The Miracle of Planet
The Miracle of Planet is a six-part documentary series, written by Bruce Brown and hosted by Bill Kurtis, which explores the unique combination of events and forces that have formed our planet and continue to shape it today. Billions of years of history have brought us to this moment. At any point along the way, the development of the earth might have been diverted, and followed another course. Considering the odds, it's miraculous that the earth did not develop differently, becoming a blazing inferno like Venus, or a frozen desert like Mars. Our planet is a world of vast and intricate systems; of astonishing extremes: dense forests and barren deserts; volcanic heat and glacial cold. The Earth is teeming with a million forms of life that have helped shape the very nature of our world, from the land under our feet to the air we breath.
| Episode 1 - The Third Planet |
Episode 1 - The Third Planet
This episode explores the violent beginnings of the solar system, meteorite collisions, and the cooling of the earth into an environment which could support life.
Episode 2 - The Heat Within
This episode discusses volcanoes, plate tectonics and continental drift, earthquakes and mineral concentrations in the earth's crust - evidence of the earth's core of molten rock.
Episode 3 - Life from the Sea
This episode explores the importance of water and photosynthesis.
Episode 4 - Patterns in the Air
This episode discusses the composition of the earth's atmosphere, the processes and winds which form the weather.
Episode 5 - Riddles of Sand and Ice
This episode explores the advance and retreat of the ice age, glaciers and the Sahara Desert with changes in the world's climate.
Episode 6 - The Home Planet
This episode explores how human beings affect the environment, tracing the growth and decline of civilizations through deforestation and desertification, the role of ozone and fossil fuels.
| Related Links |
| Earth Story This is a BBC science documentary series presented by Aubrey Manning, telling the story of our planet and its constantly changing nature. |
| Earth: Making of a Planet This film tells the story of planet Earth from its birth 4.5 billion years ago, through ice-ages and the dinosaur's reign to the first humans. |
| Earth: The Power of the Planet This is a BBC documentary series presented by Iain Stewart, telling the story of how Earth works and what makes it so special. |
| Catastrophe This is a Channel 4 documentary series presented by Tony Robinson, telling the story of the catastrophic events that shaped planet Earth. |
| Life on Earth This is a BBC nature documentary series presented by David Attenborough, about a study of the evolution of life on the planet. |