Shallow Nation » Science

National Geographic Aftermath: World Without Oil (Video, Photos)

Shallow Nation — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:15:29 +0000

Here are National Geographic Aftermath: World without Oil video and photos. The documentary will premiere on Monday, March 8, 2010 at 9 pm ET/PT on NatGeo Channel . Details below after the jump.

The program poses a question: what would our world be like if we ran out of oil? Our contemporary world is so dependent on technology fueled by oil, and yet oil will not last forever. CGI animation and dramatic recreation will reveal a possible scenario of what will happen when the oil supply does run out. How will the world change and how will people adapt as food disappears, electrical power fails? Witness the devastation in major cities as winter sets in. What will be more important to our survival; the technology to develop new sources of energy, or a change to a more sustainable way of life?

An overview of the program and additional pictures can be seen here: National Geographic Aftermath: World Without Oil

Top Photo: Enactment: A girl rummages through a garbage dump and finds a bicycle tire 10 years after oil disappears from Earth. (Photo credit: © Quiet Planet 2 Productions Inc.)

Video “Are You Prepared for the End of Oil?” – Imagine a world in which all of the oil has completely disappeared. Or let us do it for you. Link

Video “Surviving in a World Without Oil” – Could we survive even five days in a world without oil?. Link

Photos and video courtesy of National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Aftermath: World Without Oil (Video, Photos)

National Geographic Explorer: Vampire Forensics (Video, Photos)

Shallow Nation — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:32:25 +0000

Here are National Geographic Explorer: Vampire Forensics video and photos. The program premieres on Tues. Feb. 23, 2010 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NatGeo Channel.

Article continues below.

The new episode in the Explorer series will chronicle the efforts of forensic anthropologist Dr. Matteo Borrini and his team as they seek to determine if there is any evidence supporting the existence of vampires in 16th century Venice, as per legend. While vampires have dominated mythology and, most recently pop culture, notably with the Twilight series of books and movies, the existence of vampires has also long been a subject of speculation, now put to scientific test as the alleged skull of the Vampire of Venice is uncovered.

An overview along with several more pictures and video can be seen here: National Geographic Explorer: Vampire Forensics.

Top Photo: Reenactment: Dr. Matteo Borrini and Carmilla Borrini unearth the “Vampire of Venice.” In the summer of 2006, on the Venetian island of Lazaretto Nuovo, Dr. Matteo Borrini and his team were excavating a mass grave dating from the plague of the 16thcentury. They found a skeleton with a brick between the jaws of its skull. A brick was placed in the mouth of the corpse to kill a vampire. (Photo Credit: © NGT)

Photos and video courtesy of National Geographic Channel.

Video: A 500-year-old skull may tell us more about 16th century European beliefs about vampires. Link

Video: Forensic anthropologists examine the skeleton of a 500-year-old vampire. Link

YouTube Link

National Geographic Explorer: Vampire Forensics (Video, Photos)

National Geographic: A Traveler’s Guide to the Planets (Video, Photos)

Shallow Nation — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:58:39 +0000

Here are National Geographic A Traveler’s Guide to the Planets video and photos. The six-part mini series will premiere on Sun. Feb. 14, 2010 at 9 pm ET/PT on NatGeo Channel and will be broadcast over three days. It showcases breathtaking images captured by ultra high-tech telescopes, coupled with animation revealing a glimpse into a world not previously seen. Details and full schedule below after the jump.

Sunday, Feb. 14, 9 pm ET/PT: Saturn: Overview .

From Earth, Saturn’s rings appear solid, but they are actually made up of chunks of rock and ice; CGI will reveal a stunning look at the surface of the enormous planet, theorized to be covered with a layer of metallic liquid hydrogen; it auroras yield an impressive light show.

Top Photo: CGI IMAGE: Enceladus’s south polar water ice plumes. The plumes were found to be moving at ~2,189 kilometres per hour (1,360 miles per hour). (Photo Credit: © Hive Studios)

Sunday, Feb. 14, 10 pm ET/PT: Jupiter: Overview

The largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter is larger than all of the other planets combined. It is known for its iconic red “eye” which is actually a thunderstorm twice the size of Earth that has raged for more than 300 years. Beneath the clouds, the planet is revealed to be more like a star in composition. Its moons are equally fascinating, ranging from the fiery Io, to the oceanic Europa. The program will also reveal a look at Juno, a new probe which will launch in 2011, and should give an even clearer picture of this unusual planet.

Photo: CGI IMAGE: Jupiter and Io. Io is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of 3,642 kilometres, the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System.
(Photo Credit: © Hive Studios)

Monday, February 15, 2010, at 9 pm ET/PT Mars: Overview

A tour of the Red Planet reveals giant volcanoes, impressive canyons and constant sunshine; a rocky terrain similar to Antarctica. The program will also reveal a preview of what the first manned mission to Mars will be like; it is a mission that scientists believe is achievable in our lifetimes.

Monday, February 15, 2010, at 10 pm ET/PT Venus and Mercury: Overview

Mercury and Venus with their proximity to the sun are stunningly hot; temperatures on Mercury can reach 800° F. Venus sees temperatures hot enough to melt lead. Mercury’s sunny side offers travelers a stunning view of solar flares while on the planet’s dark side, temperatures plummet to minus 275 degrees. On the Earth’s nearest neighbor, Venus, the climate is dramatically volcanic.

Photo:CGI IMAGE: Voyager passing Triton and Neptune. Neptune’s largest moon is Triton. It is the only large moon in the Solar System with a retrograde orbit, which is an orbit in the opposite direction to its planet’s rotation. At 2700 km in diameter, it is the seventh-largest moon in the Solar System.
(Photo Credit: © Hive Studios)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010, at 9 pm ET/PT Neptune and Uranus: Overview.

Far away from the sun, in contrast, is Uranus, an icy gas giant with an atmosphere composed of a cosmic cocktail of hydrogen, helium, and methane, that takes 84 earth years to orbit the sun. Neptune, its vibrant blue neighbor, takes almost twice that long. As telescopes improve, scientists discover more about these distant planets through the stunning new pictures of the planets.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 10 pm ET/PT Pluto and Beyond: Overview

Pluto is farthest away from the earth and astronomers have determined that it does not qualify as a planet. Along with its moon Charon, it is the first discovered body in an unseen swarm of icy worlds in the uncharted region of the solar system. The program will reveal the New Horizons room where scientists are working on the first spacecraft to visit Pluto, set to arrive in 2015.

Video Video “Saturn Up Close” – The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft sets off on an orbital tour of Saturn, sending back some out-of-this-world images.. Link

Video Video “Destination: Mars” – The Valles Marineris is a titanic canyon system that tops the list of must-see destinations on Mars.. Link

Video “Mission to Pluto” – The New Horizons spacecraft is set to reach Pluto in 2015, giving us our first glimpse of this faraway world. Link

Photos and video courtesy of National Geographic Channel

National Geographic A Traveler’s Guide to the Planets (Video, Photos)

National Geographic Fight Science: Stealth Fighters (Video, Photos)

Shallow Nation — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:24:33 +0000

Here are National Geographic Fight Science: Stealth Fighters video and photos. The new episode of the new season premieres on Thurs. Feb. 11, 2010 at 9 pm ET/PT.

Article continues below.

In the new episode, when the Fight Science team embark upon an examination of the deadly art of stealth fighters, (from attacks and hidden defenses to infiltration and escape skills) they uncover results that defy scientific explanation. The program will reveal experts in Brazilian capoeira, karate, tae kwon do, and muay Thai kickboxing who all execute hair-trigger techniques which push the limits of human ability with their speed, agility and force. A martial artist demonstrates evasive maneuvers which combine balance and dexterity while moving through a laser beam obstacle course. A Shaolin warrior breaks a steal-tipped spear aimed at his throat, allegedly by manipulating the body’s powerful energy.

An overview and more pictures can be seen here: National Geographic Fight Science: Stealth Fighters

See also the Fight Science online game which is based on the series, and allows players to connect and interact with friends on Facebook.

See preview video below.

Top Photo: Los Angeles, CA: Ninjutsu expert, Glen Levy swinging a ninjutsu rope. (Photo Credit: (c) Base Productions)

Video “Free Runners” – Free runner, Ryan, leaps from a 9-foot platform and lands with featherlight ease. Link

Video “Super Human Ninja Girl” – Fight Science tests Mindy’s strength and flexibility against one of the best security systems modern technology can offer. Link

Pictures and video courtesy of National Geographic Channel

Related posts:

National Geographic Fight Science: Stealth Fighters (Video, Photos)

Shuttle Launch Video, Photo: Endeavour Lifts Off, Final Space Shuttle Night Launch 2-8-10

Shallow Nation — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:57:33 +0000

Here is the Endeavour space shuttle launch video and photo from Feb. 8, 2010. The pre-dawn 4:14 am ET lift-off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL to the International Space Station (ISS) marked the final night launch of a NASA space shuttle before the fleet is retired.

Article continues below.

The five-person crew embarks on a 13-day mission at the ISS. Crew members include: Commander George Zamka, pilot Terry Virts, and mission specialists Kay Hire, Steve Robinson, and Nicholas Patrick.

In a statement, Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for Space Operations said: “What a beautiful launch we had this morning, the orbiter performed extremely well. his is a great start to a very complicated mission.”

For more on the launch, personnel and mission, see the official NASA space shuttle Web site. Photo Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

YouTube Link

Shuttle Launch Video, Photo: Endeavour Lifts Off, Final Space Shuttle Night Launch 2-8-10

National Geographic Hunt for the Samurai Subs (Video, Photos)

Shallow Nation — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:29:45 +0000

Here are National Geographic Hunt for the Samurai Subs video and photos. The program airs on NGC on Tues, Nov. 17, 2009 at 9 pm ET/PT as part of Expedition Week.

The program chronicles the recent discovery of two Japanese submarines from World War II which had been designed with advanced technology which would have enabled them to attack the U.S. mainland. The two submarines were the I-14, which carried two aircraft while submerged; and the I-201, which was one of the fastest attack subs of World War II. The U.S. Navy intentionally sunk the two subs at the end of the war to keep the technology from the Soviet Union when scientists from the country demanded access.

Hawaii: At the scene of a I-14 underwater submarine wreck, the Pisces looking at the deck gun of I-14. The I-14 is one of 5 Japanese submarines sunk by the US Navy in 1946. (photo credit © Wild Life Productions)

The program will show footage of the wreckage along with World War II era footage of the U.S. Navy scuttling the vessels, leading to the discovery of the submarines off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. For decades, their exact location had been a mystery until the recent efforts of a team of explorers including deep submergence vehicle pilots Terry Kerby and Max Cramer, diving to depths of nearly 3,000 feet in search of the submarines.

An overview of the program can be seen here: National Geographic Hunt for the Samurai Subs

Top Photo: (Reenactment) Hawaii: A sailor on deck of submarine with U.S. flag flying at sunset during World War II. (photo credit © Wild Life Productions)

See preview video below.

Pictures and video courtesy of National Geographic Channel

Video “Preview: Samurai Subs” – Deep sea explorers hunt for Japanese submarines lost on the ocean floor – once part of a top-secret plan to dominate WWII. Video Link

National Geographic Hunt for the Samurai Subs (Video, Photos)

National Geographic 2012: Countdown to Armageddon (Video, Photos)

Shallow Nation — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:47:56 +0000

Here are National Geographic 2012: Countdown to Armageddon video and photos. The program airs on NGC on Sun., Nov. 8, 2009 at 10 pm ET/PT and will take a look at the Maya calendar prophesies of the world ending in 2012 and evidence which may or may not support them.

The documentary chronicles the investigation of Princeton University scientist Adam Maloof on three continents. Essentially it is a detective tale on a grand timeline of thousands of years, with clues to be found embedded in some of Earth’s oldest rocks.

Questions posed and explored include: Is there evidence of a global upheaval on a massive scale, such as depicted in the forthcoming 2012 movie, directed by Roland Emmerich? What can we learn from the technically advanced celestial orientation of the Maya ruins? What did the Maya hope to record in their extensive astronomy text known as the Dresden Codex? Does a discovery from a melting glacier reveal potential signs of devastating change in ancient Maya times?

An overview of the program can be seen here: National Geographic 2012 Countdown to Armageddon

See preview videos below.

Top Photo: Adam Maloof & Rafael Cobos on top of the Great Pyramid (El Castillo, Temple of K’uk’ulkan) in Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico. (photo credit: © Story House Productions)

Photo: Cameraman Thomas Sassenberg and Director / Executive Producer Andreas Gutzeit atop the Temple of the Warriors (Templo de los Guerreros) in Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico. (photo credit: © Story House Productions)

Pictures and video courtesy of National Geographic Channel

Video “Maya Doomsday Prophecy” – The Maya calendar will end on December 21, 2012. Are we three years from the end of the world? Video Link

“The Maya’s Lost Civilization” – The abrupt abandonment of the Maya’s great cities has stumped scholars for centuries. Video Link

“A Climate Event to End Time” – Could a sudden climate shift that took place 5,200 years ago tell us more about what the Maya predicted for 2012? Video Link

From their vantage on the Yucatán peninsula, Jenkins believes the Maya witnessed a slow movement toward an alignment of the sun and the center of the Milky Way. Could this trigger the end of the world? Video Link

National Geographic 2012: Countdown to Armageddon (Video, Photos)