The Nature of Things - Season 12

First aired: 10/4/1971 10 episodes

Episodes

1. Banting, Best And Insulin

Aired: 10/4/1971

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.

2. Cancer In Canada

Aired: 10/11/1971

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.

3. Parkinsonism

Aired: 10/25/1971

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.

4. The Fur Trade

Aired: 12/13/1971

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

5. The Harp Seal

Aired: 1/3/1972

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

6. Grouse Country

Aired: 1/10/1972

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

7. The Polar Bear

Aired: 1/17/1972

Pictorial life history of the Arctic animals throughout the seasons.

8. Lobsters and the Sea

Aired: 1/24/1972

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

9. Vanishing Peoples: Yanomami

Aired: 1/31/1972

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.[

10. The Blue Holes of Andros

Aired: 5/15/1972

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)