The film archive · Evidence in the open
Questions worth
following.
Big mysteries. Small details. Surprising connections. Find a story that catches your eye, then follow its evidence as far as you like.
FILM 13 · The natural world
Why Orcas Are the Ocean’s Deadliest Hunters
They take on great white sharks, seals on ice and whale calves beside their mothers. How do orcas hunt as a team, and how much of it is really a plan?
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FILM 12 · Hidden systems
Why the Person Next to You Paid Half Your Fare
Same seat, same legroom, same view of the wing. So why can the person next to you pay half your fare, and who decides which price you get?
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FILM 11 · Hidden systems
The Invisible Clock That Runs the Entire World
No single clock tells the world what time it is. So who decides, and why does four millionths of a second matter?
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FILM 10 · The natural world
The Day the Sun Knocked 38 Satellites Out of the Sky
A small storm on the Sun brought down 38 brand-new satellites. How can the Sun pull a satellite out of the sky without touching it?
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FILM 09 · Hidden systems
The Blackout That Took Down Two Countries
In 27 seconds, Spain and Portugal lost almost all their power. The cause was not too little electricity, but too much voltage.
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FILM 08 · Hidden systems
How Google Maps Actually Works
From a photograph in orbit to the blue dot on your street. How does a whole planet fit in your pocket?
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FILM 07 · Hidden systems
Why the Internet’s Master Key Lives in a Cage
Locked rooms. Sealed cards. A carefully watched ceremony. What does it take to keep the internet’s trust?
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FILM 06 · Our connected world
What Happens When the World’s Oil Has One Door?
Most of our planet is ocean. So why can’t the ships just go around? Follow the geography behind a global bottleneck.
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FILM 05 · The natural world
The Mystery of the Sperm Whale That Destroyed the Essex
In 1820, a whale sank the Essex. We still don’t know why. But the animal behind the wreck is far stranger than the story.
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FILM 04 · From the documentary archive
Douglas Mawson: Antarctic Survival
Three men set out across the ice. Two did not return. Mawson’s diary preserves the record of what happened to the last one.
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FILM 03 · From the documentary archive
Camp Century & Project Iceworm
A research station inside an ice sheet concealed an ambitious military plan. Decades later, it is an unexpected scientific record.
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FILM 02 · From the documentary archive
The Sliding Rocks of Death Valley
For a century, stones left tracks across a dry lakebed and no one saw them move. Then the evidence caught up.
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FILM 01 · From the documentary archive
The Bomber That Was Never Found
A B-29 rests a thousand feet down. The aircraft is there; the crew identification remains a lead, not a confirmed match.
Thumbnail: ColdProvenance · Full credits in SourcesOur early archive includes footage documentaries. Our newer films explain the world through animation.
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