Solar Powered Flight

S08 E01 • Thursday, Jan 13, 2011 • Jan 13 • 1h

Engineers wondered if a plane that operated solely on solar power could be built. Their efforts over a decade result in the Solar Impulse HB-SIA, the plane that triumphantly takes to the air. Making a 26-hour nonstop day-night-day flight climaxes the success of the Solar Impulse.

Star Clock BC

S08 E02 • Thursday, Jan 20, 2011 • Jan 20 • 1h

Over a century ago, sponge divers recovered an extremely complex mechanical device from a shipwreck. It was decades before they determined it's purpose, to accurately track the movement of the stars in the night sky. Dubbed the Antikythera mechanism (for the location of the shipwreck from which it came), the device is considered the world's first computer, developed by the Greeks around the 1st century B.C. Scientists continue to marvel at its intricate system of gears which rival that of the most complex Swiss watch.

The Book That Can't Be Read

S08 E04 • Friday, Feb 4, 2011 • Feb 4 • 1h

The centuries-old Voynich manuscript has remained an enigma. Filled with bizarre drawings and written in a language that even the best cryptographers cannot decipher, the tome has remained a puzzling mystery. The efforts to decode the book and determine its unknown author continue.

O2 The Molecule That Made the World

S08 E07 • Thursday, May 12, 2011 • May 12 • 1h

At this very moment, you could be breathing the same oxygen molecule that Genghis Khan and George Washington did! NGC is putting a unique twist on history by retracing the extraordinary journey of a single molecule of oxygen an adventure that takes place over millions of years. The story begins with the birth of oxygen, moves on to photosynthesis, then travels through the age of the dinosaurs and follows the first steps of early man.

Living in a Parallel Universe

S08 E08 • Monday, May 23, 2011 • May 23 • 1h

Parallel universes, strange hidden worlds, where an alternative reality exists have haunted science fiction for decades. Parallel universes sound like a myth, but a surprising number of leading scientists believe they are real. National Geographic delves into the mysterious science of other universes and discovers that many of physics most cherished theories actually predict that there are other universes beside our own. But what are they like? Could we ever visit them? And if we did, who or what would we meet? The reality is weirder than any science fiction.

Venom Power

S08 E09 • Thursday, May 26, 2011 • May 26 • 1h

Bryan Fry has always been intrigued with things that can kill you. Since surviving a near fatal rattlesnake bite this scientist, turned venom hunter, has made it his mission to seek out the worlds deadliest creatures. Each venom he collects may hold the secret to creating life-saving medicines. Now Bryan targets North America and three of its most toxic species.

Sea Strikers

S08 E13 • Friday, Aug 19, 2011 • Aug 19 • 1h

Go on an action packed, hi-tech fishing expedition with the Sea Strikers. When the ocean's top predators strike, their prey doesn't even know what hit them! NGC dives into the attack strategies that sea hunters employ to deliver killer blows. Biologists use an high-speed underwater camera to capture the hunting techniques of the goliath grouper, barracuda, bonito and bull shark, and provides also never-before-seen footage of the feeding habits of the ocean's other top predators — mackerel, mahi mahi, wahoo, tuna and billfish. Biologists Steve Huskey and Nicolai Konow, and underwater cameraman Andy Casagrande embark on a high-tech fishing expedition to capture the hunting techniques of some of the oceans top predators using a slow motion camera that produces breathtaking images.

Volcano Devils

S08 E16 • Thursday, Jun 9, 2011 • Jun 9 • 1h

The 1991 eruption of Japan's Mount Unzen, which killed 43 people, including three volcanologists, is recalled. Included: archival footage; survivor testimonies.

Space Vacation

S08 E17 • Thursday, Aug 25, 2011 • Aug 25 • 1h