The Nature of Things

Season 20

1979 · 15 episodes

Episodes

1. 1

   1. Flying Circus of Physics / Immune System / Monarch Butterfly / Contact Lenses

   24 Oct 1979

   Dr David Suzuki visits an unusual professor who conducts a Flying Circus Of Physics, examines soft contact lenses made for extended periods of use and reports on latest immunological efforts to treat severely afflicted children.

2. 2

   2. Hypnosis / India's Sacred Cows / Ultra Sound Scanne

   31 Oct 1979

   Dr. David Suzuki reports on the use of hypnosis as a medical application and the use of ultra-sound waves for X-rays, and presents the film "Sacred Cows," dealing with the importance of domestic cattle to the Indian economy.

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   3. Madagascar: Island of the Moon

   7 Nov 1979

   The island geographically separated from the rest of the African continent and populated by numerous species of plant and animal life is examined.

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   4. Puppets / One, Two, Three, Zero / New Wave Babies

   14 Nov 1979

   In Puppets, Elizabeth Crocker at the Izaak Walton Killam Hospital for Children, Halifax, is interviewed about her use of puppets to ease children into their hospital stay. The One, Two, Three, Zero segment examines possible methods of treatment for infertile couples who wish to have children.[275] In New Wave Babies, scientists Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. David Bevie are interviewed about methods used in the "test tube baby" procedure.

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   5. Contact

   21 Nov 1979

   The techniques for helping autistic children developed by Barry and Suzi Kaufman to aid their own son are examined, as are their applications in a special program being conducted by a York University graduate.

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   6. Deep Diving / Memory: Come to Think of It

   28 Nov 1979

   David Suzuki goes deep-sea diving to demonstrate the psychological changes divers experience. David also investigates the mysteries of memory – how it is acquired, and how it is lost

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   7. Arctic Oil

   5 Dec 1979

   North America's last great wilderness area, Lancaster Sound in Canada's high Arctic, is now the site of oil exploration, and a unique environment rich in animal and plant life is threatened. David Suzuki and a film crew from The Nature of Things visited Lancaster Sound to find out what the future holds for this region. The material gathered from that expedition, together with interviews with several of the native peoples and with others directly concerned with what is happening in the Canadian Arctic, are presented in this program.

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   8. Clinical Trials / Folk Medicine / Magnetic Bacteria

   12 Dec 1979

   Clinical trials, folk medicine and magnetic bacteria are discussed by Dr. David Suzuki

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   9. Left Brain, Right Brain

   19 Dec 1979

   The latest techniques used in the field of neurosciences are researched to determine the functions of both halves of the human brain.

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    10. Insects / Oyster Culture / Science Fairs

    26 Dec 1979

    The survival of insects over thousands of years, the cultivation of oysters in West Africa, and Canadian science fairs on the provincial and national levels are examined by Dr. David Suzuki

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    11. Memories From Eden

    2 Jan 1980

    Special environments which zoo officials have created for the welfare of certain animals and the enjoyment of visitors are highlighted.

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    12. Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang

    6 Feb 1980

    For more than twenty years a freelance American journalist named Paul Jacobs interviewed people exposed to nuclear fall-out from bomb tests in Nevada in an attempt to establish a link between such exposure and cancer. In this episode Jacobs' investigations are examined.

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    13. Crocodile City / Spanish Galleons / World's Largest Windmill / Cement

    20 Feb 1980

    This magazine edition includes four segments: a look at Lamanai (Crocodile City), built by the Maya of Belize between 400 and 300 BC, as it was being excavated by David Pendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum, assisted by other specialists and a work-force of direct descendants of the Maya; Spanish Galleons: A look at the recent discovery and exploration of Spanish treasure ships wrecked off the coast of Texas four centuries ago, and techniques used in identifying encrusted objects; World's Largest Windmill: Students and teachers of a Danish Folk School have built a windmill 75 meters high that produces 2,000 kilowatts of electricity, and Cement: A look at the properties of cement.

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    14. High altitude Physiology / The Vision of Galileo / Dust Storms

    27 Feb 1980

    Technological developments involving man's survival at high altitudes; a look at the life of Galileo, Italian astronomer, mathematician and physicist, including recreation of some of his experiments; and an examination of the global meteorological effects of Sahara dust storms

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    15. Seal Psychology / Chiricahuas / Violins

    5 Mar 1980

    Seal Psychology: A study of the ability of seals to navigate and catch fish in waters where it is too dark for the seals to see. Chiricahuas: A look at the Chiricahua mountains and their wildlife in southeast Arizona. Violins: How violins are made, including an interview with a violin maker, and footage of students at the International School of Lute Making in Cremona, Italy.