Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

Human Planet

(UK, 2011)

Here is an interesting nature documentary. The filmmakers track down and document the strange and infinitely adaptable animal known as Homo sapiens. These strange creatures live in, and often thrive in, biomes as diverse as the ocean, the desert, the ice cap, jungle, mountains, plains, rivers, and that oddest environment of all: the sprawling hives they build and call cities. It is an eight-part series from the BBC and Discovery Channel, and I found it fascinating. Honestly, people live in places where I would go mad in a few days. They chose very interesting groups of people, such as the Korowai tribe, who build flimsy-looking communal homes so high in the trees that a lot of people could never even venture up there. And that is only one of the dozens of cultures, most of which I have never even heard of. Highly recommended.