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Discovery Channel Documentaries(1988–)
January 15, 19886 Seasons · 53 Episodes
Returning Series
Documentary
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1988
You can learn a lot in 20 years--just ask Jane Goodall. She spent much of her life with the chimpanzees of Gombe in Tanzania and changed the way we see these bright, playful animals. Filmmaker Hugo von Lawick followed her progress and shares the fruits of his labor in People of the Forest, an epic look at birth, life, and death in the jungle. The individual personalities of the chimps stand out so clearly it's sometimes a strain to remember these creatures aren't human, and their struggles with other tribes, predators, and the forces of nature are alternately thrilling and heartbreaking. The photography is lush--with 20 years of footage to pick through, it should be--and Donald Sutherland's narration is clear and unobtrusive. People of the Forest lends a strong sense of empathy to the viewers and leaves us with greater respect for our closest cousins.
The first and last encompassing view of the Three Gorges area before it is changed irrevocably, flooded by the building of the Three Gorges Dam in the heart of China. No area of China represents more emotional or historical importance to its people for it was in these gorges and mountains that Chinese life began. The Yangtze River is China's longest river, and the third largest in the world after Nile and Amazon. More commonly known among the Chinese as the Chang Jiang, or the 'long river', the Yangtze is the lifeblood of northern China but also a large, muddy, unpredictable killer. As China constructs the world's largest and most powerful dam on the Yangtze River, scholars and scientists race to uncover and preserve artifacts that tell its story and the story of the people who have lived on its shores for over 50,000 years.
Mixing traditional documentary work with amazing 3D medical imaging, this 2005 one hour Discovery Channel show studies the science of desire.
Which Universe Are We In? The most dangerous idea in science might turn out to be true: we live in a multiverse of truly infinite proportions. The universe we live in may not be the only one out there. In fact, our universe could be just one of an infinite number of universes making up a "multiverse The first 'hard evidence' that other universes exist has been found by scientists. Laura Mersini-Houghton, theoretical physicist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Richard Holman, professor at Carnegie Mellon University, predicted that anomalies in radiation existed and were caused by the pull from other universes in 2005.
2003
Over 8,000 species of ants cover the planet. Most are harmless, but some have ...a violent streak. African driver ants, known locally as ‘Siafu’, or 'Safari Ants' have the largest colonies of any social insect. When they swarm the effect is so daunting that the whole jungle flees; even elephants are said to run from them. This documentary uses a hi-tech 'ant cam' to get close to the action. Also featured are the dreaded Bulldog ants from Australia, the individualistic Tasmanian Jack jumper ants and others.
The platypus has both baffled and inspired the scientific community since its discovery by Europeans over 200 years ago. Three years in the making, this blue-chip natural history film takes us down the east coast of Australia to the many serenely beautiful habitats of the platypus. Technology specially created for this film captures images from inside the nesting chamber of a wild platypus and records the extraordinary sounds of the mother suckling her offspring and we watch as they grow from newborns to adulthood.
Not quite documentary, not quite drama, this reenactment of a fictional conscript's life building the Great Pyramid of Giza is best described as docudrama. Omar Sharif voices the thoughts of the aged Nakht remembering the moment Egyptian soldiers drafted him into the king's service.
Since the first Pong machine was unveiled 30 years ago, computer games have become the world's second largest entertainment industry, after music. This program profiles game developers who revolutionized the industry and made playing video games a familiar household activity, and also indirectly fueled the snack food industry. Unique access to the creative geniuses of the last 30 years in a riveting voyage of innovation and blood on the carpet. Producer: Rod Iverson. The human race likes – and needs – to play games. That’s probably why video games have been so popular since the very first time of their invention. This documentary shows the history of video games from Atari over to Nintendo and gives insights about the power of arcade games and home-games-consoles.
Ronald L. Mallett, PhD is a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Connecticut. He discovered a possible way to travel in time by applying Einstein's theory of relativity to laser light moving in a circle. The program uses CGI to illustrate his theories. Mallett was one of the first African-Americans to obtain a PhD in theoretical physics. He was inspired to do so because he wished to travel back in time to visit his dead father, who died when Mallett was ten.
The Himalayan Towers also called Stone star-shaped towers, are a series of stone towers located mostly in Kham, an ancient province of Tibet, in Sichuan and in Tibet. The towers are located in regions of Changthang, Gyalrong, Miniak and Kongpo. The towers can be found both in cities and in uninhabited regions. They have been described for the first time during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Carbon dating by Frederique Darragon shows they were built approximately 500 to 1,800 years ago. Since they are generally located in prosperous villages, it is believed that their primary function was as a demonstration of a family's prestige within the community. At that time, wealth was acquired especially by the trade with the Mongols. For strength, many of the towers use a star pattern of walls as opposed to a strictly rectangular method. Heights can exceed 60m.
Legend has it that the relic known as 'The Spear of Destiny' or 'The Holy Lance' was used to wound the side of Christ at his crucifixion and now holds mystical powers. It is said that whoever possesses the spear holds the fate of the world in their hands. Rulers such as Constantine, Charlemagne, Napoleon, and Hitler sought the spear, hoping that either stories of its powers were true or that it would serve as proof of their own power to their followers. 'Hitler And The Spear Of Destiny' charts the history behind the spear and uses the latest forensic technology to come up with some startling revelations.
What caused the notorious arena to be built, and what made Roman society demand such extreme entertainment to be played out there? Colosseum: A Gladiator's Story revolves around the true story of Verus, who rises from slave to star gladiator, but who faces the ultimate challenge in one of the very few gladiatorial fights that was recorded and described by contemporary writers. Discover Verus' story, live his journey and experience his quest for freedom.
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