Curiosity

Ended Sunday / 7:00pm Discovery US 45 min.
Curiosity is an adventure of discovery, an expedition to uncover the truths behind life's most challenging questions. With an insatiable thirst for answers and experiences, we're prepared to do anything, go anywhere and ask anyone to get to the heart of the matter. Curiosity asks and answers the most fundamental questions facing the world today.

Season 2

14 Episodes

Sep 19 2015
Footage of where the giant squid lives is revealed.
Jan 27 2013
You probably already know that the sun is super old (4 billion years) and incredibly hot (10,000 degrees Fahrenheit). And you might even know that, since it's a giant ball of plasma, it's packed with energy (it will likely blaze for another 6 billion years). It's a friendly neighbor, too -- providing heat and light that make life here on Earth possible. But all isn't entirely rosy. Did you know our sun has a dark side? It's capable of massive destruction! On its surface, a massive storm is brewing -- one so large that it could knock out the power grid, crippling everything from communications systems to banking systems to our water supply. But how prepared are we for a massive solar storm? In this episode, Curiosity goes on a virtual expedition through the heart of the sun to see how these super solar storms form and more.
Dec 30 2012
With more than 2 million acres of some of America's most rugged, yet beautiful, terrain, Yellowstone Park is not only a national treasure, it's also home to hundreds of species. But beneath its breathtaking beauty lie many unsolved mysteries. In this episode, Curiosity -- with the help of some truly cutting edge imaging technology -- peels back the layers to reveal the invisible forces at work in this iconic place. From the race to predict a massive volcanic eruption and exposing other deadly forces at work to hunting a microscopic predator and seeing nature�s engineering marvels like never before, this is Yellowstone as you�ve never seen it.
Dec 23 2012
There are dozens of theories about what caused the calamitous crash of the Hindenburg on May 6, 1937. But what really happened? In this episode of Curiosity, a team of aeronautical engineers sets out to see which theory is correct by building three perfectly accurate 50-foot replicas of the ill-fated airship. Those who tune in will get to see these experts put the leading theories to the test and find out what really destroyed the Hindenburg.
Dec 16 2012
Millions of people live in the shadow of active volcanoes never knowing when their volatile neighbors could blow. In fact, predicting when a volcano will erupt is nearly impossible. But scientists around the world are getting closer to unlocking their deadly secrets. In this episode of Curiosity, you'll join the world's leading experts as they use state-of-the-art CGI compositing techniques to journey into the heart of these frightening powerhouses to demonstrate how they work and why they are so difficult to understand.
Dec 09 2012
How did we get here? In this episode -- Mankind Rising -- Curiosity answers this question by tracing the ultimate adventure: Mankind's journey of life from the first cell to present day. This is the improbable story of human existence -- where we�ve risen from raw materials of Earth to the big-brained, two-legged mammals we are today. One change or predator along the way and this story would have never been told.
Nov 25 2012
One of the most treacherous weather events to hit the United States, Hurricane Sandy has affected millions. But how did this so called "frankenstorm" become so powerful? Using on-the-ground expert analysis and CGI and satellite imaging, Curiosity explores how distinct phenomena combined to create the perfect storm and how we can prepare for the next one. The episode also takes viewers inside the storm via on-the-ground camera and smartphone footage from Sandy survivors. Watch as they share their stories, some narrowly escaping the megastorm, and recount what it was like as Sandy engulfed their city.
Nov 18 2012
It's an all-American pastime. And if you watched the Season 1 episode hosted by Maggie Gyllenhaal, you know why it's so much fun. This season, we're tackling the topic again -- but this time in an even bigger way by looking at the largest national U.S. sex survey to see what sex in the 21st Century is all about. No questions were too bold for the Indiana University national survey. In fact, only one other survey has ever asked so many Americans such a wide range of questions about sex -- and that was conducted 60 years ago. Over the course of a decade, Alfred Kinsey and his research team conducted thousands of interviews questioning Americans about their most intimate sexual practices -- the results were revolutionary. But how dated has that research become -- and how much has sex in America changed in the last six decades? In �Sex in America,� airing Sunday, Nov. 11, Curiosity looks at America�s sex life and teams up with the famed Kinsey Institute to see what people are really up to in bed and with whom.
Nov 11 2012
As fall gives way to winter, we all know what that means ... tis the season! And we're not talking holidays -- we're talking flu season. Ever wonder what's going on inside your body when it's under attack? Just how does your body fight back to stop a virus from advancing. Every day, trillions of cells inside your body engage in a life and death struggle with viruses and a variety of enemy intruders. This episode of Curiosity presents that battle in all its surprisingly stunning glory as it explores the once invisible world of the human cell. Based on the latest scientific research -- combined with new imaging and CGI technologies -- we expose this world like never before by revealing a human cell's 48-hour battle to the death with a virus.
Nov 04 2012
In this episode of Curiosity, we delve into an intriguing -- yet controversial -- topic. If you've read or seen the Manchurian Candidate, then you might be familiar with the big question Brainwashed is trying to answer: Could someone be brainwashed into being an assassin, going against his or her own natural will to commit murder? A team of scientists, with the help of world-renowned hypnotherapist Tom Silver, set out to discover whether we truly are in command of our own minds in this audacious experiment to see if ordinary people can be brainwashed and turned into assassins.
Oct 28 2012
From museums to monster flicks, we're all pretty familiar with mummies. But how much do we really know about them? Turns out, there's quite a bit of missing information -- particularly in regard to the actual process the Egyptians used some 3,000 years ago to preserve their dead. In this compelling episode, Curiosity follows a team of scientists and experts as they attempt to crack the ancient and arresting recipe, and perform a modern-day mummification.
Oct 21 2012
In December 1945, five U.S. Navy bombers set out on a training mission from south Florida, heading east over the Atlantic Ocean. After the planes and their crew failed to return to base, another plane was sent out to find the missing men. Neither the original planes nor the rescue plane were ever seen again. Magazines and newspapers reporting on this mysterious event began to refer to the area as the Bermuda Triangle. Over time, the name stuck, as members of the media continued to catalog other strange disappearances and mysterious happenings in that area. In the last hundred years, countless lives have been lost but nobody is really sure why. People have blamed everything from space aliens to sea monsters for the disappearances of ships and aircraft between Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Miami. But what's really going on? Is it some form of extreme weather? Could it be a rare ocean phenomenon? Or is something else at work? In Curiosity's The Devil's Triangle, a team of investigators go deep into the triangle to explore ocean floor wrecks and stage experiments to tackle the mystery once and for all.
Oct 14 2012
Season 2 of Curiosity is getting things started with a bang. OK, it's more than a bang. A whole lot more. In a TV first, Discovery Channel remote control crashed a 727 plane. Yes, you read that right - CRASHED A PLANE. In the name of science, of course. The Boeing 727 passenger jet was deliberately crashed in a remote and unpopulated part of the Sonoran Desert, to recreate a serious, but survivable, passenger jet crash landing. Narrated by actor Josh Charles (THE GOOD WIFE), this episode takes viewers inside a full-size passenger airplane on its final flight. An international team of experts is using this amazing event to study the crashworthiness of the aircraft's airframe and cabin as well as the impact of crashes on the human body. What they find could be used to make planes safer!
Oct 07 2012

Season 1

17 Episodes

Robin Williams, who's experienced both the highs and lows of substance abuse, hosts a groundbreaking TV experiment. 4 heavy users on 4 of America's most abused drugs perform a series of physical tests to show exactly how drugs work.
Nov 20 2011
Ever thought how much America is worth? Imagine putting a dollar amount on everything in America -all the land, the resources under our feet, our homes, even the water we drink. For the first time, Donald Trump puts a value on it all.
Nov 13 2011
It's meant to be a joyous event - in reality, it's a gripping battle for survival. Using cutting edge technology, we go inside the womb and follow the story from conception to birth, showing how the struggle for life turns into the miracle of birth.
Nov 06 2011
Eli Roth, director of horror classic Hostel, is searching for the true nature of Evil. In a series of experiments, he examines what causes people to perform evil acts, then the daring test of all-could ordinary people perform acts of violence on strangers
Oct 30 2011
Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) becomes a human lab rat to learn firsthand to uncover the hidden world of creepy crawlies that live on the human body. Revealing a wild jungle of unseen creatures, you'll never look at your body the same way again.
Oct 23 2011
What would it be like to be immortal? It's the year 2967 and Adam Savage is 1000 years old. He reflects on his long life revealing how science in the 21st century transformed his body, creating a supercharged cyber-human, allowing him to live forever.
Oct 16 2011
Only 1% of Ancient Egypt has been discovered - 99% remains hidden. Now for the first time, we can reveal it. Using unique satellite archaeology to blow away the sands, this landmark film reveals Egypt's ancient land as it was 4,000 years ago.
Oct 09 2011
Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me") and his group continue their experiment to live in the wild only stone-age technology. Hunger and deprivation push the group to the brink of failure. Can a successful elk hunt save them?
Oct 02 2011
Were we better off as cavemen? Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me") joins nine ordinary men and women in an attempt to survive in the wild using only stone-age technology. Cold, dehydration, and hunger threaten to derail the experiment from the start.
Oct 02 2011
For centuries, Atlantis has been a myth. But in the last decade archaeologists have uncovered new finds which could reveal the location of this ancient apocalypse. Mixing dramatic recreation with science, this story is told by "Lost" star, Terry O'Quinn.
Sep 25 2011
End-of-the-world scenarios, including the Mayan prediction for Dec. 21, 2012, are examined from a scientific perspective.
Sep 18 2011
Everything which has made America bountiful and powerful is a product of forces which date back billions of years. How have earth's ancient forces made America what it is today?
Sep 11 2011
Morgan Freeman hosts an exploration into the possibility that there may be more than one version of reality.
Sep 04 2011
By drawing on detailed trial records, a picture emerges of both the science and the human drama behind the sinking of the Titanic.
Aug 28 2011
Maggie Gyllenhaal hosts a revealing investigation into the mechanics and chemistry of female orgasm.
Aug 21 2011
We've read the books, we've seen the movies. War of the Worlds, V, Independence Day. But they're all fiction, right? Well, probably not. New science is suggesting that aliens may be very real, and that they may not be as cuddly as E.T. Host Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar, Battle:LA) brings together top scientists, military strategists and writers to dramatize what would happen if and when aliens attacked.
Aug 14 2011
Stephen Hawking unfolds his personal, compelling vision of the biggest question of all: Who or what created the universe in which we live? The groundbreaking series Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking combined cutting-edge CG with Hawking's witty, distinctive and incisive worldview. Now, we take the journey a step further, as physics and cosmology become tools to answer questions that philosophers have struggled with for thousands of years.
Aug 07 2011