S2008 E • Monster Black Holes

Première diffusion : 7 décembre 2008

S2008 E1 • Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a natural wonder so large it can be seen from space. Examining the layers of rock exposed from centuries of of erosion, geologists trace the canyon back to its early days when the Colorado River first began to flow through the region.

Première diffusion : 11 février 2008

S2008 E2 • The Rockies

Did the American Rockies rise faster than their Canadian counterpart? New evidence from fossilized leaves and pollen suggest just that. Explore the mysteries of these ancient mountains.

Première diffusion : 28 février 2008

S2008 E3 • La Naissance De L'amerique Du Nord

Le continent nord-américain recouvre 16% de la terre émergée du globe, soit plus que l'Europe et le Moyen Orient réunis. Il comporte des paysages d'une diversité étonnante : d'une part les cimes des Rocheuses, d'autre part le Grand Canyon ; d'un côté les grandes étendues des plaines centrales, de l'autre les chutes de Niagara ; ainsi que les geysers de Yellowstone, et l'activité volcanique du Mont Saint-Helens. Comment ce continent a t-il été sculpté ? Quelles forces ont contribué à lui donner cette forme et cette variété ? Ce programme retrace sur plus de 4 milliards d'années sa vie, en commençant au nord-ouest du Canada

Première diffusion : 6 mars 2008

S2008 E4 • La Naissance De La Vie

How did life begin? its one of the most fundamental and difficult questions that has challenged us for ages. Our planet is teaming with life, from the highest mountain to the deepest ocean; life is everywhere. But what was the firing pistol that started the evolutionary race? How did material go from non-living to alive?

Première diffusion : 13 mars 2008

S2008 E5 • Mystere sur Pluton

Aux confins du système solaire, à près de cinq milliards de kilomètres de la terre, tourne une planète si petite que même les plus puissants télescopes ont du mal à la discerner.Un véritable monde inexploré, offrant un champ d'études presque vierge pour les scientifiques.Pour en savoir plus, une sonde a été envoyée, mais elle mettra près de dix ans à y parvenir.

Première diffusion : 20 mars 2008

S2008 E6 • Mars: Waterworld

After blasing off from Earth on 8/4/2007, NASA's Phoenix Lander is scheduled to enter Mars' atmosphere on 5/25/2008 and land on the polar ice-cap. If all goes well, the solar powered robot will extend its nearly eight foot scoop and dig into the ice amd soil, seaching for the building blocks of life: carbon, nitrogen and, most importantly, water. Phoenix's goal is to prove that life either was, or perhaps is, posssible on the red planet. If it succeeds, it will change our understanding of life in the universe and its uniqueness to our planet.

Première diffusion : 25 mai 2008

S2008 E7 • Saturne

NASA's Cassini spacecraft, launched in 1977, used the gravitational pull of Venus to act as a sling shot to travel the 2 billion miles to Saturn. Its arrival in 2004 allowed an unprecedented study of the planet's mystical rings and details of what lies below Saturn's seemingly smooth exterior. What has been learned so far (the probe continues to orbit and study) is analyzed, as well as information gleaned from the Huygens probe which landed on its moon Titan.

Première diffusion : 25 mai 2008

S2008 E8 • Asteroid Alert

Cosmic debris is an ever present threat to humanity, but what are we doing to protect ourselves? Here we look at new research to determine exactly what the threat is and what we are doing to safeguard our future in the face of the dangers from space. Most of the huge 'dinosaur killing' asteroids have been identified and tracked but the possibility of them impacting is extremely rare. The newly identified danger is the much more numerous and smaller asteroids.

Première diffusion : 27 mai 2008

S2008 E9 • First to Cross the Ocean

This is the story of mankind's first major ocean crossing the groundbreaking first arrival in Australia. It holds the secrets as to how and why modern humans were able to dominate this planet and beyond. In this one hour film experts explore the mysteries that surround this historic journey - how and when it was achieved, was it a purposeful mission or simply an accident and exactly what it is different about modern humans that give us the capabilities to go where no man has gone before

Première diffusion : 28 août 2008

S2008 E10 • La Machine A Remonter Le Temps

Voyager à travers le temps a toujours été un fantasme pour l'homme. Certains scientifiques pensent que ce peut devenir une réalité au XXIe siècle et s'attellent à construire une machine à explorer le temps. Pourra-t-on un jour voyager dans le futur et dans le passé ? Divers physiciens, astrophysiciens et mathématiciens exposent leurs théories, illustrées visuellement. La question du paradoxe temporel, qui a fait les grandes heures de la littérature de science-fiction et d'anticipation depuis des décennies, est également évoquée par ces spécialistes, soucieux de rendre leur savoir accessible au plus grand nombre.

Première diffusion : 11 septembre 2008

S2008 E11 • Quand la Terre perdra le Nord

La Terre est protégée par un champ de force invisible : la magnétosphère. Sans elle, la vie terrestre serait détruite par de puissants rayons du soleil. Toutefois, de nouvelles preuves indiquent que ce bouclier protecteur s'affaiblit lentement. Depuis quelques années, des spécialistes ont constaté qu'une région de l'Atlantique Sud est exposée à des radiations dangereuses. La Terre perdra-t-elle son champ magnétique? Qu'adviendra-t-il dans le cas de cette éventualité?

Première diffusion : 18 septembre 2008

S2008 E12 • Le Big Bang

L'univers a été créé en une fraction de seconde grâce au big bang. Ce mystère a été en partie résolu avec l'équation la plus célèbre d'Albert Einstein : E = MC2. Récemment, des scientifiques américains ont fait d'autres découvertes sur cette énigme grâce à un simulateur gigantesque qui reproduit le big bang!

Première diffusion : 25 septembre 2008

S2008 E13 • Hubble's Amazing Universe

It's perhaps the most renowned telescope in the world; responsible for unlocking many mysteries of the final frontier; and now it is in danger of being lost forever. The Hubble Space Telescope has explored the creation of stars and planets, the glory of supernovas and the formation of super massive black holes, charted dark matter and changed forever our understanding of reality itself. Now, it's spiraling toward the Earth, and astronauts are embarking on a dangerous mission to fix it. In Hubble's Amazing Universe, we'll glimpse the far ends of the universe as seen through the amazing Hubble Space Telescope, and meet one of the astronauts risking everything to save it.

Première diffusion : 5 octobre 2008

S2008 E14 • Supercontinent

Few scientists like to predict the future. But geographer Chris Scotese has drawn a map of Earth 250 million years from now. This supercontinent is a place of wild extremes. In this one hour program scientists such as climatologist Dr Paul Valdes, atmospheric scientist George Bryan and paleobiologist Bruce Tiffney predict what life might be like on a future Earth. But other scientists believe a future single landmass world could sow the seeds of destruction for all life on Earth and the formation of a scorched and barren planet in its place.

Première diffusion : 9 octobre 2008

S2008 E15 • Giant Crystal Cave

It looks like Superman's fortress. Hidden deep beneath the surface of the Earth is one of the greatest natural marvels on the planet: a giant crystal cave with crystals up to 36 feet long and weighing 55 tons. But this scorching cavern could kill humans after just 15 minutes of exposure. Follow an international team of scientists as they don high-tech protective gear to safely unlock the secrets of the crystal cave. They'll attempt to answer the questions, What are the crystals made of? How did they reach such superheroic proportions? And is there life here?

Première diffusion : 12 octobre 2008

S2008 E16 • Death of the Universe

This episode concentrates on how the universe was made in the Big Bang and how scientists predict it could end similarly as it continues to expand. Several theories are covered including the "Big Crunch" where the universe shrinks back to its original size, and the "Big Chill" with the universe slowly freezing to death.

Première diffusion : 16 octobre 2008

S2008 E17 • Who Killed the Aztecs?

It's widely believed that the awesome Aztec civilization was wiped out during the 1500s by diseases introduced by Spanish Conquistadores. Eighty percent of that Central Mexican population died in the devestating epidemics that followed their arrival. Research by a pair of scientists, however, suggests that their fate was not a result of visitors from the New World. If their conclusions are correct, the same ting that killed the Aztecs could happen again in this century.

Première diffusion : 13 novembre 2008

S2008 E18 • Five Years on Mars

Five Years On Mars When the NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity touched down on Mars in 2004, they weren't expected to last long–perhaps 90 days, or six months at most. But 90 days stretched into five years, and a short-term science mission searching for evidence of water has turned into one of the greatest adventures of the Space Age. The rovers have trekked miles across hostile plains, climbed mountains, ventured in and out of deep craters, survived dust storms and mechanical failures, and cheated death so often that no one will venture a guess as to how much longer they might last. Five Years On Mars follows this amazing story of two rovers that have explored vast reaches of Mars and may be among some of the greatest explorers in history.

Première diffusion : 2 novembre 2008