About this season
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 (8)
1. Noah's Park
Aired 22 December 1976
The work of a group of naturalists who are attempting to create a refuge for biblical animals by restocking a park with species inhabited land in Bible times.
2. The Invisible Reef
Aired 29 December 1976
Through the use of micro-photography, viewers are afforded a look at the unique way in which a reef is formed through a complex system of natural recycling.
3. Newborn
Aired 5 January 1977
A study of the capabilities that are innate to a newborn baby in the first week after birth.
4. The Mind's Eye
Aired 12 January 1977
A look at the work of scientists who are exploring regions of the brain by examining its relationship to the visual system.
5. Children of the Buffalo
Aired 19 January 1977
A study of the Todos tribe of India, their polyandrous marriage rituals and their unusual funeral rites. The Todos spend their lives tending the buffalo and everything they do revolves around this animal.
6. The Gabra
Aired 26 January 1977
The Gabra is a tribe of 24,000 people who live in the harsh terrain on both sides of the Kenya-Ethiopia border. They may be the only non-Muslim, camel raising society left in the world. Their lifestyle is cruel, filled with age-old rituals and beliefs.
7. When The Wind Blows
Aired 9 February 1977
A look at the uses man has made of the wind, from sailboats to windmills to modern turbines for generating electricity.
8. Funk Island
Aired 16 February 1977
Shows some of the species of seabirds to be found on Funk Island, situated 40 miles east of Newfoundland, which is a breeding ground of more than one million seabirds, and stresses the need for their protection against man.