7 Science and Nature Shows to Watch With the Whole Family
Weathered
Weather is on everyone's minds right now. Maybe we're excited about leaf peeping this fall or maybe we're concerned about a recent climate disaster. It is extremely comforting to know the science behind what's happening and why. More importantly, it helps us feel like we can take action to prevent or respond to weather events.
Weathered host Maiya May is the perfect guide for these conversations. Her background in meteorology and atmospheric science comes through as she explains how a better future is possible.
In this episode: When is it time to leave your home? Maiya May visits Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, one of the first communities in the US to undergo a federally funded relocation due to climate change. She talks to resident, Chris Brunet, about his decision to move away from the island where his family has lived for generations.
NOVA
The science television series we all love -- and have loved since it premiered on PBS stations in 1974! -- is still our best STEM friend. NOVA has been expanding our scientific knowledge for 50 years, and we're better for it. We've learned about Alaskan dinosaurs, the latest A.I. tools, and the total solar eclipse. Right now, we're pretty excited to watch their solar system series.
Support your local PBS station in our mission to inspire, enrich, and educate.
America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston
Going outdoors seems simple in theory, but the truth is that different communities have complex relationships with the outdoors. Whether it's about reclaiming ancestral space or adapting generations-old traditions to a changing climate, we have a lot to learn from other people as they go outdoors in their corner of this great big country. Baratunde Thurston is our perfect guide as we travel across the U.S. to meet people in their outdoors. Thurston is a writer, podcaster, and comedian who connects with people with sincerity and curiosity at the same time. He's a joy to watch, this show is a joy to watch. It gets us out there without actually, you know, being there. But be warned, it will inspire you to get outdoors and maybe even book some travel!
American Experience
We watch American Experience to learn about how moments in our history connect to current events. Well, science and nature topics have coursed through our history and are worth taking a closer look at. Imagine our world without all the scientific discoveries and technology advances made. Here are three films that touch on key moments in science history: The Sun Queen, The Cancer Detectives, and Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal.
Secrets of the Dead
Do you feel like watching a show that combines historical events with cutting edge science and technology? Secrets of the Dead is made for you. Each episode aims to find the science-backed truth to cases of hidden history, ancient legends, and even true crimes.
Just look at this clip from the episode titled "Herculaneum Scrolls." Solving this mystery from the Roman Empire took some heavy science lifting!
From Secrets of the Dead: Reading the Herculaneum scrolls required multiple scientific steps that started with taking extremely high-resolution X-rays with a photon beam. Next, computer scientist Brent Seales created a deep-learning artificial intelligence program capable of examining the X-rays in minute detail. This examination identified which elements of the image were papyrus and which were ink.
Eons
Eons makes science easy to understand. Short episodes tackle big topics like why megalodon went extinct and where did the moon come from. And then you can tell all your friends about it because you won't be able to contain yourself - you'll have to tell someone about what you just learned because it's so amazing and isn't science the coolest.
The official description is here: Join hosts Michelle Barboza-Ramirez, Kallie Moore, and Blake de Pastino as they take you on a journey through the history of life on Earth. From the dawn of life in the Archaean Eon through the Mesozoic Era — the so-called “Age of Dinosaurs” -- right up to the end of the most recent Ice Age.
NATURE
NATURE has taking us face to face with wildlife around the world since 1982. I probably wouldn't get to the ocean floor personally to understand an emotionally sensitive cuttlefish, nor would I easily find myself in the day-to-day path of an old male hippo. Maybe I'll make it Niagara Falls one day, but it hasn't happened yet. Thankfully, NATURE captures those stories so we can learn about these animals and their environments with our families from the comfort home. It's a tv series that makes us appreciate the natural world we belong to: from what's in our backyard to spots that are a little harder to reach.
By the way, if you're looking for drama, suspense, and intrigue, you'll find that in nature too. Let's be honest: in "Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons" Mama Bear was fighting for her life while she cared for her four cubs. And in this clip from the upcoming "Silverback" scientists demonstrate the risks of animal conservation when dealing with highly-protective 500-pound primates. Drama, indeed.
