Science and Nature

Untold Earth

From PBS NATURE and Atlas Obscura, Untold Earth is a documentary series dedicated to unpacking the stories behind North America’s strangest, most unique natural wonders.

Truffles Are Hiding a Dirty Little Secret

7m 11s

In kitchens around the world, truffles represent culinary excellence and prestige, but in the forest they’re just another flora fighting to exist, using somewhat…unusual methods. In the lush woodland of the Pacific Northwest, these modest mushrooms’ adaptation strategies are promoting not only their own survival, but that of their forest ecosystem at large.

Episodes

  • Truffles Are Hiding a Dirty Little Secret: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Truffles Are Hiding a Dirty Little Secret

    S1 E11 - 7m 11s

    In kitchens around the world, truffles represent culinary excellence and prestige, but in the forest they’re just another flora fighting to exist, using somewhat…unusual methods. In the lush woodland of the Pacific Northwest, these modest mushrooms’ adaptation strategies are promoting not only their own survival, but that of their forest ecosystem at large.

  • Why Antelope Canyon Never Looks The Same Twice: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Why Antelope Canyon Never Looks The Same Twice

    S1 E10 - 6m 49s

    Antelope Canyon might be the most visited and photographed slot canyon in the world, but there is more to this ancient sandstone structure than meets the eye. Formed millions of years ago, and revered as a spiritual site for the Navajo Nation, the origins of this geologic wonder are as fascinating as its beauty is renowned.

  • This Upside Down Cave Is a Microscopic Warzone: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    This Upside Down Cave Is a Microscopic Warzone

    S1 E9 - 5m 57s

    Below the Chihuahuan Desert in southeastern New Mexico, lies an extensive system of limestone caves, among them the famed Carlsbad Cavern, home to one of North America's largest underground chambers. But there is more to this subterranean world than gigantic geological formations. It is also ground zero for a microbial war that’s been raging for thousands of years, right beneath our feet.

  • This Volcano Won't Stop Erupting: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    This Volcano Won't Stop Erupting

    S1 E8 - 9m 12s

    Kilauea in Hawai’i has been in a state of near-constant eruption for decades, providing researchers with a uniquely reliable setting to study one of our planet’s most unpredictable and destructive forces. In a time of climate panic and tangible ecological destruction, what can we learn about the survival of our planet from one of the harshest environments on Earth?

  • What NASA Is Looking For In Yellowstone National Park: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What NASA Is Looking For In Yellowstone National Park

    S1 E7 - 6m 42s

    The Grand Prismatic Spring is the most recognizable thermal feature of Yellowstone National Park, but some of its most fascinating features are invisible to the naked eye. Underwater exists a diverse system of microbes which scientists have been studying for decades, and have been the catalyst for life changing discoveries. Could these microbes be the key to discovering life on other planets?

  • The Story Behind This Giant Rock in the Middle of a Field: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Story Behind This Giant Rock in the Middle of a Field

    S1 E6 - 6m 57s

    Devil’s Tower, also known as Mato Tipila or Bear’s lodge, was formed over 50 million years ago. Rising dramatically from the Wyoming plains, this spellbinding monolith is a pillar of Lakota Sioux mythology, and an enduring challenge to rock climbers worldwide. But through thousands of years of human fascination, one critical question remains unanswered: how did it get here?

  • What Makes The “Northern Lights of the Sea” So Magical?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What Makes The “Northern Lights of the Sea” So Magical?

    S1 E5 - 8m 26s

    From Aristotle to Darwin, Humankind’s effort to understand bioluminescence spans thousands of years. Even though it’s one of the oldest fields of scientific study, answers remain elusive. In this episode of Untold Earth we get in the water with the bioluminescent algae of the Salish Sea, experiencing and asking: what is it about this inscrutable mystery that inspires such obsession?

  • What Are These Strange Towers Growing Out of This Lake?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What Are These Strange Towers Growing Out of This Lake?

    S1 E4 - 8m 56s

    Many of the big saline lakes of the Americas are on the brink of collapse due to climate change and water diversions. Mono lake’s survival is due to the scientists, activists, and locals who have fought for decades to preserve it. Home to a unique ecosystem of brine shrimp, alkali flies, and migratory birds, Mono Lake’s desiccation would be detrimental to the wildlife and humans who call it home.

  • You Aren’t Paying Enough Attention to Moss: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    You Aren’t Paying Enough Attention to Moss

    S1 E3 - 5m 44s

    Mosses were among the first land plants to evolve out of the ocean roughly 450 million years ago. They grow everywhere, from the world’s harshest landscapes to cracks in the sidewalk. This episode of Untold Earth gets up close and personal with the mosses of the Hoh Rainforest to understand their vital role in this ecosystem and potential to offer a glimpse into our planet’s future.

  • Why Do Hundreds of Icebergs Keep Visiting This Town?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Why Do Hundreds of Icebergs Keep Visiting This Town?

    S1 E2 - 7m 5s

    Icebergs are often found in the world’s most remote, coldest and dangerous seas. But each spring, a unique geological phenomenon brings hundreds of Icebergs into the communities along Newfoundland’s Northeast coast, where they have become a staple of everyday life. What are these icebergs doing here? And why is it imperative that we keep our eyes on them?

  • Redwoods Shouldn't Be So Tall. Here's Why They Are: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Redwoods Shouldn't Be So Tall. Here's Why They Are

    S1 E1 - 7m 30s

    Beyond its iconic height, the Redwood Forest is sacred to the Yurok Tribe and a scientific frontier for the study of vast biodiversity that exists nowhere else on Earth. This episode of Untold Earth explores the varied relationship between The Redwoods, their forest ecosystems, and the humans who live and work among them. Asking, at every turn, what makes these trees epically singular in nature?

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