Untold Earth

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.

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?

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

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?

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?