

Sparkling diamonds. Exquisite emeralds. Brilliant rubies. Shimmering pearls. For centuries, these precious gems have captured humankind, leading men and women to give up fortunes - even their lives - to possess them. Join National Geographic on a journey around the globe to discover the origins of these most coveted gems. You'll see astonishing amounts of earth mined to uncover rubies in Thailand or emeralds in Colombia. You'll meet a Tennessee businessman who cultivates freshwater pearls and a California chemist who 'grows' rubies nearly identical to nature's stunning creations. And you'll witness rarely, if ever before, filmed sales of uncut diamonds - deals worth thousands of dollars sealed only with a handshake and a Hebrew phrase. Unlock a treasure chest filled with a wealth of information and the dazzling beauty of Splendid Stones.
1991-03-13
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8.1Four and a half billion years ago, the young Earth was a hellish place-a seething chaos of meteorite impacts, volcanoes belching noxious gases, and lightning flashing through a thin, torrid...
10.0Explore an extraordinary region where water and land life intermingle six months out of the year.
8.0For centuries, people have reported sightings of a strange creature lurking within the gloomy waters of Scotland's infamous Loch, but are these accounts true or are they just another myth or giant hoax? Despite years of investigation and countless eyewitness testimonies, the riddle of this legendary brute has continued. Now, dive into the depths of this controversy using a mix of science, eye witness testimony, zoology, and psychological testing.
6.4Supported by the National Geographic Society, the world's eminent blue whale scientists embark on a revolutionary mission: They'll find, identify, and tag California blue whales, use the DNA samples to confirm the sex of individual whales, then rejoin the massive creatures' stunning migration when they collect at a chimera known as the Costa Rica Dome.
0.0In the heart of Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, the waters of Lake Urema explode with the thrashing of a giant crocodile tail. Gorongosa was once known as the place where Noah left his ark: 1,500 square miles of lush floodplains in central Mozambique, packed with wild animals. All around, enormous buffalo, soaring fish eagles, and countless antelopes roam freely. But on closer look, something strange is going on. Fifteen years of civil war has taken a heavy toll and many species have been almost completely wiped out. All the usual top predators and prey are virtually missing, except for one - giant crocodiles and thousands of them. Discover what is being done to bring this African oasis back to its former glory, including perhaps the most ambitious restoration effort ever attempted, with elephants, hippos and scores of zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo, being relocated into the park.
0.0To find out why sharks are drawn to Hawaii’s volcanoes, biologists Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Frances Farabaugh free dive with one of the most dangerous sharks: the tiger shark.
This video includes excellent scenery and computer-generated videos that provide nice visual aid. These visual aides and the facts given by the narrator deliver on the National Geographic credibility you have come to expect. It includes wildlife in the Denali area, including two moose battling for a mate, as well as a brown bear cub taking out a caribou. The wildlife portion takes up about half of the video, about 25 minutes or so. The second half of this DVD shows a group of eight individuals who are climbing Mt. Mckinley. This gives an additional viewpoint of the Denali area for those who seek challenging ventures. The cons about this video are that I would have liked to see a longer wildlife portion, and it is not a very long video altogether (50 minutes), so the $18 price tag seems a bit much. If you are interested in Alaska, the arctic, national parks, mountain trekking, and wildlife, this is a good movie for you.
0.0The scientific search for the elusive giant squid.
0.0Nearly 40 shark species live in the warm waters of Hawaii's volcanic islands, including white tip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks and tiger sharks.
6.3Real Madrid, the football club with the most Champions League titles, is undertaking a unique renovation of its stadium. The new Santiago Bernabéu will have a metallic facade, retractable roof, 360º video scoreboard, and a logistics ring. It will be the first stadium to store the pitch underground with a revolutionary system, all while continuing to host matches, pushing engineering to the limit.
0.0While most teens spend their days in a self-absorbed haze, Simon Jackson was out in the world connecting with anyone who could help him save the spirit bear. For this, Simon became one of Time's Heroes of the Planet. It's a remarkable accomplishment for one so young, and an inspiring story for lovers of wilderness of all ages. But his devotion to the cause made him an outcast amongst his peers.
0.0For more than 20 years, Maurice & Katia Krafft have traveled the world. From Iceland to Hawaii, from Africa to Indonesia, they are usually the first to reach the scene of an eruption. Join them as they risk their lives to document the birth of a volcano.
6.0Legends of lost continents and civilizations have captivated people throughout time. Philosophers and astronomers like Aristotle and Ptolemy believed that an unknown continent existed in the Southern hemisphere. In the Age of Discovery, renowned explorers like Magellan and Cook searched the Pacific Ocean in vain for a mysterious land they called "Terra Incognita." To this day, ancestral legends throughout Polynesia speak of a lost homeland and a great civilization that disappeared into the sea. Modern science disputes the existence of unknown continents and often dismisses creation myths. But on Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, elders fiercely believe they originate from a continent that sank following a catastrophic upheaval.
Documentary that shows the preparation of the panela with which, in Quetzaltepec Mixe, Oaxaca, we sweeten our foods. It is a part of our lives, as indigenous peoples, in which we share work, joy and pain. It is also the fight to continue being self-sustaining through the production of our own food, and thus worry less about money.
0.0They say that in the wild, nothing dies of old age. Yet one female baboon defies the rule. Queen of Baboons is a deeply intimate portrayal of life in a baboon troop through the eyes of its matriarch Mmasadi. From the moment of her birth, Mmasadi is destined for greatness. Born into the troops highest-ranking family, she will become queen one day.
6.5Anaconda - the mere mention of its name brings images of an awesome and terrifying killer snake! For Dr. Jesus Rivas and his wife, Dr Sarah Corey, anacondas represent a challenge as they try to unravel the mysteries surrounding these massive reptiles. Like most snakes, anacondas have suffered greatly from exaggeration and scary folklore. Pound for pound, the South American anaconda is the world’s largest snake. But its reputation as a killer is wrapped in myth and legend.