Deep Look

Science and Nature Series / 12 Seasons

See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.

2m 26s

Why Reindeer and Their Cousins are Total Boneheads

S4 E1 / 3m 45s

In a bloody, itchy process, males of the deer family grow a new set of antlers every year, use them to fend off the competition, and lose their impressive crowns when breeding season ends.

Roly Polies Came From the Sea to Conquer the Earth

S4 E2 / 3m 29s

Pill bugs. Doodle bugs. Potato bugs. Wood Shrimp. Whatever you call them, there’s something less creepy about these critters than other insects. Maybe it’s because they’re not insects at all.

If Your Hands Could Smell, You’d Be an Octopus

S4 E4 / 3m 12s

Those hundreds of powerful suckers on octopus arms do more than just stick. They actually smell and taste. This contributes to a massive amount of information for the octopus’s brain to process, so octopuses depend on their eight arms for help. (And no, it's not 'octopi.')

Why Does Your Cat's Tongue Feel Like Sandpaper?

S4 E5 / 3m 26s

It's not vanity. For cats, staying clean is a matter of life and death. And their tongue, specially equipped for the job, is just one of the things that makes cats such successful predators.

How Do Pelicans Survive Their Death-Defying Dives?

S4 E7 / 3m 21s

Brown pelicans hit the water at breakneck speed when they catch fish. Performing such dangerous plunges requires technique, equipment, and 30 million years of practice.

These Fighting Fruit Flies Are Superheroes of Brain Science

S4 E7 / 3m 35s

Thanks to The Great Courses Plus for sponsoring this episode of Deep Look. Try a 30 day trial of The Great Course Plus at http://ow.ly/7QYH309wSOL. If you liked this episode, you might be interested in their course “Major Transitions in Evolution”.

Identical Snowflakes? Scientist Ruins Winter For Everyone

S4 E8 / 4m 4s

We've all heard that each and every snowflake is unique. But in a lab in sunny southern California, a physicist has learned to control the way snowflakes grow. Can he really make twins?

Decorator Crabs Make High Fashion at Low Tide

S4 E10 / 3m 15s

When you live by the seashore, one day you're in, the next day you're lunch. So these crabs don the latest in seaweed outerwear and anemone accessories to blend in.

Behind the Scenes With Deep Look: The Diva Decorator Crabs

S4 E11 / 3m 20s

How long does it take to film a decorator crab putting on its seaweed hat? Hint: It's days, not hours. The Deep Look team is back with a second behind the scenes video! Get to know host Lauren Sommer and producers Gabriela Quiros, Josh Cassidy and Elliott Kennerson as we put together our episode on decorator crabs and reflect on the joys and challenges of making nature films.

These Fish Are All About Sex on the Beach

S4 E12 / 3m 6s

During the highest tides, California grunion stampede out of the ocean to mate on the beach. When the party's over, thousands of tiny eggs are left stranded up in the sand. How will their lost babies make it back to the sea?

A Real Alien Invasion Is Coming to a Palm Tree Near You

S4 E13 / 3m 29s

The South American palm weevil is bursting onto the scene in California. Its arrival could put one of the state’s most cherished botanical icons at risk of oblivion.

Why Is The Very Hungry Caterpillar So Dang Hungry?

S4 E14 / 4m 20s

Because it's hoarding protein. Not just for itself, but for the butterfly it will become and every egg that butterfly will lay. And it's about to lose its mouth... as it wriggles out of its skin during metamorphosis.

This Is Why Water Striders Make Terrible Lifeguards

S4 E15 / 3m 17s

They may look serene as they glide across the surface of a stream, but don't be fooled by water striders. They're actually searching for prey for whom a babbling brook quickly becomes an inescapable death trap.

A Baby Dragonfly's Mouth Will Give You Nightmares

S4 E17 / 3m 1s

Dragonflies might rule the skies, but their babies grow up underwater in a larva-eat-larva world. Luckily for them, they have a killer lip that snatches prey, Alien-style, at lightning speed.

These Whispering, Walking Bats Are Onto Something

S4 E19 / 3m 43s

Bats have a brilliant way to find prey in the dark: echolocation. But to many of the moths they eat, that natural sonar is as loud as a jet engine. So some bats have hit on a sneakier, scrappier way to hunt.

It’s a Goopy Mess When Pines and Beetles Duke it Out

S4 E20 / 3m 50s

An onslaught of tiny western pine beetles can bring down a mighty ponderosa pine. But the forest fights back by waging a sticky attack of its own. Who will win the battle in the bark?

Supported by