The natural world is filled with “moments of impact” – the split seconds when animals come into contact with each other and the world around them. Previously many of these moments were too fast or too hidden for us to see. But now new camera technologies reveal what’s behind these remarkable moments, and cutting edge animations illustrate the “inside story” of animal bioengineering that allows each moment of impact to take place.

Episode 1: Hunters & Herds
They are the scenes of some of the largest concentrations of predators and prey on the planet – the vast tracts of grassland and savannah found on every continent but Antarctica. Yet survival in this kind of open, horizontal world is far from easy, with few places to hide, a scarcity of vegetation, drought, fire and the threat of attack by some of the world’s fastest and most powerful hunters.

From Africa’s Serengeti to California’s grasslands, some of nature’s most dramatic moments are caught, examined and “fractured” into their unique parts … within creatures great and small … to reveal the amazing abilities that give each animal the instinct, intelligence and brute prowess to survive. From elaborate impact sequences that spin around animals caught in a “frozen moment” to animations that go inside their bodies – a unique view of animals’ amazing biomechanics is revealed.

Episode 2: Jungle
Teeming with creatures in every shape and form, the jungle is the most diverse habitat on the planet and home to nearly half of the world’s plant and animal species. Rising hundreds of feet from the dark depths of the tropical forest floor, through layers of twisting branch and canopy full of life – this vertical landscape pushes the limits of animal engineering.

The jungle’s layers are peeled back to dissect more amazing moments of impact. Stealth and ambush reign in the jungle and survival depends on highly tuned senses and ingenious defenses. From ninja ants to flying snakes, cameras dive underwater, sail through trees and penetrate fur, feathers, skin and bone to reveal the science of some amazing animal engineering hidden deep in the jungle.

Moment of Impact premieres over two Sundays, April 4 and April 11, 2010.

They are among the most reliable witnesses to a crime — expert in their testimony and bulletproof in their account. Yet they never utter a single word. They are the animals, plants, and insects that are being recruited by a special breed of forensic scientists to solve the most seemingly impenetrable of crimes.

Within the United States and around the globe, biologists are joining the ranks of criminal investigative teams to interpret evidence offered by those with a “natural ability” to crack a case. How do ants nesting in a human skull help police to zero in on a suspect? Can microscopic pollen grains track the path of a killer and link him to the crime scene? Astonishing real-life cases illustrate the tactics employed by these supersleuthing scientists and their “wild” associates. We learn how maggots not only can clock the time of death but also are used to trace terrorist activities by revealing the explosives used in a bomb attack, and we meet a dog whose ultrasensitive nose effectively sniffs out a case of arson.

For the investigators, reading the clues requires a strong stomach and a keen eye for the intricate workings of the natural world. A visit to The Body Farm, a forensic research facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, details the various factors in the decay of a human body and how to recognize the false evidence that wildlife may leave. In Vancouver, scientists dive in to explore the more complicated process of underwater decomposition. They are learning how the behavior of curious marine creatures such as enormous sun stars and octopi could taint the evidence.

Step behind the yellow tape and become prime witnesses to the myriad of ways in which Crime Scene Creatures are making it increasingly difficult for criminals to get away with murder.

Online content for Crime Scene Creatures originally posted May 2006.