100 Greatest Discoveries

★ 6.5 · 2004 · 45m · Documentary

Bill Nye walks viewers through various areas of science to show how far they've come through their beginnings until modern times.

Episodes

▶1. Evolution45m · Ten milestones that have helped to tell life's story: Walter Alvarez's asteroid theory of dinosaur extinction, the first identification of dinosaur fossils Stanley Miller's simulation of the early atmosphere, Robert Ballard's discovery of hydrothermal vent ecosystems, Charles Walcott's analysis of the Burgess Shale, the Linnaean classification system, Darwin's theory of natural selection, Donald Johanson's Lucy, Mary Leakey's Laetoli footprints, and Michel Brunet's Toumai skull.▶2. Earth Sciences45m · Twelve landmark steps to understanding the Earth's structure: Richard Oldham's theory of a liquid core, Inge Lehmann's conclusion that the core is solid iron, Alfred Wegener's premise of continental drift, Harry Hess's findings on seafloor spreading, plate tectonics, Leon Teisserenc de Bort's discovery of atmospheric layers, the theory of global warming, Victor Hess's studies of cosmic rays, Bernard Brunhes's assertion of magnetic field reversal, Charles Lyell's ideas on geological change, Bertram Boltwood's formulas for radiometric dating, and Milutin Milankovitch's ideas on periodic ice ages.▶3. Physics45m · Thirteen discoveries that help explain why matter and energy behave as they do: Galileo's law of falling bodies, Isaac Newton's conclusions of universal gravity, Newton's laws of motion, the second law of thermodynamics, experiments in electromagnetism, Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity and his equation E=mc2, Quantum theory, calculations on the nature of light, James Chadwick's discovery of the neutron, the development of superconductivity, Murray Gell-Mann's proposal of quarks, and the discovery of the strong and weak nuclear forces.▶4. Medicine45m · Thirteen achievements in medicine: Andreas Vesalius's anatomical charts, William Harvey's breakthrough on blood circulation, Karl Landsteiner's identification of blood groups, the development of anesthesia, Wilhelm Roentgen's discovery of X-rays, Louis Pasteur's establishment of bacteriology, Frederick Hopkins's recognition of the importance of vitamins, the discovery and isolation of penicillin, the development of sulfa drugs, Edward Jenner's invention of vaccine, and the discoveries of insulin, oncogenes and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).▶5. Astronomy45m · Thirteen crucial benchmarks in the history of what may be the oldest science: Ancient awareness that the planets move, Copernican cosmology, Johannes Kepler's laws of planetary motion, Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's moons, Edmund Halley's comet prediction, William and Carolyn Herschel's galactic mapping, Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, Edwin Hubble's proof that the universe is expanding, Karl Jansky's discovery of galactic radio waves, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson's detection of the cosmic microwave background, observations of gamma ray bursts, the discovery of extrasolar planets, and the "big rip" theory.▶6. Chemistry45m · Thirteen building blocks in a science that may be the foundation of the modern world: Joseph Priestly and Antoine Lavoisier's discovery of oxygen, John Dalton's atomic theory, Avogadro's Law, Friedrich Woehler's synthesis of urea, Friedrich Kekule's studies of molecular structure, Dmitry Mendeleyev's Periodic Table, Humphry Davy's electrolysis, J. J. Thomson's discovery of the electron, Niels Bohr's model of atomic structure, Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunson's electromagnetic spectroscopy, Marie Curie's isolation of radioactive materials, John Wesley Hyatt and Leo Baekeland's invention of plastics, and the discovery of fullerenes.▶7. Biology45m · Thirteen breakthroughs in the science of living things: Anton van Leeuwenhoek's discovery of micro-organisms, Robert Brown's identification of cell nuclei, Carl Woese's Archaea classification, Walther Flemming and Eduard Strasburger's discovery of mitosis, August Weismann's conclusions on meiosis, Awareness of cell differentiation and stem cells, Pinpointing of mitochondria, Hans Krebs' citric acid cycle, The discoveries of neurotransmitters, hormones and photosynthesis, Arthur George Tansley's ideas on ecosystems, and the centuries-long process of studying biodiversity.▶8. Genetics45m · Thirteen vital contributions to a field tht is now a cornerstone of the life sciences: Gregor Mendel's rules of heredity, Thomas Hunt Morgan's detection of chromosomal gene location, George Beadle and Edward Tatum's "one gene, one enzyme" concept, Barbara McClintock's discovery of transposons, the acceptance of DNA as the basis of genetic information, James Watson and Francis Crick's double helix, Marshall Nirenberg's genetic code, the discoveries of RNA, restriction enzymes, RNA splicing and RNA interference, Alec Jeffreys' DNA identification technique, and the Human Genome Project.

More Like This

Nicki Minaj: My Truth

2012 · ★ 6.2

Platinum selling rap artist Nicki Minaj makes headlines wherever she goes, for her music, her unique sense of style, and certainly for her no-holds-barred personality. She is thriving in what was once solely a man's world, and loving every minute of it. But who is Onika Tanya Maraj, the Trinidadian-born American artist with the outrageous personality, and the most Twitter followers of any rapper (14 million and counting)? Nicki Minaj: My Truth is a three-part special of never-before-seen footage of Nicki Minaj in her personal and professional life. The documentary gives the world a glimpse of "The Queen of the Barbz" Nicki Minaj wigs, makeup, personalities, and hit records. We also see Nicki discussing her fear of failure, behind the scenes footage of the filming for "The Boys" video clip and Nicki rehearsing for her first arena tour in the U.K.

More info →

Mr. McMahon

2024 · ★ 7.8

WWE experienced record-breaking highs and crushing lows under Vince McMahon's leadership. This docuseries delves into the mogul's controversial reign.

More info →

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey

2022 · ★ 7.5

In interviews and rare home video footage, ex-FLDS members share the truth about their isolated community — and the events that pushed them to leave.

More info →

Death in the Land of Encantos

2007 · ★ 10

Kagadanan sa Banwaan Ning mga Engkanto (English: Death in the Land of Encantos) is a 2007 Filipino television miniseries created and written by Lav Diaz. The five-episode drama would be edited into a nine-hour feature released in 2013. Philippine poet Benjamin Agusan hearkens back to his village Padang after seven years in Europe. Horrified to discover that the community has been buried under landslides, he wanders the countryside, reconnecting with friends, lovers, and family whose lives teeter on the brink of destruction.

More info →

Beauty and the Bester

2025 · ★ 7.4

Did renowned Dr Nandipha get embroiled in Thabo Bester's prison break? This chilling documentary series examines the enigmatic ties that bound them.

More info →

New Orleans: Soul of a City

2025

Explore the many ways New Orleans communes with its history - through music, food, sports, and tradition - revealing how, 20 years after Katrina, New Orleans is louder and more resilient than ever.

More info →