the best documentaries

Join the heroic quest for knowledge as we set course for the stars with the twenty-first century reboot of Cosmos. Hosted by world-renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, this thirteen-part ground-breaking series will venture to new worlds, trace our roots back to the hearts of ancient stars, and travel across the universe for a vision of the cosmos on the grandest scale.

Welcome to the greatest story that's never been told. In a new, ground breaking series we'll be telling the story of the planets as never before.

David Attenborough's study of the world of plants, which demonstrates, with the aid of time-lapse photography, the rich and varied ways in which they flourish.

Mammoth series, five years in the making, taking a look at the rich tapestry of life in the world's oceans.

A weekly documentary series, each episode providing an in-depth look at a different subject of scientific research. Subjects examined by this show have included the cutting edge of theoretical physics, a return to the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, the long-term effects of Amazon deforestation, and the development of life-saving medical techniques.

Astronomy programme.

A series of films about how humans have been colonized by the machines we have built. Although we don't realize it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers.

In each episode, geologist Dr. Iain Stewart explains the effects and importance of a specific force of nature, such as wind or volcanism. He also examines the various ways in which it shapes planet earth itself and influences life on it, often in conjunction with other natural forces, and sometimes with lifeforms, as in the 'apocalyptically' grave case of global warming.

Astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan is host and narrator of this 13-hour series that originally aired on Public Broadcasting Stations in the United States. Dr. Sagan describes the universe in a way that appeals to a mass audience, by using Earth as a reference point, by speaking in terms intelligible to non-scientific people, by relating the exploration of space to that of the Earth by pioneers of old, and by citing such Earth legends as the Library of Alexandria as metaphors for space-related future events. Among Dr. Sagan's favorite topics are the origins of life, the search for life on Mars, the infernal composition of the atmosphere of Venus and a warning about a similar effect taking place on Earth due to global pollution and the "greenhouse effect", the lives of stars, interstellar travel and the effects of attaining the speed of light, the danger of mankind technologically self-destructing, and the search, using radio technology, for intelligent life in deep space.

The extraordinary story of Earth and why it is special and uniquely brimming with life among a largely unknown but harsh cosmic arena; astronauts tell the story of Earth through a unique perspective.

Numbers are the rulers of the universe. What if there is a code for life's perfection? A code making the world we see, the "what we are" and the "everything else in the universe"?

This nature series' new technology lifts night's veil to reveal the hidden lives of the world's creatures, from lions on the hunt to bats on wings.

Documentary series looking at the influence of art on the current day situation of our society.

David Pogue gives the third degree to scientists pushing the limits of technology - not only to solve horrific murders, but to try to prevent crimes. Peer inside the criminal mind and discover cutting-edge forensic techniques that help investigators stop criminals in their tracks.

The Planets is a made for television documentary series that explores in depth the planets that make up our solar system.

In this comprehensive cosmology series Stephen Hawking looks at the entire universe, from the Big Bang to the end of time.

Explore the wonders of our universe with Sam Neill.

What was once conceived as science fiction is now anchored in reality. Year Million, a new six-part documentary-drama series from National Geographic, explores what it will be like to be human one million years into the future. Today's brightest futurists, scientists, scholars and notable science fiction writers guide viewers through the very latest advances in technology, ideas and innovations that likely will power the evolution of our species. Through illustrative, dramatic storytelling, Year Million paints a version of humanity's fate through the lens of a typical futuristic American family, which includes a daughter who is android. The series propels us into an odyssey of unfathomable choices humans will face while questioning the kind of lives we'll live and the people we'll become a million years from now. Year Million imagines a future when mortality becomes a thing of the past; man merges with machine; intelligence is limitless; and the human species becomes interplanetary. The series predicts how every aspect of technology may affect our lives, for better or worse.