Iconoclastic Individualism - Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (12 July 1817 -- 6 May 1862) born David Henry Thoreau was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, philosopher, and abolitionist who is best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.

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Bringing Up Baby

Natural World investigates the vital bond between animal mothers and their babies.

The more we study animals, the more we realize just how emotional they are; all mothers are faced with tough choices as they struggle to bring up babies in a difficult and dangerous world, constantly balancing their own needs with those of their infants.

Yet there are many ways to raise your brood, from the fish who looks after her young in her mouth to the extended childhoods of gorillas or orang-utans.

Male lions may protect or kill cubs, for example. Orang-utans spend more time growing up than almost any other animal, as each ape may spend a decade learning from its mother.

Baby broad-snouted caiman spend much less time in the company of their mother. But even these reptiles help their young hatch from their eggs.

The very act of giving birth is traumatic, and baby guanacos must be alert for predators from almost the moment they are born.

Even males sometimes get in on the act. Male California mouse support the females as they give birth, acting the doting father, helping to keep his mate and the nest clean.

Female Amourobius spiders make the ultimate sacrifice, giving up their bodies to feed their offspring. The spiderlings feast directly upon the flesh of their mother.

Watch the full documentary now (playlist – 40 minutes)

Cloning the First Human

Doctors Panayiotis Zavos and Severino Antinori claim they are ready to embark on the greatest human experiment of our age. They say they will attempt to clone a human being. Most people think the objections to this are ethical – human cloning would create many moral dilemmas.

There is another question that few ever ask: is the science actually ready yet for cloning healthy humans? Horizon follows the latest research, which has led many scientists to believe that Zavos and Antinori’s plans to clone the first human could end in tragedy. The program also meets couples who think cloning offers them the only way to raise a child who is truly their own.

For decades, cloning remained within the realms of science fiction. The idea that instead of combining a sperm and an egg, a new human could be made from a single cell taken from an adult, seemed completely absurd. But that all changed in February 1997 when Dolly the sheep became the first animal cloned from an adult.

Ever since Dolly, scientists have been continuing to experiment with cloning animals. So far, they have succeeded with a lot of side effects in cloning sheep, cattle, pigs, goats and mice, fueling the belief that humans could be next. 

Watch the full documentary now (playlist – 48 minutes)