How Corn Took Over the World
In Mexico, Shane Campbell-Staton explores around a maize vault, a treasure trove of genetic diversity. He joins geneticist Sarah Hearne to unravel the intricate DNA makeup of corn. In a tortilla factory, Shane meets with local Mexican chefs Santiago Muñoz and Daniela Moreno, who are committed to reviving the sacred heritage of maize and preserving cultural traditions through corn.
Episodes
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The Ground Below
S1 E6 - 54m 52s
Shane explores the history and science of cotton. A prehistoric coastline from North Carolina to Texas laid the foundation for a crop that re-shaped our history, our culture, and even our DNA.
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The Urban Jungle
S1 E5 - 54m 41s
In "The Urban Jungle," Shane explores the modern city: an ecosystem built by, for us. He encounters three species thriving in the city, reckons with our complex urban history, and envisions a new and wilder urban future.
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The Replacements
S1 E4 - 54m 50s
Shane explores the surprising science and unexpected histories of “The Replacements”: five animal and plant species that made allies of humans, grew to dominate the planet alongside us, and changed their destinies (and our own) forever.
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Man's Best Friend
S1 E3 - 54m 52s
Shane discovers why dogs are more than man’s best friend – they’ve been reshaped by evolution into the perfect partner for our species. And just as we’ve transformed them, dogs have left an unmistakable pawprint on us and the world we both share.
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Top Predator
S1 E2 - 54m 53s
There’s a killer inside us. Our biology, culture, technology, and economy have transformed our species into the greatest predator the world has ever seen. From Yellowstone to Mozambique, Shane explores our global impact as the planet’s top predator.
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Strangers In Paradise
S1 E1 - 54m 40s
Invasive species are reshaping the world’s ecosystems, but who’s really to blame? Shane wrestles a python, hunts Hawaiian pigs, and gets sucker-punched by a carp to answer the question: in the Age of Humans, how does our species decide what belongs?
Extras + Features
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Duck Deployments and Mite Airstrikes: Nature’s Pest Patrol
S2 E2 - 7m 18s
Host Shane Campbell-Staton meets the unlikely heroes of pest control—from 10,000 ducks in Thai rice fields to microscopic mites dropped by drone over Washington’s hops. Exploring the ancient roots and modern science of biocontrol, Shane reveals how farmers are teaming up with nature to protect crops — without relying on chemicals.
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The Rise, Reign, and Reckoning of Australia’s Cane Toads
S2 E2 - 13m 28s
Shane Campbell-Staton joins biologist Rick Shine and toad buster Simon Middap to unpack the full story of Australia’s cane toad invasion. From unintended consequences and rapid evolution to backyard eradication and sci-fi solutions like “Peter Pan” tadpoles, this is biocontrol at its wildest — and weirdest.
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The True Cost of Shrimp: What the Grocery Store Doesn’t Show You
S2 E1 - 13m 11s
Shane Campbell-Staton investigates how shrimp became America’s #1 seafood — and reveals the exploitation and forced labor that fuel its global supply chain. With journalist Ben Lorr and activist Patima Tungpuchayakul, he exposes how modern slavery hides behind low prices and how grocery stores disconnect us from the people who feed us.
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The Birth of the Supermarket: How Convenience Took Over the Way We Shop
S2 E1 - 4m 18s
Host Shane Campbell-Staton joins author Ben Lorr to explore the surprising history of the supermarket. From neighborhood butchers to Piggly Wiggly, they trace how small innovations reshaped how we shop — and why convenience and low prices came to rule. What began as a cost-cutting experiment now defines modern life.
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How Cereal, Sugar, and Big Business Rewired Our Diets
S2 E1 - 6m 24s
Shane joins Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss joins to uncover how cereal sparked the rise of processed foods — and the billion-dollar marketing machine behind it. From sugar-loaded breakfasts to Big Tobacco’s food empire, this segment reveals how modern diets were engineered to override our willpower.
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Season 2 Preview
S2 - 30s
Earth has never experienced anything like us: a single species dominating and transforming the planet. Biologist Shane Campbell-Staton travels the globe to explore our Human Footprint and to discover how the things we do reveal who we truly are.
Schedule
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Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Wednesday
Jun 25
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Wednesday
Jun 25
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Thursday
Jun 26
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Thursday
Jun 26
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Thursday
Jun 26
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Thursday
Jun 26
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Top Predator
Saturday
Jun 28
1 Hour
Exploring the global impact of humans, from Yellowstone to Mozambique. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Sunday
Jun 29
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Sunday
Jun 29
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Top Predator
Sunday
Jun 29
1 Hour
Exploring the global impact of humans, from Yellowstone to Mozambique. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Tuesday
Jul 1
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Wednesday
Jul 2
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
Shelf Life
Wednesday
Jul 2
1 Hour
Exploring how supermarkets have reshaped lives and the planet, from New York to rural Thailand. -
Image
Human Footprint
The Enemy of My Enemy
Wednesday
Jul 2
1 Hour
In humankind's conquest of planet Earth, improbable allies -- species recruited from nature -- are relied on to help defeat adversaries. -
Image
Human Footprint
The Enemy of My Enemy
Wednesday
Jul 2
1 Hour
In humankind's conquest of planet Earth, improbable allies -- species recruited from nature -- are relied on to help defeat adversaries. -
Image
Human Footprint
The Enemy of My Enemy
Thursday
Jul 3
1 Hour
In humankind's conquest of planet Earth, improbable allies -- species recruited from nature -- are relied on to help defeat adversaries. -
Image
Human Footprint
The Enemy of My Enemy
Thursday
Jul 3
1 Hour
In humankind's conquest of planet Earth, improbable allies -- species recruited from nature -- are relied on to help defeat adversaries. -
Image
Human Footprint
The Enemy of My Enemy
Thursday
Jul 3
1 Hour
In humankind's conquest of planet Earth, improbable allies -- species recruited from nature -- are relied on to help defeat adversaries. -
Image
Human Footprint
The Enemy of My Enemy
Thursday
Jul 3
1 Hour
In humankind's conquest of planet Earth, improbable allies -- species recruited from nature -- are relied on to help defeat adversaries. -
Image
Human Footprint
The Enemy of My Enemy
Saturday
Jul 5
1 Hour
In humankind's conquest of planet Earth, improbable allies -- species recruited from nature -- are relied on to help defeat adversaries.
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