Bill Kurtis journeys to the northern tip of Brazil where ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin studies among the Trio Indians. A Trio healer takes Dr. Plotkin and Kurtis deep into the Amazon rain forest and reveals which plants have medicinal uses. The search for knowledge continues at the National Cancer Institute near Washington, D.C., where thousands of previously unknown plant species, collected by ethnobotanists, are tested as possible cures for cancer and AIDS. Also includes "Flight for Survival" investigates the habits and habitats of the American Bald Eagle, including methods used to bring it back from near extinction.
Chicago-based astronomer Phyllis Pitluga and German scientist Maria Reiche discuss their conclusions that the Nazca lines of Peru are part of a pre-historic agricultural calendar.
Species preservation efforts are demonstrated by scientists trying to save eagles from extinction. Presented are James Greer at Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada.
Witness an operation in which Dr. Cerullo penetrates a patient's brain and removes two tumors.
John Douglas, head of the FBI behavioral science division, shows how his team uses psychological profiles to catch serial killers.
To learn more about the dolphin's seemingly profound intelligence and exceptional communication ability, Bill Kurtis goes to the experts.
An infrared scanning device is used to take the Earth's temperature.
Dr. John Fitzgerald, ornithologist, discovers a new species of bird.
Scientist Walter McCrone demonstrates how optical microscopes are used to solve scientific mysteries: murder, Shroud of Turin, a lost Manet painting.
Scientists travel to the bottom of Lake Superior to measure pollution damage and to observe the lake's ability to clean itself.
Examines the beneficial role played by fire in the natural environment. Documents renewal of the ecosystem following the devastating Yellowstone fires in 1988 and successful attempts to restore midwestern prairies through the use of controlled burning.
Looks at the software created by computer graphics developer Bob Drebin and the effect his programs have in the motion picture and medical industry.
Doctors save a newborn with a fatal lung disease by recirculating his blood for him with an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine until his lungs can function on their own.
Dr. George Archibold of the International Crane Foundation embarks on a dramatic mission to help save a rare crane species in remote Western Siberia.
Dr. Linda Schele of the University of Texas takes Bill Kurtis to Copán, Honduras, and back more than 1,000 years into the pre-Columbian culture of the Maya.
Looks at endangered species which disappear at the rate of 100 species a day, mostly due to habitat destruction, pollution, disease and poaching. Zoo scientists have started a plan of action to increase populations of endangered species using reproductive technology. Spiral of Silence discusses how geneticists from the University of California at Berkeley are studying the genes of a Costa Rican family to determine why half of a generation became deaf.
Scientists study the natural behavior of grizzly bears at Yellowstone National Park.
Two segments join scientists who examine how muscles, bones, and tissue function in top athletes; and how physics can be found in everyday life, including roller coasters and wave pools.
A neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson of Johns Hopkins Hospital, performs brain surgery on a ten-year-old boy who is afflicted with Rasmussen's encephalitis.
Shows how supercomputers can create visualization of complex scientific concepts.
A volcanologist tries to learn to predict volcanic eruptions by studying the Kilauea Volcano on the island of Hawaii, and two scientists attempt to predict earthquakes using modern technology and paleoseismological evidence of past earthquakes.
Documents the three-year effort of scientists at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium to build the largest indoor aquarium in the world, along with the species-collecting expedition in Canada.
Chris Chiaverina and Jim Hicks have found a way to make physics fun. They use an amusement park as a giant classroom and challenge the students to figure out the physics of the rides.
Two paleontologists search for evidence of how the dinosaurs began by returning to the site in Argentina where, in 1988, they discovered the fossilized remains of a specimen of the earliest known dinosaur.
The next advance in particle science may come from an experiment that has been under way for the last 30 years, deep in a South Dakota gold mine.
Researchers at Tuskegee University in Alabama study the sweet potato in order to find a way to cultivate produce in space.
This 1992 expedition retraces the steps of Theodore Roosevelt on his 1914 exploration of the Amazon and Rio Duvida (renamed Rio Roosevelt) through the Brazilian wilderness, with a Brazilian/American team led by Charles Haskell and Teddy's great grand-son, Tweed Roosevelt (team member).
U.S. Navy scientists believe that if we can understand how the dolphins swim, how deep they can dive, and how they communicate, it could be a key to unlock a whole new world under the water.
Presents one story in the fight to save the black rhinoceros from extinction as a team of scientists from Zimbabwe and the United States engage in that effort beginning in Hwange National Park and continuing in the United States. Focuses on dehorning and translocation as techniques for saving this endangered species.
Dr. Levi Watkins talks to Bill Kurtis about implanting Pacemakers in patients with heart problem in the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He also talks about his memories of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his struggles for equal rights in America.
Discusses the April 13, 1992 flood of the Chicago Loop, focusing on the engineering problems that were presented in stopping the flood and draining the water from basements and underground tunnels.
The world cheetah population is slowly dying. Dan and Laurie Kraus have moved to Namibia in southern Africa, home to the largest remaining cheetah population, to stop the trend of local farmers killing the cheetahs. Also included is a fascinating look at genetics; you'll learn why the inbred zoo populations are vulnerable to disease and incapable of reviving the species.
Focuses on astronaut Mae Jemison and the Space Shuttle Endeavour's September, 1992 mission. Observes a frog embryology experiment conducted by Jemison during the mission, designed to help scientists understand how the zero-gravity environment affects the reproduction process.
Focuses on Dr. Raphael Lee and his new techniques for scar reconstruction.
Examines efforts in Hawaii and Greece to study and preserve endangered monk seal populations. Highlights a program at the Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology to inject a testosterone-reducing drug into male seals in an effort to prevent them from killing females during the mating season.
Researchers take viewers into their labs to explain biotechnology that is involved in creating improved crops, soil and fertilizer.
Discusses how geneticists from the University of California at Berkeley are studying the genes of a Costa Rican family to determine why half of a generation became deaf.
Bill Kurtis goes cave diving in the mysterious underwater caverns beneath the Bahama Islands. In one segment biologist Jill Yager shows where she first discovered a living fossil, the Remipedia, an unknown species of crustacean 150 million years old. In another segment, naturalist Ben Rose takes the crew on a coral reef tour in which feeding sharks is part of the fun.
Bill Kurtis examines the latest high tech development, virtual reality. He discusses the applicability of virtual reality in science in the future with several experts in the field.
Presentation of two scientists' approach to earthquake prediction: Al Lind using modern technology and paleoseismologist Gary Carver using evidence of past earthquakes.
A team of scientist empowering children to use science to reclaim the rivers of the world.
Learn how three veterinary scientists use modern medical technology to reverse the effects of extinction.
Retracing the last expedition of David Livingstone across Africa in 1872, with a team led by Charles Haskell, Elizabeth McKnight and David Livingstone Wilson, the explorer's great-grandson.
Traces the discovery and identification of the deadly hantavirus strain which broke out in New Mexico in May of 1993, focusing on the role of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Deep in the Sahara Desert, Paul Sereno and his team dig through a massive dinosaur graveyard, uncovering two new species. Demonstrates the rigors of the expedition and the historical impact of Dr. Sereno's discoveries.
500 miles off the coast of Mexico and 2 miles below the ocean surface, on a quest to unlock the mysteries of underwater volcanoes, the crew of a research submarine reveal how the ocean floor canyons that make up the mid-ocean ridge were, and are still, being formed. Also introduces viewers to lifeforms that survive in the extremely hot, highly toxic environment around thermal vents.
Describes how science fact and science fiction are woven together to create episodes of TV's Star Trek series, and the influence of Star Trek on the pursuit of science and technology in real life.
Shows and watches Gillies Turle on the steps of his journey to the scientific process of exploring the Maasai's culture. Along the way, we see loibons, or medicine men, perform their secret rituals and young men training to become morani, or warriors, gaining a glimpse at the ways of the Maasai themselves, the quiet nomadic people indigenous to Kenya and Tanzania.
Discusses how scientists and the U.S. Navy are working together to understand the language of whales so as to better understand the nature of whales.
Conservation efforts in the Puerto Suarez and Tucavaca areas of eastern Bolivia, where forests are threatened with extinction by logging and agriculture, are performed by scientists of the American-Bolivian rapid assessment team who have three days to assess insects, birds, mammals, and plants and deliver the data to higher authorities to prove that the value of the forests is so great they should be preserved.
This program focuses on some of the many research projects underway in Antarctica, and visits some of its features.
In January 1995, Expedition Inspiration culminated a year of fund-raising efforts, specifically dedicated to the fight against breast cancer, when a team of 17 breast cancer survivors climbed 23,000-foot Mount Aconcagua in the Andes Mountains of South America. The climb becomes a metaphor for their survival and triumph.
Peter and Rosemary Grant document the process of natural selection among finches of the Galapagos Islands, occurring within a human lifetime.
You'll experience one of the most dangerous forms of exploration when Bill Kurtis goes cave diving in the mysterious underwater caverns beneath the Yucatan called Nohoch Nah Chich.
Songbird populations have declined over recent decades due to pollution and habitat loss, as documented by this study of migration and nesting habits.
Follows a Peruvian expedition that offers new clues to the mystery of Machu Picchu, the famous lost city of the Incas.
Viewers discover the amazing peaceful purposes of the mighty atom.
Showcases the efforts of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago medical scientists to improve the quality of life for patients with spinal cord injuries and the courage and stamina of those patients as they learn to accept their disability and function in society.
Chronicles the work of engineers and test pilots as they develop a new Navy jet fighter and bring it to its first flight.
Documents the phase I clinical trial of RMP-7 headed by Dr. Keith Black. The program follows three participants through the trial.
A scientific detective story to find out why 155 manatees mysteriously died in the spring of 1996, and to find ways to keep it from happening again.
Anthropoligists Drs. Jonathan Haas and Winifred Creamer present their finds from the 14-year study of the Anasazi ruins of northern Arizona supporting the theory that war was the contributing factor in the demise of the Anasazi, the ancient pueblo people.
This show focuses on Michael Blakey, a Howard University biological anthropologist, as he does research on human skeletons found in an 18th Century slave graveyard uncovered in New York City in 1991.
Profiles the medical pioneers whose inventions make medical imaging possible. Follow their stories, from the origin of the X-ray at the turn of the century, to the development of the ultrasound during World War II, to the introduction of the CAT scan. Go inside a hospital radiology department to show how doctors use these tools today, and what they hope to see with them tomorrow.
Reveals the diminishing number of sharks, looking for the reason through the scientific process to establish the problem, hypothesize a cause, gather data, and offer a solution.
Bill Kurtis and The New Explorers travel to Nepal to find the real valley that inspired this legend. A look at the geology of the region reveals dramatic uplifts caused by the movements of tectonic plates.
Why is the ocean around Trinidad rising? Is it a result of ice caps melting due to global warming? Or is the island sinking as a result of oil being pumped out from below ground?
The problem of managing land with a large population of people and 35,000 wild mustangs is presented along with a horse whisperer, who explains the science that claims to tame wild horses so they can be adopted as riding horses.
The Bedouin village of Nuweiba Museine, on the Gulf of Aqaba, has an unusual resident. Holly, as she is known, is a bottlenose dolphin that has lived for several years in the shallow waters of the bay next to the village, and has adopted the villagers as her ""family,"" leaving her pod behind. This film tells the remarkable story of this unique interspecies relationship. Travel to the village to view Holly in her adopted habitat, and learn how she came to accept the villagers as her companions. Dr. Randy Wells, who has spent his career studying dolphins, explores the many incredible aspects of Holly's case, and reflects on why she may have chosen to live with humans instead of her own kind. See stunning footage of Holly being comforted by the villagers after the death of her calf that proves the power of the bond between the dolphin and her human "pod". Learn of the many new insights that Holly has provided into the behavior of these enigmatic animals
The story of Custer and the Little Big Horn is told using historical reenactments and commentary by historians, Native Americans, and others. Includes a discussion of newly discovered archaeological data from the battlefield site.
Bill Kurtis joins Jim Stevenson and other scientists concerned with rising nitrate levels flowing from underground into Florida's crystal clear Ichetucknee River as they trace the origin of the pollutants which are contaminating Florida's once pristine springs.
Scientists work to uncover the secrets of Yellowstone's thermal wonders including geysers and hot springs.
Visit the Paraguay River with scientists who are trying to save it from development of a 2,000 mile shipping highway. Many feel that if the project goes ahead, the area will dry out and the long term effects could be disastrous to the diversity of life on earth.
Follows paleontologist John Flynn as he leads an international team of geologists and naturalists high into the Andes Mountains to unravel a mystery. In rocks thought to be 100 million years old, Flynn found the fossilized remains of small mammals only 32 million years old. The discovery raises questions about the area's entire geologic history, as well as the planet's. If Flynn and his team can find evidence to undermine old theories, it may open up a window to a new and better understanding of the earth.
It is said that every three seconds somewhere on Earth there is a sighting of an unidentified flying object. Host Bill Kurtis and his team head out to investigate two sighting reports - one on the edge of a rain forest in Brazil and the other in the town of Puebla, Mexico. Both believers and skeptics are interviewed before Kurtis draws his own conclusions.
Bill Kurtis journeys to Ghana with Suli, who has made a life for himself in America, but has been called back to Ghana to become chief of his native tribe.
Documents a treasure hunt expedition attempting to search for the Inca gold buried in the mountains of Ecuador.