Naked Science

Engineers wondered if a plane that operated solely on solar power could be built. Their efforts over a decade result in the Solar Impulse HB-SIA, the plane that triumphantly takes to the air. Making a 26-hour nonstop day-night-day flight climaxes the success of the Solar Impulse.

Over a century ago, sponge divers recovered an extremely complex mechanical device from a shipwreck. It was decades before they determined it's purpose, to accurately track the movement of the stars in the night sky. Dubbed the Antikythera mechanism (for the location of the shipwreck from which it came), the device is considered the world's first computer, developed by the Greeks around the 1st century B.C. Scientists continue to marvel at its intricate system of gears which rival that of the most complex Swiss watch.

We were all taught that dinosaurs were scaly creatures with skin like we're accustomed to seeing on reptiles. With the discovery of new fossils including feathered prehistoric beasts in China, scientists now believe they were wrong. Using computers to realize the new discoveries, Naked Science gives a more accurate look at the fathered monsters from the past.

The centuries-old Voynich manuscript has remained an enigma. Filled with bizarre drawings and written in a language that even the best cryptographers cannot decipher, the tome has remained a puzzling mystery. The efforts to decode the book and determine its unknown author continue.

The formation of one of nature's greatest wonders continues to be debated. Experts explore various theories as to how the Grand Canyon was formed, and how it continues to be shaped by natural forces.

The most unimaginable weather in our universe occurs at places other than on our planet. This episode imagines what would happen if those bizarre conditions were to manifest themselves on Earth.

At this very moment, you could be breathing the same oxygen molecule that Genghis Khan and George Washington did! NGC is putting a unique twist on history by retracing the extraordinary journey of a single molecule of oxygen an adventure that takes place over millions of years. The story begins with the birth of oxygen, moves on to photosynthesis, then travels through the age of the dinosaurs and follows the first steps of early man.

Parallel universes, strange hidden worlds, where an alternative reality exists have haunted science fiction for decades. Parallel universes sound like a myth, but a surprising number of leading scientists believe they are real. National Geographic delves into the mysterious science of other universes and discovers that many of physics most cherished theories actually predict that there are other universes beside our own. But what are they like? Could we ever visit them? And if we did, who or what would we meet? The reality is weirder than any science fiction.

Bryan Fry has always been intrigued with things that can kill you. Since surviving a near fatal rattlesnake bite this scientist, turned venom hunter, has made it his mission to seek out the worlds deadliest creatures. Each venom he collects may hold the secret to creating life-saving medicines. Now Bryan targets North America and three of its most toxic species.

Did ancient children play, learn and laugh the way children do today? A Moroccan skull, more than one hundred thousand years old, is revealed to be that of a 6-year-old child. Dental examinations confirm that the child lived and died well before the founding of modern religion, the construction of Egypt's pyramids and even the advent of agriculture. A scientific team works to decipher the mysteries of this lost child's life.

Superhuman capabilities like running faster than a speeding bullet or being more powerful than a locomotive could be available at the push of a button. NGC explores the latest in wearable mechanical getups, designed to duplicate human movement with enhanced strength and locomotion. See how these futuristic suits are being used for medical, military, industrial and recreational uses.

Life After Dinosaurs recreates the evolutionary history of mammals from the dinosaur age up to the appearance of the first humans to explore how the present ecosystem on this planet was formed and how remarkable the fact is that we exist now.