Grades 8-12; Science; Four 60-minute episodes
Around the globe, scientists are racing to solve a series of mysteries: Why do invasive species cause such havoc? What happens to an ecosystem when top predators disappear? If we've cleaned up our waterways, why are animals, including ourselves, still at risk? How could a one-degree rise in average temperature have such profound effects? "Strange Days on Planet Earth" explores these questions and draws upon cutting-edge science in a fast-paced search for answers. Constructed as a series of high-tech detective stories, the mysteries of each episode are solved through a combination of science, natural history and state-of-the-art graphics. "Strange Days on Planet Earth" reveals the way that seemingly disparate events are connected: Crumbling houses in New Orleans are linked to voracious creatures from southern China. Vanishing forests in Yellowstone are linked to the disappearance of wolves. An asthma epidemic in the Caribbean is linked to dust storms in Africa.

#101 INVADERS
#102 THE ONE DEGREE FACTOR
#103 PREDATORS
#104 TROUBLED WATERS
#201  DANGEROUS CATCH   A series of strange, seemingly unrelated events is unfolding across the globe: in Ghana, olive baboons are ransacking crops and terrorizing villagers; in Namibia, a once-rich fishing ground is struggling to recover while putrid fumes are exploding from the ocean depths, spewing greenhouse gases into the air; in Puerto Rico, space-age aquapods filled with fish are floating far out at sea; and off the coast of New Brunswick, Canada, migratory salmon are settling into coastal life astride kelp and mussels in a radical new farming experiment -- all of which are linked to one activity -- over-fishing. Recent reports state that 90 percent of our most important commercial fish are gone and fisheries all over the world are in dire straits. Our massive demands on the ocean are affecting life far beyond the shoreline, including Earth's own life support systems. Can we reduce fishing pressures, restore fish stocks and protect ocean habitats in time to safeguard the health of life in the sea and on land and ultimately our own?
#202  DIRTY SECRETS  Scientists and citizens across the world are scrambling to solve a set of disturbing mysteries unfolding along the shores of rivers, estuaries, islands and the sea. Striped bass are succumbing to flesh-eating bacteria in the Chesapeake Bay, majestic seabirds are starving in Hawaii and coral reefs are weakening under a growing assault of invisible contaminants. Meanwhile, a known hormone-disrupting chemical is showing up in streams, rivers and other bodies of water across the nation, potentially jeopardizing the health of animals -- including humans. These mysteries share a similar culprit. Each is linked to insidious hitchhikers silently riding the currents of the world water system. Something is amiss in our water supply and experts are racing against the clock to find clues and devise lasting solutions.