No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

Millions of years ago, Venus and Earth cut similar figures. Roughly the same size and about the same distance from the sun, their respective evolutions could have followed similar paths. But today, Venus is a seething vision of Hell, its battery-acid atmosphere and incessant, hurricane-force winds masking a blistering volcanic surface. Some scientists wonder if it is a harbinger of whats in store for Earth. Thanks to the European Space Agency, Venus Express the most sophisticated satellite ever to visit the planet is orbiting Earths estranged twin, gathering the data we need to figure out why Venus went bad. Could our home planet be hurtling towards a similar fate? And could the hostile Venusian environment, now seemingly devoid of biologys most fundamental ingredient water yet harbour life?

Secret World of Fireworks explores the closely held secrets, recipes, and techniques from the world of pyrotechnic showmen. National Geographic takes a behind the scenes look into this exclusive world with unique access from Zambelli Internationale of New Castle, Pennsylvania - Americas First Family of Fireworks - along with rocket scientists and chemists from Los Alamos, New Mexico.

No description available

No description available

No description available

No description available

Stephen Hawking is one of the worlds most famous scientists. But ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigs Disease, has left him almost totally paralysedand it is progressing. Unable to walk, talk, or write, his only way of communicating is through a computer program that turns a small movement of a finger or the blink of an eye, into words from a vocal synthesizer. But Hawking remains determined to discover a theory of everything, a complete set of rules for the Universe. Where did the Universe come from and where is it going? What is the nature of time? Will it ever come to an end? This programme will explore Hawkings major contributions to the understanding of our Universe - from his revolutionary proof that our Universe originated in a Big Bang; to his ground breaking discovery that Black Holes are not completely black, but rather emit radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear, to his insights on string theory. Will he unlock the secret of creation before his time runs out?

Travel back in time to look at three of the largest mass extinctions that have decimated life on the planet. What caused these wipeouts?

There are numerous theories about how life began on Earth. One thought is that it sprang up in the warm waters of a pond. Another suggests it arrived via comets. A different theory says life sprang from lightening and volcanoes. Scientists demonstrate that a spark of electricity applied to a primordial soup forms amino acids--the building blocks of life.

Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted April 14, 2010, spewing aircraft-harming ash over most of Europe. It could cause Katla, its neighboring, larger volcano to erupt. NGC looks at Eyjafjallajokull before, during and after, explaining the science behind the chaos and the biggest disruption of air traffic since 9/11.