Synopsis
Professor Iain Stewart explains how grass fought its enemy, the forests, how it transformed ocean life and how it triggered human civilisation.
- Programme: How To Grow A Planet
- Episode: 3: The Challenger
- Channel: BBC One
- Broadcast year: 2012
- Geography
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from How to Grow a Planet
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...
2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet
2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet
In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...
2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet
2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet
In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...
2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet
2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet
In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...
2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet
2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet
In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...
More resources about Ecosystems and Biomes
3: Alaska | Arctic with Bruce Parry
3: Alaska | Arctic with Bruce Parry
Bruce travels to Alaska, America's last great wilderness, where modern-day pioneers are harvesting the vast natural wealth of the seas.
4: Jungles - People of the Trees | Human Planet
4: Jungles - People of the Trees | Human Planet
Series examining man's survival in extreme environments. A look at life in the rainforest, which requires great skill, ingenu...
Dying for a Biscuit | Panorama
Dying for a Biscuit | Panorama
Reporter Raphael Rowe journeys into the rainforest of Borneo, where he uncovers evidence of palm oil companies developing plantations on prote...
2: Deserts - Life in the Furnace | Human Planet
2: Deserts - Life in the Furnace | Human Planet
A look at how the eternal quest for water brings huge challenges - and ingenious solutions - for millions of people in the dr...
Episode 1 | Amazon with Bruce Parry
Episode 1 | Amazon with Bruce Parry
Bruce Parry begins an epic adventure in the Amazon. The first part of his journey takes him from the High Andes to the Ashaninka tribe.
S3E1: Matis | Tribe
S3E1: Matis | Tribe
Explorer Bruce Parry travels to the Amazon rainforest to live with the Matis, a tribe once devastated by western disease who are determined to preserve t...
3: Arctic - Life in the Deep Freeze | Human Planet
3: Arctic - Life in the Deep Freeze | Human Planet
The remarkable stories of some of the extraordinary people who make their homes in the Arctic, the harshest environment on...
Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl
Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl
Chris Packham returns to Sumatra to search for a girl from a nomadic tribe he photographed 20 years ago to discover what has happen...
4: Canada | Arctic with Bruce Parry
4: Canada | Arctic with Bruce Parry
Bruce travels to the far north of Canada to live with the Caribou people and witness their annual spring hunt. He then heads south to the...
Rocks in a glacier | The Secret Life of Ice
Rocks in a glacier | The Secret Life of Ice
Dr Gabrielle Walker investigates how glaciers grinds down rock.
Episode 2 | Simon Reeve's South America
Episode 2 | Simon Reeve's South America
Simon travels through Brazil, from the heart of the Amazon rainforest to the coast and the glamorous-but-troubled city of Rio de Jane...
S1E2: Nile | Earth's Great Rivers
S1E2: Nile | Earth's Great Rivers
A look at the astonishing wildlife, landscapes and people of the Nile. From elephants and leopards to ancient wonders, its great length is ...
6: Grasslands - Roots of Power | Human Planet
6: Grasslands - Roots of Power | Human Planet
Documentary featuring the remarkable people who live in the world's grasslands, exploring their relationship with the natural w...
Glacier moving | The Secret Life of Ice
Glacier moving | The Secret Life of Ice
Dr Gabrielle Walker explores the Jostedalsbreen glacier in Norway and explains how glaciers move.
Growing cities | Earth From Space
Growing cities | Earth From Space
Satellite images depict the growth of cities over time.
2: Greenland | Arctic with Bruce Parry
2: Greenland | Arctic with Bruce Parry
Bruce Parry journeys to the far north of Greenland, home to the last traditional Inuit hunters, and learns how climate change is threa...
Episode 1 | Scandinavia with Simon Reeve
Episode 1 | Scandinavia with Simon Reeve
The first leg of Simon's Scandinavian journey takes him from the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard to the frozen wilderness of Lapland ...
Asia | Seven Worlds, One Planet
Asia | Seven Worlds, One Planet
Asia - where rarely seen animals roam the hottest deserts, tallest jungles and highest mountains on Earth.
Battle for the Amazon | Amazon Specials
Battle for the Amazon | Amazon Specials
What has happened to the Amazon rainforest since the 1980s? This report reveals that the battle for the Amazon is now fiercer than ever.
Hottest Place on Earth
Hottest Place on Earth
A team of experts venture into the Danakil desert in Ethiopia. Kate Humble looks at how tough life is for an Afar woman, and Steve Leonard learns abou...
More from Iain Stewart
1: Deep Earth | How Earth Made Us
1: Deep Earth | How Earth Made Us
Series telling the story of how the development of civilisation was influenced by planetary forces. Professor Iain Stewart explores the rol...
5: Rare Earth | Earth: The Power of the Planet
5: Rare Earth | Earth: The Power of the Planet
Life on Earth prospers because it enjoys the right amount of heat from the sun, and the atmosphere prevents meteorite bombardm...
Episode 1 | Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered The World
Episode 1 | Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered The World
From the moment we first drilled for oil, we opened a Pandora's box that changed the world forever. It transfor...
Eurasia | Rise of the Continents
Eurasia | Rise of the Continents
Professor Iain Stewart shows that where the south of Eurasia is today there was once an ocean and how, in 250 million years, all of the cont...
Iceland Erupts: A Volcano Live Special | Volcano Live
Iceland Erupts: A Volcano Live Special | Volcano Live
Kate Humble heads to Iceland and meets the scientists monitoring the country's most dangerous volcanoes. She also inves...
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...
1: Scotland's Trees | Making Scotland's Landscape
1: Scotland's Trees | Making Scotland's Landscape
Professor Iain Stewart reveals how Scotland's unique landscape was shaped. Here, he uncovers the devastating impact of mank...
2: Moving Mountains | Men of Rock
2: Moving Mountains | Men of Rock
Iain Stewart finds out how gung-ho geologist Edward Bailey discovered that Scotland was once home to super volcanoes. Plus the story of uns...
1: Tsunamis | 10 Things You Didn't Know About...
1: Tsunamis | 10 Things You Didn't Know About...
Iain Stewart journeys across the oceans to explore stories about the most powerful giant waves in history, including how one...
1: Indonesia | Journeys into the Ring of Fire
1: Indonesia | Journeys into the Ring of Fire
Iain Stewart tours the Pacific rim to discover how the rocks beneath our feet have shaped human history. He visits the world's ...