Encounters at the End of the World

Isaac Newton - brilliant rational mathematician or master of the occult? This innovative biography reveals Newton as both a hermit and a tyrant, a heretic and an alchemist. Magical images mix with actors and experts to bring alive Britain's greatest scientific genius in his own words.

In this spectacular real-life adventure, a small team of Argentinean mariners sets sail for Antarctica in a custom-built sailboat. But to get there they and their vessel will have to brave the treacherous Drake Passage, one of the most dangerous bodies of water on Earth.

On the morning of August 27, 1883, the rumbling volcano of Krakatoa stood more than 6,000 feet high, with a diameter of approximately 10 miles. Later that day, this giant cone exploded so violently it was literally blown away. The effects of the volcanic explosion caused a tidal wave more than 140 feet high; one ship was carried more than two miles inland. Hail-sized stones fell as far as 100 miles away, and the city of Jakarta fell into total darkness. For many of the area's inhabitants, Armageddon had arrived. Over 36,000 people were killed immediately, and countries all over the globe were affected by the volcano's devastating after-effects.

A scientist explains how the savagery and efficiency of the insect world could result in their taking over the world.

Ice has always moved. When glaciation took hold some 34 million years ago, interconnected rivers of ice combined to produce the Earth's vast ice sheets. As temperatures slowly warmed glaciers developed a unique balancing act; advancing and retreating to calibrate their annual winter accumulation against summer melt. Sometimes calving colossal icebergs into the sea. A positive feedback loop that has regulated the movement of ice for millions of years.

Global warming in context. What the climate of the past tells us about the climate of the future.

This experimental film follows the work of two scientists who test a new device that uses specialized circuitry to transfer data between computer networks and living plants. Neither science nor fiction, this documentary highlights the human labor of scientific procedures, attentive to the future they are producing – in which humans will disappear.

Ring of Fire is about the immense natural force of the great circle of volcanoes and seismic activity that rings the Pacific Ocean and the varied people and cultures who coexist with them. Spectacular volcanic eruptions are featured, including Mount St. Helens, Navidad in Chile, Sakurajima in Japan, and Mount Merapi in Indonesia.

From summer to winter and back again, 'No Horizon Anymore,' takes you on a journey few have experienced. Less than 2,000 people have spent the austral winter at the South Pole Station. Here, we follow members of the winterover crew from 2009 as they share their views on the interactions, the people, the environment, and the science that takes place during a busy year. After the sun sets, the crew succumbs to six months of inky darkness. Certain levels of 'toastiness' set in as routines are interrupted, and limits are tested. The only cure for claustrophobia is an unattainable outside world. With rare footage of the austral winter at 90 S, this is a must see for polar enthusiasts and adventurers alike.

Although first glance reveals little more than stones and sand, the desert is alive. Witness moving rocks, spitting mud pots, gorgeous flowers and the never-ending battle for survival between desert creatures of every shape, size and description.