PBS Terra is the home of science and nature shows from PBS Digital Studios. Subscribe to explore the frontiers of science and tech, our minds and bodies, our planet (and beyond)!
Our shows:
Weathered: Science Communicator Maiya May investigates why we have more extreme weather and natural disasters than ever before and teaches you how to prepare.
Overview: Hosted by Joe Hanson, Overview combines incredible cinematography with science storytelling to reveal both the natural phenomena and human forces shaping our planet.
Untold Earth: In collaboration with Atlas Obscura and NATURE, Untold Earth unpacks the stories behind North America’s strangest, most unique natural wonders.
From PBS Terra. In 1986, Cameroon’s Lake Nyos unleashed a deadly limnic eruption when trapped volcanic CO₂ suddenly burst from the lake, silently suffocating over 1,700 people and transforming scientists’ understanding of geological disasters. Overview is hosted by Joe Hanson, PhD (from @besmart) and produced by PBS North Carolina. ***** PBS Member Stations rely on…
From PBS Terra. Overgrazed or industrial land can’t absorb water—but managed grazing can change that. When cows eat plants, it actually helps them regrow, build deeper roots, and create healthier soil that’s more resistant to flooding! Corie Pierce of Bread and Butter Farm is helping to do just that.
From PBS Terra. Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Weathered Merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/weathered?srsltid=AfmBOoqD_u-BPUDcUpEZyzLnz95hLnizczYPEILsp1PXZM4XadRuxK_M The United States is the tornado capital of the world, but the "Tornado Alley" we all grew up learning about is changing. While frequency is dropping in the Great Plains, a new, much deadlier threat is rising somewhere else… In this episode, we travel…
From PBS Terra. Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Weathered Merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/weathered?srsltid=AfmBOoqD_u-BPUDcUpEZyzLnz95hLnizczYPEILsp1PXZM4XadRuxK_M The United States is the tornado capital of the world, but the "Tornado Alley" we all grew up learning about is changing. While frequency is dropping in the Great Plains, a new, much deadlier threat is rising somewhere else… In this episode, we travel…
From PBS Terra. Cookie-cutter sharks, wobbegongs, and frilled sharks all look a bit…odd. But there’s a scientific reason for their unique features. Shark scientist Jaida Elcock breaks down why these sharks evolved to look this way. 🦈
From PBS Terra. Feathers keep birds warm, but during breeding season, they actually lose some on purpose. Our friend Jack Baddams tells us why!
From PBS Terra. Three tropical cyclones spinning across the Pacific at the same time is rare enough, but the truly bizarre part was what happened next. Super Typhoon Sinlaku rapidly intensified into one of the strongest storms ever recorded this early in the year, fueled by unusually warm ocean waters before slamming into the Northern…
From PBS Terra. In Death Valley, one of the hottest, driest places on Earth, you’ll find an unlikely survivor: a pupfish. How do these fish live in such an inhospitable place? Untold Earth explores the seeming impossibilities behind our planet’s strangest, most unique natural wonders. From fragile, untouched ecosystems to familiar but unexplained occurrences in…
From PBS Terra. Welcome to the desert of the sea, the often windless "horse latitudes." Friend of PBS Paige explains it best!
From PBS Terra. Watch the latest episode of @NinePBS ‘s What Do I Do with This? here: https://youtu.be/jnBuX8LFTqM?si=YBuv9BOUgkVP4KGj PBS Earth Month playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnNZYWyBGJ1F8ofFm4H9UTrHxqU8zngK4 America’s most toxic lake may also be one of its most overlooked resources. At the Berkeley Pit Superfund Site, scientists are extracting clean energy materials from a century of mining waste. *****…
From PBS Terra. Wait… sea level isn’t level? The ocean’s surface can vary by feet, thanks to wind patterns, rotating currents, and Earth’s spin. From water piling up in the subtropics to dips near the poles, and even storm surge during hurricanes, the ocean is constantly shifting to balance pressure. Our friend Paige explains it…
From PBS Terra. Vote for us to win a Webby! https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2026/video-film/general-video-film/documentary-longform Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Weathered Merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/weathered?srsltid=AfmBOoqD_u-BPUDcUpEZyzLnz95hLnizczYPEILsp1PXZM4XadRuxK_M Check out Trail Mix’d: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7RYUXkpivk And our Earth Month playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnNZYWyBGJ1F8ofFm4H9UTrHxqU8zngK4 Why is the Guadalupe River the most dangerous river in the US? Hidden in the heart of "Flash Flood Alley," the Guadalupe River holds a…
From PBS Terra. Let’s take a closer look at bird feet! From their dinosaur origins to evolving into toes that lock in place…there’s a lot of interesting things happening beneath those feathers. Our friend Jack Baddams shares more!
From PBS Terra. The Cascadia Subduction Zone represents a profound disaster in the making. Running hundreds of miles along the Pacific Northwest coast, it’s overdue for a catastrophic magnitude 9 earthquake. In fact, scientists estimate there’s a 37% chance it will strike in the near future. In this special compilation video, we bring together everything…
From PBS Terra. Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss an episode! https://bit.ly/3mOfd77 ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra ***** And keep up with PBS Terra on: Facebook: https://facebook.com/pbsdigitalstudios Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsterra Instagram: https://instagram.com/pbsterra
From PBS Terra. Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Weathered Merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/weathered?srsltid=AfmBOoqD_u-BPUDcUpEZyzLnz95hLnizczYPEILsp1PXZM4XadRuxK_M Something unexpected and potentially irreversible is changing Antarctica and scientists finally know why. Over the past few decades, researchers have tracked the mysterious growth and sharp decline in sea ice in Antarctica. But a few years ago a troubling discovery was made that could…
From PBS Terra. Many parts of the US reported their hottest winter on record. For others, it was one of the coldest. So what gives? Weathered’s Maiya May explains. ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra ***** Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss…
From PBS Terra. In July 2023, historic flooding swept across Vermont, devastating farms and testing the resilience of the land. This episode follows Corie Pierce of Bread & Butter Farm as she reveals how more than a decade of regenerative farming helped their fields withstand extreme rainfall. At the heart of the story is a…
From PBS Terra. This map shows every tropical cyclone from 1851–2010 and it reveals some surprising patterns. From the planet’s biggest “hurricane factory” near West Africa to the invisible wall at the equator, the tracks of these storms expose the forces that steer hurricanes across the globe. ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like…
From PBS Terra. At a rocket test range in Alaska, scientists are firing rockets into the northern lights. They want to better understand the aurora because they are the visible fingerprint of a powerful and dangerous force that can disrupt GPS, satellites, and power grids. We join them at a launch to find out what…
From PBS Terra. Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Weathered Merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/weathered?srsltid=AfmBOoqD_u-BPUDcUpEZyzLnz95hLnizczYPEILsp1PXZM4XadRuxK_M What happens when a planet crosses a climate tipping point it can’t recover from? Venus may hold the answer. Scientists think Venus once had oceans, water, and a climate that may have resembled early Earth. But something pushed the planet past a threshold. Water…
From PBS Terra. Patreon: https://tinyurl.com/352v7xnn Merch: https://tinyurl.com/y478bz9h Is this how civilizations end? As climate disasters intensify, some cities survive — and others collapse. So what makes the difference? In this episode of Weathered, host Maiya May investigates what history reveals about system collapse, failed cities, and civilizations that didn’t survive climate shocks. Were they doomed?…
From PBS Terra. In the middle of America’s flattest land lies a rugged secret the Ice Age somehow forgot—the mysterious Driftless Region. ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra ***** Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss an episode! https://bit.ly/3mOfd77 And keep up with…
From PBS Terra. Love tofu, soy sauce, or edamame? 🌱 Farmer Christina Chan of Choy Division Farms shares why soy is the one seed she’d grow for life, while also showing us how seed saving helps protect our food supply and save money.
From PBS Terra. Urban food systems prioritize long-distance supply chains that favor shelf life and transportability over flavor, nutrition, and ecological resilience. As a result, many East Asian vegetables consumed in U.S. cities are conventionally grown, imported from far away, and limited to a narrow range of commercially viable varieties. At Choy Division Farm in…
From PBS Terra. If global warming mean what it says it means, then why did the US get hit with such a powerful winter storm? Weathered’s Maiya May explains how cold Arctic air coming south is, counterintuitively, affected by a warming Arctic. ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local…
From PBS Terra. Each fall, a remote stretch of volcanic sand in Costa Rica transforms into one of nature’s greatest spectacles: Tens of thousands of sea turtles arrive en masse and nest in unison. But this breathtaking event hides a surprising paradox that may actually help save the species. Thank you to the people of…
From PBS Terra. What if the volcanoes that helped wipe out the dinosaurs erupted again today? Turns out the answer is pretty frightening. But maybe not for the reasons you think. Weathered’s Maiya May explains. ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra ***** Subscribe to…
From PBS Terra. Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PBSWeathered?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Weathered Merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/weathered?srsltid=AfmBOoqD_u-BPUDcUpEZyzLnz95hLnizczYPEILsp1PXZM4XadRuxK_M There’s an 18% chance that global warming exceeds four degrees by 2100 and that’s not a small risk when the stakes are civilization-ending. In this episode of Weathered, host Maiya May talks with civilization collapse researcher Luke Kemp and strategic climate risk expert Laurie…