The Nature of Things

Season opener: The Nature of Things looks at discovery of insulin by Dr Frederick Banting and Dr Charles Best and deals with current Canadian research into diabetes.

Chances of recovery by a cancer patient in Canada are examined. Guests: Dr James Till, Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital, and Dr Robert Taylor of National Cancer Institute.

A look at research which may bring hope to sufferers of a crippling disorder that affects those on the older side of the generation gap. Guests include Dr. Oleh Hornykiewicz, a pioneer in the discovery of the drug L-DOPA.

A look at the endangered species of animals used in the fur trade, focusing on the Canadian market

The life history of the seal, currently the object of the great spring seal hunt; the physiology and behavior of this unusual Arctic animal, plus an examination of its 8,000-mile migration from Hudson Strait to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and back. Also a look at the seal's unique adaptation for deep diving, currently under study by biologists at the University of Guelph in Ontario

The world of the colorful bird family admired by hunters and birdwatchers alike.

Pictorial life history of the Arctic animals throughout the seasons.

A glimpse into the world of an unusual and amusing ocean inhabitant.

Documentary look at the Yanomami, a fast-vanishing Indian tribe inhabiting the tropical rainforest of the Upper Orinoco River in southeastern Venezuela and Northern Brazil.[

A visit to a deep network of underwater caves found offshore from the island of Andros, with Dr. George Benjamin, a Canadian research chemist and the world's foremost authority on the Bahamas' "blue holes" (underwater caves)