BBC Earth

With scientists sending space probes to the furthest reaches of the solar system and beyond, the scientific search for alien life has begun; inspired by a childhood love of science fiction, Brian still hopes to hear from ET.

Brian takes a fresh look at the astonishing concept of gravity.

Brian explores one of the greatest mysteries in physics: time.

Brian Cox explores the fundamental properties of light; the secrets of the cosmos.

The Fermi Paradox asks why another civilization has not presented itself.

Examining Landsat 8, the advanced planetary explorer with a 900 million dollar price tag, which is designed to reveal complex and ever-changing details undetectable by the human eye.

Journey from the lava ramparts to its fiery heart, discovering how this place became one of the most important areas of biodiversity in the world.

At the onset of winter, Alaskans combat threats; a storm batters Kavik as Sue fortifies camp; Ricko searches for elusive wildlife; the Hailstones ice fish; Johnny secures food in the Brooks Range.

Steve Backshall and his team travel to Kyrgyzstan in search of snow leopards, one of the world's most endangered species.

Journey from the lava ramparts to its fiery heart, discovering how this place became one of the most important areas of biodiversity in the world.

At the onset of winter, Alaskans combat threats; a storm batters Kavik as Sue fortifies camp; Ricko searches for elusive wildlife; the Hailstones ice fish; Johnny secures food in the Brooks Range.

Steve Backshall and his team travel to Kyrgyzstan in search of snow leopards, one of the world's most endangered species.

Journey from the lava ramparts to its fiery heart, discovering how this place became one of the most important areas of biodiversity in the world.

At the onset of winter, Alaskans combat threats; a storm batters Kavik as Sue fortifies camp; Ricko searches for elusive wildlife; the Hailstones ice fish; Johnny secures food in the Brooks Range.

Steve Backshall and his team travel to Kyrgyzstan in search of snow leopards, one of the world's most endangered species.

Witness animal spectacles from high above the Earth; watch a whirling herd of northern nomads; see undersea behemoths show off in the Pacific shallows; track a U.S. porcine stampede; confront top ocean predators on the Florida coast.

Hope's team struggles to help two rescued harp seals learn the natural behaviors they will need to survive in the wild.

Examine mysterious holes in Israel; explore a ghost village hidden in the Colombian jungle, a shipwreck off the coast of Sri Lanka and a gutted airplane fuselage abandoned in Iceland.

In the heart of central Mexico, lies Sierra Gorda, a region that is home to bobcats, pumas and flying squirrels.

Hope's team struggles to help two rescued harp seals learn the natural behaviors they will need to survive in the wild.

Examine mysterious holes in Israel; explore a ghost village hidden in the Colombian jungle, a shipwreck off the coast of Sri Lanka and a gutted airplane fuselage abandoned in Iceland.

In the heart of central Mexico, lies Sierra Gorda, a region that is home to bobcats, pumas and flying squirrels.

Professor Brian Cox explores how the universe began and how it will end.

Fifty years since the last moon landing, Associate Professor Alan Duffy talks about the new space race, where innovators and big dreamers are rewriting the rule book on space exploration.

Scientists search for the smallest thing in our universe.

Professor Brian Cox explores how the universe began and how it will end.

Fifty years since the last moon landing, Associate Professor Alan Duffy talks about the new space race, where innovators and big dreamers are rewriting the rule book on space exploration.

Scientists search for the smallest thing in our universe.

At the onset of winter, Alaskans combat threats; a storm batters Kavik as Sue fortifies camp; Ricko searches for elusive wildlife; the Hailstones ice fish; Johnny secures food in the Brooks Range.

Steve Backshall and his team travel to Kyrgyzstan in search of snow leopards, one of the world's most endangered species.

The big blue is the world's greatest wilderness, far from shore and many kilometers deep.

A glimpse into an African waterhole's bustling nightlife where summer's heat changes animals' drinking and cooling-off patterns and a new predator is drawn by increased nocturnal activity.

The big blue is the world's greatest wilderness, far from shore and many kilometers deep.

A glimpse into an African waterhole's bustling nightlife where summer's heat changes animals' drinking and cooling-off patterns and a new predator is drawn by increased nocturnal activity.

The big blue is the world's greatest wilderness, far from shore and many kilometers deep.

A glimpse into an African waterhole's bustling nightlife where summer's heat changes animals' drinking and cooling-off patterns and a new predator is drawn by increased nocturnal activity.

Examine mysterious holes in Israel; explore a ghost village hidden in the Colombian jungle, a shipwreck off the coast of Sri Lanka and a gutted airplane fuselage abandoned in Iceland.

When a tiny piece of trash ruins a raccoon's life, Doctor Jessica cuts it free, but Hope faces tough decisions about its future; a volunteer plunges in to save an injured goose.

Investigate an abandoned village in the shifting sands on Dubai's outskirts and a collection of inexplicable stone circles in Colombia; a mysterious hilltop tower in Iran and a puzzling purple phenomenon in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Costa Rica is a world of its own; a tropical corridor squeezed between two great oceans, powered by rivers and volcanoes; its volcanoes erupt and deposit minerals into the soil, making the land fertile and creating the country's rich bio-diversity.

When a tiny piece of trash ruins a raccoon's life, Doctor Jessica cuts it free, but Hope faces tough decisions about its future; a volunteer plunges in to save an injured goose.

Investigate an abandoned village in the shifting sands on Dubai's outskirts and a collection of inexplicable stone circles in Colombia; a mysterious hilltop tower in Iran and a puzzling purple phenomenon in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Costa Rica is a world of its own; a tropical corridor squeezed between two great oceans, powered by rivers and volcanoes; its volcanoes erupt and deposit minerals into the soil, making the land fertile and creating the country's rich bio-diversity.

Focusing on faraway landscapes that are bursting with fire and ice; Professor Cox goes on a journey across the solar system for a look at volcanic eruptions so vast they reach into space; learning why these violent explosions hold the keys to life.

Wandering in the spaces between and beyond the planets, where countless worlds exist without any light at all; peeking inside hidden realms that stretch halfway to the nearest star and find out what lies outside the reaches of the most powerful telescopes.

Exploring powerful lightning, mountains with strange, metallic frosts and monsoon rains on a moon that is a billion miles away from Earth.

Professor Brian Cox explores the solar system's frozen worlds; he meets the dwarf planet where mountains of solid ice float across the surface, the black and white moon painted with frost and a world illuminated by a strange form of ice.

Brian journeys across the solar system and explores its weirdest worlds, the misfits and oddballs; he discovers the forces that sculpted bizarre features and strange phenomena.

Focusing on faraway landscapes that are bursting with fire and ice; Professor Cox goes on a journey across the solar system for a look at volcanic eruptions so vast they reach into space; learning why these violent explosions hold the keys to life.

Battle your way through Earth's second-greatest rainforest; follow Simon across 500 miles of dense tropical jungle full of biting insects and peat bogs to reach the Salonga region; enjoy an emotional encounter with a group of wild bonobos.

Simon travels from the Arctic islands of Svalbard to the icy wilderness of Lapland.

From a baby whale in danger to marine iguanas battling storms, a look at how animals survive when faced with challenges of the ocean.

Ken O'Sullivan explores the dark ocean waters to the north of Ireland in winter time, encountering monstrous winter storms of the high latitudes.

Five months and more than 2000 miles into his journey, Lev is in Sudan, facing his biggest physical obstacle yet: the Sahara desert; he has to walk 1300 miles across one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.

From a baby whale in danger to marine iguanas battling storms, a look at how animals survive when faced with challenges of the ocean.

Ken O'Sullivan explores the dark ocean waters to the north of Ireland in winter time, encountering monstrous winter storms of the high latitudes.

Five months and more than 2000 miles into his journey, Lev is in Sudan, facing his biggest physical obstacle yet: the Sahara desert; he has to walk 1300 miles across one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.

From a baby whale in danger to marine iguanas battling storms, a look at how animals survive when faced with challenges of the ocean.

Simon revisits the incredible characters he's met during his travels.

Battle your way through Earth's second-greatest rainforest; follow Simon across 500 miles of dense tropical jungle full of biting insects and peat bogs to reach the Salonga region; enjoy an emotional encounter with a group of wild bonobos.

Simon travels from the Arctic islands of Svalbard to the icy wilderness of Lapland.

When a tiny fawn gets hit by a car, Doctor Jessica must splint its broken leg, or it will never return to the wild; a mother porcupine arrives with baby in tow and both need life-saving attention for a parasitic infection.

Come across a set of disturbingly familiar stone monoliths in Colombia, then explore a lost city in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta; puzzle over an ancient ruin in Corinth, Greece, and explore an old structure on a Maltese island.

The mystery of where water comes from or how it arrived on Earth.

When a tiny fawn gets hit by a car, Doctor Jessica must splint its broken leg, or it will never return to the wild; a mother porcupine arrives with baby in tow and both need life-saving attention for a parasitic infection.

Come across a set of disturbingly familiar stone monoliths in Colombia, then explore a lost city in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta; puzzle over an ancient ruin in Corinth, Greece, and explore an old structure on a Maltese island.

The mystery of where water comes from or how it arrived on Earth.

The remarkable story of how the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed the awe and wonder of our universe.

Investigate what may happen if Earth's current population of 7.7 billion balloons to the 10 billion predicted for 2050; look at the effect that falling birth rates, aging populations, and out-of-control consumption are having on the planet.

The incredible story of how Pluto has been propelled from an unremarkable ball of ice on the edge of the solar system to a world of unimaginable complexity; one where some form of alien life might even exist.

Scientists are using technology to research weather on other planets.

Scientists search for the smallest thing in our universe.

The remarkable story of how the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed the awe and wonder of our universe.

Ken O'Sullivan explores the dark ocean waters to the north of Ireland in winter time, encountering monstrous winter storms of the high latitudes.

Five months and more than 2000 miles into his journey, Lev is in Sudan, facing his biggest physical obstacle yet: the Sahara desert; he has to walk 1300 miles across one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.

In the forests of western Madagascar, a small chameleon emerges from the nest; her urge is to climb and reach the high branches where she can hide amongst the leaves.

Find relief as Paddy discovers the keys to making healing analgesic tablets and soothing throat lozenges at the Reckitt factory in Nottingham. Discover how mercury thermometers are crafted with Cherry, then examine dodgy Victorian meds with Ruth.

From forests to undersea prairies, it is the green of the sea that brings life to oceans.

In the forests of western Madagascar, a small chameleon emerges from the nest; her urge is to climb and reach the high branches where she can hide amongst the leaves.

Find relief as Paddy discovers the keys to making healing analgesic tablets and soothing throat lozenges at the Reckitt factory in Nottingham. Discover how mercury thermometers are crafted with Cherry, then examine dodgy Victorian meds with Ruth.

From forests to undersea prairies, it is the green of the sea that brings life to oceans.

In the forests of western Madagascar, a small chameleon emerges from the nest; her urge is to climb and reach the high branches where she can hide amongst the leaves.

Find relief as Paddy discovers the keys to making healing analgesic tablets and soothing throat lozenges at the Reckitt factory in Nottingham. Discover how mercury thermometers are crafted with Cherry, then examine dodgy Victorian meds with Ruth.

From forests to undersea prairies, it is the green of the sea that brings life to oceans.

Come across a set of disturbingly familiar stone monoliths in Colombia, then explore a lost city in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta; puzzle over an ancient ruin in Corinth, Greece, and explore an old structure on a Maltese island.

Just as Hope is scrambling to get ready for her busiest day of the year, the government decides to seize the bear cub Hope's worked so hard to save.

Unlock an abandoned site on a remote Antarctic isle and check out mysterious shapes in the Finnish snow; puzzle over an inexplicable monolith in the far reaches of Norway, then get shocked by a blood-red frozen waterfall at the bottom of the world.

The history of the formation of the world's largest freshwater lake system reveals many mysteries surrounding the geological phenomenon.

Just as Hope is scrambling to get ready for her busiest day of the year, the government decides to seize the bear cub Hope's worked so hard to save.

Unlock an abandoned site on a remote Antarctic isle and check out mysterious shapes in the Finnish snow; puzzle over an inexplicable monolith in the far reaches of Norway, then get shocked by a blood-red frozen waterfall at the bottom of the world.

The history of the formation of the world's largest freshwater lake system reveals many mysteries surrounding the geological phenomenon.

Professor Brian Cox begins his exploration of the cosmos with a hymn to the great luminous bodies that bring light and warmth to the universe: the stars.

Hunting for evidence of life beyond Earth; a look through sensitive telescopes; the detective work of scientists in the search for possible alien populations.

An exploration of the faint band of light that sweeps across the night sky, the Milky Way; Professor Brian Cox reveals the Milky Way's dramatic history and predicts its cataclysmic future.

Challenging the concept of reality with new data from a supermassive black hole.

Investigate what may happen if Earth's current population of 7.7 billion balloons to the 10 billion predicted for 2050; look at the effect that falling birth rates, aging populations, and out-of-control consumption are having on the planet.

Find relief as Paddy discovers the keys to making healing analgesic tablets and soothing throat lozenges at the Reckitt factory in Nottingham. Discover how mercury thermometers are crafted with Cherry, then examine dodgy Victorian meds with Ruth.

From forests to undersea prairies, it is the green of the sea that brings life to oceans.

Dara Ó Briain investigates the darker side of the sun and the invisible harm that the sun can do to us.

Explaining how freshwater is the lifeblood of planet Earth and why animals depend on it for their survival.

Searching for ways to minimize their carbon footprints, Zac and Darin visit a self-sustaining home and other business innovating to reduce waste.

Dara Ó Briain investigates the darker side of the sun and the invisible harm that the sun can do to us.

Explaining how freshwater is the lifeblood of planet Earth and why animals depend on it for their survival.

Searching for ways to minimize their carbon footprints, Zac and Darin visit a self-sustaining home and other business innovating to reduce waste.

Dara Ó Briain investigates the darker side of the sun and the invisible harm that the sun can do to us.

Explaining how freshwater is the lifeblood of planet Earth and why animals depend on it for their survival.

Searching for ways to minimize their carbon footprints, Zac and Darin visit a self-sustaining home and other business innovating to reduce waste.

Unlock an abandoned site on a remote Antarctic isle and check out mysterious shapes in the Finnish snow; puzzle over an inexplicable monolith in the far reaches of Norway, then get shocked by a blood-red frozen waterfall at the bottom of the world.

When a Category 2 hurricane slams straight into the rehab, Hope and her team struggle to protect their patients in the middle of the raging storm.

Puzzle over an out-of-place relic from World War II and get a bird's-eye view of stone circles in Norway; examine mysterious, ancient mounds on the banks of the Mississippi and uncover the dark history of a medieval English village.

Missions are heading to Jupiter to discover how planets form and to find out if there is life on the planets four largest moons.

When a Category 2 hurricane slams straight into the rehab, Hope and her team struggle to protect their patients in the middle of the raging storm.

Puzzle over an out-of-place relic from World War II and get a bird's-eye view of stone circles in Norway; examine mysterious, ancient mounds on the banks of the Mississippi and uncover the dark history of a medieval English village.

Missions are heading to Jupiter to discover how planets form and to find out if there is life on the planets four largest moons.

How humans discovered the planets and how they became a complex solar system.

Venus offers a complex story with its thick atmosphere and a substantial amount of matter.

Earth's closest neighbor, the moon, is the cosmic stepping stone to a future with the planets.

A fleet of spacecraft orbits, and sometimes lands on the surface of, Mars.

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all have exotic atmospheres, liquid interiors and rings.

The history of the solar system might be preserved out in the dark domain of Pluto and beyond.

A dramatic repair mission gives the Hubble Space Telescope another chance to capture stunning pictures like only it can.

In the future, telescopes will allow scientists to see further to planets that may support life.

In an attempt to view the cosmos beyond the scope of human vision, infrared light and gamma radiation are used.

Advanced telescopes capture images of the night sky from the Atacama Desert.

The Northern Lights tells the story of the makeup of the planet, the sun and possibly life on other planets.

Using computer simulations, it is possible to fly over other worlds and see how galaxies interact.

Explaining how freshwater is the lifeblood of planet Earth and why animals depend on it for their survival.

Searching for ways to minimize their carbon footprints, Zac and Darin visit a self-sustaining home and other business innovating to reduce waste.

Simon looks back on some of the most dangerous situations he's experienced.

Brave the constant wind, rain, and snow that pummels the foot of South America; Cross treacherous ice fields that are losing ground due to climate change, push through the foothills of the Andes, and ride alongside Patagonia's legendary gauchos.

The second leg of Simon's journey takes him from the fjords of Norway to Iceland, the land of fire and ice.

Simon looks back on some of the most dangerous situations he's experienced.

Brave the constant wind, rain, and snow that pummels the foot of South America; Cross treacherous ice fields that are losing ground due to climate change, push through the foothills of the Andes, and ride alongside Patagonia's legendary gauchos.

The second leg of Simon's journey takes him from the fjords of Norway to Iceland, the land of fire and ice.

Simon looks back on some of the most dangerous situations he's experienced.

Brave the constant wind, rain, and snow that pummels the foot of South America; Cross treacherous ice fields that are losing ground due to climate change, push through the foothills of the Andes, and ride alongside Patagonia's legendary gauchos.

The second leg of Simon's journey takes him from the fjords of Norway to Iceland, the land of fire and ice.

Puzzle over an out-of-place relic from World War II and get a bird's-eye view of stone circles in Norway; examine mysterious, ancient mounds on the banks of the Mississippi and uncover the dark history of a medieval English village.

A photographer snaps into action to save a turkey vulture's life after it gets trapped under a seal carcass.

The view from above reveals baffling behavior from one of the ocean's fastest fish; whales with a strange, aquatic accessorizing habit; a confounding congregation of sharks down under; a perplexing collection of circles decorating the seabed.

The search for the building blocks of life on Mars; an attempt to prove life was, or is, possible on the red planet.

A photographer snaps into action to save a turkey vulture's life after it gets trapped under a seal carcass.

The view from above reveals baffling behavior from one of the ocean's fastest fish; whales with a strange, aquatic accessorizing habit; a confounding congregation of sharks down under; a perplexing collection of circles decorating the seabed.

The search for the building blocks of life on Mars; an attempt to prove life was, or is, possible on the red planet.

The second-largest planet is also a mini-solar system with 60 moons and those crazy rings.

The Dawn mission explores the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres.

The search for water is actually the search for life, and that search is taking man to some unusual places, including a moon of Saturn.

Scientists are now probing to detect gravity waves in space and mapping the gravity patterns of the moon for the first time.

For more than 25 years, the shuttle was our ticket to space and our laboratory in orbit.

The vast majority of information being gathered about Mars is by orbiters chronicling everything they can.

Exploring the Milky Way from the mythology of ancient sky watchers to how scientists are mapping it from the inside out.

Examining the science behind the birth of the universe.

Mercury, one of the nearest planets to earth, has eluded astronomers' best efforts to learn its secrets until missions like Mariner and Messenger.

Examining how cosmic rays are produced and what that can tell us about the universe.

The Fermi Paradox asks why another civilization has not presented itself.

Examining Landsat 8, the advanced planetary explorer with a 900 million dollar price tag, which is designed to reveal complex and ever-changing details undetectable by the human eye.

Brave the constant wind, rain, and snow that pummels the foot of South America; Cross treacherous ice fields that are losing ground due to climate change, push through the foothills of the Andes, and ride alongside Patagonia's legendary gauchos.

The second leg of Simon's journey takes him from the fjords of Norway to Iceland, the land of fire and ice.

Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in November 1922; since then, scientists and archaeologists have been puzzled by an iron dagger that was tucked in among the linen folds of the mummy.

A look at Isaac Newton;a visit to CERN.

Discover the building blocks of life locked inside an ancient asteroid. Travel to the fiery and icy volcanoes of our solar system, then scan the skies for Earth-like exoplanets orbiting distant stars that might harbour extraterrestrial life.

Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in November 1922; since then, scientists and archaeologists have been puzzled by an iron dagger that was tucked in among the linen folds of the mummy.

A look at Isaac Newton;a visit to CERN.