The Nature of Things
Encyclopedia
The Nature of Things is a Canadian
television series of documentary
programs. It debuted on the CBC
on November 6, 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that humans have on it. The program was one of the first to explore environmental issues, such as clear-cut logging.
The series is named after an epic poem by Roman philosopher Lucretius
: "Dē Rērum Nātūrā" — On the Nature of Things
.
, with Patterson Hume co-hosting many episodes. Following Ivey’s departure, the second season continued with several guest hosts, including among others Lister Sinclair, Donald Crowdis
and John Livingston
. Since 1979, it has been hosted by David Suzuki
. The series has won many awards and Suzuki has won three Gemini Award
s and one ACTRA Award
as best host. Documentarian William Whitehead
has also been a frequent writer for the series.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television series of documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
programs. It debuted on the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
on November 6, 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that humans have on it. The program was one of the first to explore environmental issues, such as clear-cut logging.
The series is named after an epic poem by Roman philosopher Lucretius
Lucretius
Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is an epic philosophical poem laying out the beliefs of Epicureanism, De rerum natura, translated into English as On the Nature of Things or "On the Nature of the Universe".Virtually no details have come down concerning...
: "Dē Rērum Nātūrā" — On the Nature of Things
On the Nature of Things
De rerum natura is a 1st century BC didactic poem by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius with the goal of explaining Epicurean philosophy to a Roman audience. The poem, written in some 7,400 dactylic hexameters, is divided into six untitled books, and explores Epicurean physics through richly...
.
History
The first host was Donald IveyDonald Ivey
Donald G. Ivey was the principal of the University of Toronto's New College from 1963 to 1974.-Brief Biography:"In collaboration with his colleague Patterson Hume, Ivey helped to steer the direction of physics teaching in a new direction through the use of educational television programs and movies...
, with Patterson Hume co-hosting many episodes. Following Ivey’s departure, the second season continued with several guest hosts, including among others Lister Sinclair, Donald Crowdis
Donald Crowdis
Donald Crowdis iwas a retired museum curator, broadcaster, and one of the world's oldest bloggers. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on December 24, 1913, he became curator and later director of the Nova Scotia Museum in 1940, succeeding Harry Piers. He served at the museum for 25 years focusing on the...
and John Livingston
John Livingston
John Allen Livingston was a Canadian naturalist, broadcaster, author, and teacher. He was most known as the voice-over of the Hinterland Who's Who series of television zoological shorts in the 1960s....
. Since 1979, it has been hosted by David Suzuki
David Suzuki
David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...
. The series has won many awards and Suzuki has won three Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
s and one ACTRA Award
ACTRA Award
The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television, film and radio industry. Organized and presented by ACTRA, the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, which represented performers, writers and broadcast journalists, the Nellie statuettes...
as best host. Documentarian William Whitehead
William Whitehead (Canadian writer)
William Frederick Whitehead is a Canadian writer, actor and filmmaker. He was the partner of the late Canadian writer Timothy Findley, with whom he co-wrote several works including the television documentaries Dieppe 1942 and The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway.He studied biology...
has also been a frequent writer for the series.
Notable episodes
- "Reefer Madness 2", the effects of medical marijuana and people dealing with its legalization, 15 October 1998
- "The Investigation of Swissair 111Swissair Flight 111Swissair Flight 111 was a Swissair McDonnell Douglas MD-11 on a scheduled airline flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, United States to Cointrin International Airport in Geneva, Switzerland...
", 2 September 2003 - "Darwin's Brave New WorldDarwin's Brave New WorldDarwin's Brave New World is a three-part drama-documentary TV series about Charles Darwin's evolution by means of natural selection. It uses reconstruction with present day documentary between the 19th century and present day...
", a three-part documentary on the life of Charles DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
as he wrote The Origin of SpeciesThe Origin of SpeciesCharles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, published on 24 November 1859, is a work of scientific literature which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Its full title was On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the...
, 1 November 2009 - "The Downside of High", marijuana's negative effects towards mental illnessMental illnessA mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, 2010