to Live in Antarctica? | Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 9:42
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Antarctica is cold, windy, isolated, barren, and often downright dangerous. Yet somehow, people manage to live there. (Some even enjoy it!)
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People have been visiting Antarctica for over a century—and hosts Caitlin Saks and Arlo Pérez can actually see what living there used to be like, because some of the early explorers left all their stuff! Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated ship Endurance was only recently rediscovered, but the 1910-1913 expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott (more commonly known as the Terra Nova Expedition) left its “home-base” hut still intact, and it’s now a museum. Inside one finds all the trappings of early Antarctic life: seal blubber, science experiments, and of course a desiccated penguin.
Today, living in Antarctica is a bit different. But still, an eclectic band of scientists and support personnel are drawn to the continent and, every year, a crew makes their home on â...
- Title
- Why is this Antarctic Glacier “Bleeding?” | Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 10:01
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Did you know that Antarctica has a glacier that bleeds red? (At least, that’s what it looks like.)
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Five stories high and emerging from the Taylor Glacier in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, Blood Falls seeps into an ice-covered body of water called Lake Bonney. It’s one of the continent’s most enigmatic natural features and has fascinated scientists for decades. What makes it red? Does it always flow? And can anything actually survive near it? To find out—and see just how bizarre Blood Falls is with their own eyes—Caitlin and Arlo travel to the Dry Valleys, about 60 miles from McMurdo Station. There, they meet with microbiologist Jill Mikucki and hydrogeologist Peter Doran to investigate why this glacier looks the way it does, what lives there (spoiler: CHARISMATIC MICROBES!), and what clues it holds for finding and understanding life on other planets and moons in our solar system, like Mars, Ju...
- Title
- How Antarctica’s Cutest Baby Seals Grow Up I Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 10:51
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Penguin lovers, take note: Baby Weddell seals might actually be cutest animals in all of Antarctica (and we’re talking a continent the size of the United States and Mexico combined).
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And for more baby seals, check out NOVA's Polar Lab: https://to.pbs.org/3aLUMS1
Inhabiting the Ross Sea—as far south as McMurdo Sound—Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) have the most southerly distribution of any mammal on Earth. Scientists began studying a breeding population of Weddell seals in 1968 and quickly found out these pinnipeds don’t always have it easy. Giving birth and raising young is particularly challenging in Antarctica’s extreme conditions, forcing Weddell moms and pups to bear sub-zero temperatures and prevailing winds. How do they manage to do it so gracefully? (OK: they’re admittedly way more graceful in the water than on land.) To find out, NOVA hosts Caitlin and Arlo travel to...
- Title
- How We Got to Antarctica | Antarctic Extremes
- Runtime
- 14:11
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Antarctica: It’s the home of penguins, seals, and a weird, rusty-looking glacial waterfall called Blood Falls. It’s the most remote natural laboratory on Earth—which means getting there is no easy feat.
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In the premiere episode of Antarctic Extremes, join hosts Caitlin Saks and Arlo Pérez as they follow in the footsteps of the brave scientists that have made McMurdo Station, an otherworldly Antarctic outpost, their research base and their second home. Five days, 12,000 miles, and seven time zones with hundreds of pounds of camera gear in tow, Caitlin and Arlo temporarily leave their day jobs as NOVA producers and go on a mind-boggling journey to the bottom of the world. They fly halfway across the planet, pick up extreme cold-weather gear (and gloves made specially for wiping away snot), and learn...
- Title
- Antarctic Extremes I Trailer
- Runtime
- 1:45
- Date posted
- 7 years ago
- Description
- Journey to Antarctica in a new digital series from NOVA and PBS Digital Studios, and discover what it takes to do science in Earth’s remotest natural laboratory.
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Hosts Caitlin Saks and Arlo Pérez set up shop at McMurdo Station, the largest research base in Antarctica, and embed with scientists and support staff to find out what it’s like to live, work, and do science on our southernmost continent. Fun, quirky, and at times deeply personal, Caitlin and Arlo reveal the true Antarctica: a land where science and survival intersect. They join researchers to investigate the secret to seal pup survival, the mystery of a blood-red glacier, and "Icefin," an underwater robot that might offer clues to how fast Antarctica will contribute to sea level rise. As they explore magnificent locations—from the depths of an ice cave to the peak of Mount Erebus, an active Antarctic volcano—they reveal the trials and...

