Nicolas Brown

Both humans and wildlife depend on water for survival. This episode explores how a misuse of water can lead to unparalleled destruction; however, sharing our water with wildlife does not only benefit the wild, it may also be a crucial step in our own survival. In Africa, big wildlife including elephants only survive because of the wells that humans dig to bring water to the surface in a parched land. And the Samburu who dig the wells need the wildlife-especially...

About this episode: The plains are home to the greatest gatherings of animal life on the planet. But today these wild grasslands - along with the iconic species that live here - are among the most endangered places on Earth. As we humans continue to fight for space with wildlife, Sanjayan makes it his mission to find a solution to the battle over the plains. The front line is in Africa, where Sanjayan joins an action packed elephant rescue. Elephants...

World renowned scientist, Dr. Jeremy Jackson, tells Sanjayan the oceans are in trouble, that a rise of slime is coming. But Sanjayan goes in search of a very different future. He travels to one of the remotest reefs on earth. The sheer number of sharks in this place doesn't make any sense - the mass of predators is greater than prey. It seems like a paradox. But when you understand it, you see how our oceans can be more productive than we could ever...

When Homo sapiens turned up in prehistoric Europe, they ran into the Neanderthals. The two types of human were similar enough to interbreed — and both created artifacts of similar complexity. But as more and more Homo sapiens moved into Europe, the balance of power shifted. Neanderthals were overwhelmed. Ever since, we’ve had Europe and the rest of the world to ourselves.

How did the mixing of prehistoric human genes lead the way for survival of our human species?. Archaeology, genetics and anthropology cast new light to 200,000 years of human history detailing how early humans thrived from all around the globe.

Around 200,000 years ago, a new species, Homo sapiens, appeared on the African landscape. While scientists have imagined eastern Africa as a real-life Garden of Eden, the latest research suggests humans evolved in many places across the continent at the same time. DNA from a 19th-century African-American slave is forcing geneticists to re-think the origins of our species. The theory is that our ancestors met, mated and hybridized with other human...

When Homo sapiens arrived in Australia, they were, for the first time, truly alone, surrounded by wildly different flora and fauna. How did they survive and populate a continent? There is a close cultural and genetic link between the First Australians and modern-day Aborigines. The ancient and modern story intersect here as nowhere else in the world. The secret to this continuity is diversity. Intuitively, they found the right balance between being...

There’s an inseparable bond between water and life. But the world is changing and the pulse between the two is faltering. See how the flow of water is driven by its relationship with life.

What’s it like to live in a world without access to water? Investigate global changes in storms across America, the over-use of aquifers around the world, the “mining” of underground water for profit, and more.

It explores the most extraordinary places on the planet and how their environments shape the lives of those who live there. From Mount Everest's Khumbu Icefall to the Amazon to the Grand Canyon, visit six continents to learn how these natural wonders evolved and hear the rarely told stories about the challenges their inhabitants face.