The Nature of Things

CBC TelevisionReturning Series
Documentary

The Nature of Things is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on CBC Television on November 6, 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that humans have on it. The program was one of the first to explore environmental issues, such as clear-cut logging. The series is named after an epic poem by Roman philosopher Lucretius: "Dē Rērum Nātūrā" — On the Nature of Things.

Episodes

S1:E1

Why Is It So?

06/11/1960
S1:E2

The Roar of the Crowd

13/11/1960

Study of brain cells, how research has helped the understanding of learning and memory. Filmed at the Montreal Neurological Institute, with Dr. Wilder Penfield and Dr. Herbert Jasper

S1:E3

The Future of Science

20/11/1960

Professor Donald Ivey probes the attitudes and working habits of scientists

S1:E4

Schizophrenia

27/11/1960
S1:E5

Engineering

04/12/1960
S1:E6
S1:E7

Science Fiction

18/12/1960
S1:E9
S1:E11

Kept Alive

15/01/1961
S1:E13
S1:E14

Hibernation

05/02/1961
S1:E15
S1:E16

Eclipse

19/02/1961
S1:E17
S1:E18
S1:E19

Monotony

12/03/1961

Dr. John Zubec of the University of Manitoba explains his experiments and studies on boredom and its effects on the human mind

S1:E20
S1:E22
S1:E23

Photosynthesis

23/04/1961
S1:E24
S1:E25