A look at man's relationship with Dirt. Dirt and humans couldn't be closer. We started our journey together as stardust, swirled by cosmic forces into our galaxy, solar system, and planet. We are made of the same stuff. Four billion years of evolution created dirt as the living source of all life on Earth including humans. Dirt has given us food, shelter, fuel, medicine, ceramics, flowers, cosmeti
In this short 10 minute video, neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran outlines the fascinating functions of mirror neurons. Only recently discovered, these neurons allow us to learn complex social behaviors, some of which formed the foundations of human civilization as we know it.
Extinct, the very word is chilling it means that a species no longer survives in this world. Already there have been five great extinction events in the history of our planet. What if the next species to be obliterated were us?We pay little regard to the planet-sized mechanism churning below our feet and above our heads, we humans are after all the apex species of planet Earth. We flourish, w
In 1922 Howard Carter and George Herbert discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, it was found nearly entirely intact and instantly received worldwide press coverage sparking a new public interest in ancient Egypt for which the mysterious mask of Tutankhamun remains the popular symbol.However since the discover of his tomb, one question in particular has hung over the tale of Tutankhamun and that i
Hitler's army thundered through Europe from 1939 to 1945 and brought needless death and destruction to the continent. What was it like to serve in this army? What was it like to conduct one of the bloodiest wars in history? What was it like to occupy half of Europe and yet to suffer total defeat?This five-part portrait provides long-awaited answers to questions such as these and sheds light on t
The Story of Ireland - a groundbreaking new series presented by Fergal Keane about the history of Ireland – cultural, social, and economic, and its role on the international stage.The Story Of Ireland is a five-part landmark history of Ireland, to be presented by Fergal Keane.Ireland is living through a significant period in its cycle of history – since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the
Getting into North Korea was one of the hardest and weirdest processes VBS has ever dealt with."After we went back and forth with their representatives for months, they finally said they were going to allow 16 journalists into the country to cover the Arirang Mass Games in Pyongyang.Then, ten days before we were supposed to go, they said, No, nobody can come. Then they said, OK, OK, you ca
At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050.
One of the worlds great rivers flows from the heart of Africa, it cuts through the largest rainforest outside of the Amazon and contains wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast beautiful but tormented place.The country is mineral rich but the people are among the worlds poorest, for centuries its resources have been plundered and it has been ravaged by