Watch David Attenborough's unexpected interaction with a family of gorillas on 'Life on Earth'

David Attenborough reflects on some of his most moving natural encounters

The legendary natural historian has had more direct encounters with wildlife than most people in history. As he turned 99, the Englishman recounts his favorite encounters with marine life, from whales to capuchin monkeys in mangroves. Despite the obstacles the environment faces, Attenborough believes in nature's resilience.

Watch every episode of David Attenborough's 'Life on Earth' series

A three-year global expedition by Attenborough and his team produced the television series, which debuted in the UK in 1979 and documented over 600 species in 40 countries. The series is estimated to have been seen by over 500 million people in more than 100 territories, including within the US, where is debuted on PBS in 1982.

Watch David Attenborough catching a python on 'Zoo Quest'

The first series, hosted by the famed natural historian, was meant to be presented by Jack Lester, a curator at the London Zoo, who would be documented while they captured wildlife to bring to the institution. Because Lester became ill, Attenborough became the presenter and often participated in the capture of animals, such as snakes.

The history of David Attenborough's adopted Jewish sisters, taken in before World War II

Among the thousands of children who were brought to Great Britain from Nazi-controlled Europe during the Kindertransport rescue operation were Irene and Helga Bejach, who spent seven years living with the Attenboroughs. Irene contributed to David's interest in the natural world by giving him a piece of amber containing prehistoric creatures.

View some of the species named after David Attenborough

Acisoma attenboroughi is a dragonfly from Madagascar named in honor of Attenborough's 90th birthday. Stating they liked watching Attenborough's documentaries with their family, the discoverer of a flightless weevil from Indonesia named it Trigonopterus attenboroughi in 2014. A Peruvian frog was named Prisimantis attenboroughi in 2014 to honor Attenborough for raising awareness of wildlife conservation.

See a wild bear observe fellow bears at the zoo

At the Sequoia Park Zoo in California, a wild bear visited the bear enclosure to see three bears in captivity. Zookeepers referred to him as a "polite visitor," adding, "He stayed on the boardwalk path, kept two feet on the ground, and didn't try to climb over the railings!"

Wild chimpanzees have been spotted with leprosy lesions

In research published in 2021, scientists reported discovering cases of leprosy in wild chimpanzees from Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast—marking the first time the disease has been found in any nonhuman species in Africa. They confirmed that leprosy was the cause of the deformities by testing the animals' poop for the presence of the disease-causing bacteria.

Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with this interactive journey narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Baby monkeys chose a soft, warm doll over a wire one with food

Harry Harlow performed controversial experiments with newborn monkeys, separating them from their mothers and letting them bond with stand-in mother figures made from either wire or figures covered in cloth—both with monkey-like faces. The work investigated touch, bonding, and attachment, and found that monkeys overwhelmingly preferred the cloth dolls over the wire ones in various stressful situations.

What ancient goat teeth reveal about ancient human-animal relationships

About 4,000 years ago, several goats with terrible teeth managed to outlive their better-teethed brethren. With such intense dental damage, the goats were likely fed higher-quality feed than the more dentally gifted herd members, a dietary shift that would've contributed to the difference in life span. These goat teeth underscore the hard truth that humans may inflict harm on the animals they care about most, regardless of intention.

Watch how viruses like Ebola can spill over from animals to humans—and vice-versa.

Explore the human family tree

This interactive human family tree shows the various species that constitute the human evolutionary family. Click on each species or group image to learn more.

See hilarious photos from the Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025

Napping frog princes, annoying lion husbands, and kung fu sea eagles are just some of the charming shots you'll find among the finalists for the award.

There is a nature preserve in Korea's DMZ

In almost every way, the Demilitarized Zone is a depressing place, a testament to humans' inability to make peace. There is one surprising upside: Keeping people away has allowed nature to thrive. Recently released images offer a 360-degree view of some of the hundreds of endangered species making a comeback in the DMZ, including white-naped cranes, mountain goats, musk deer, and golden eagles.

Why you have to airlift rhinos upside down

Conservationists in Namibia have found that airlifting rhinos upside down is actually better for their health than lying them down on stretchers. A study by Cornell University found that rhinos have higher blood oxygen levels when upside down, which is critical for their survival during transport. The upside-down position also allows the rhino's spine to relax, which can help to prevent injuries. This new finding could revolutionize the way that rhinos are moved.

Ebola species have historically been named after where they were discovered, stigmatizing residents who live there, including Bundibugyo, in Uganda.

The okapi was once considered a cryptid, or an animal with an unverified existence

Similar to dragons or Bigfoot, the okapi was once believed to be a mythical animal, known colloquially as an "African unicorn." Its confusing features include zebra-like legs on a donkey-esque body with a giraffe-like head. However, this animal is both real and quite cute.

Aerial footage of five killer whales hunting great white sharks

Killer whales near South Africa have been making a meal of one of the ocean’s apex predators. The unique footage served as the basis of a new scientific paper analyzing the orca behavior.

Go behind the scenes of Davos with ‘60 Minutes’

In 2010, "60 Minutes" gained rare, near-unprecedented access to the World Economic Forum, with Scott Pelley roaming Davos’ exclusive meetings and elite spaces. See how global power brokers mingle, negotiate, and shape agendas offstage at the event.

What did Earth look like when dinosaurs roamed?

The face of the Earth isn’t remotely the same as when the dinosaurs ruled the roost. The passing of millions of years, plate tectonics, and a spotty track record with asteroid collisions have changed the planet’s surface. Use this interactive globe to see what the Earth looked like millions of years ago.

Tigers emerged much earlier as a species than lions

Both lions and tigers are iconic big cats known for their size and power, but they remain distinct species. Beyond just looking different, they can exhibit very different behaviors. For example, tigers are significantly less social than lions, who live in social matriarchal groups. Tigers and lions are unlikely to ever interact in the wild, but humans have artificially bred them in captivity, creating a "liger."

An interactive documentary exploring violence in the Central African Republic

This photographic and audio documentary explores a decade of violence in the Central African Republic. In March 2013, rebel groups in the north of the country united to form Seleka, which went on to take power of CAR’s capital. Waves of violence...

Here’s why you’ve never eaten a banana seed

Hank loves bananas and is worried about their future, so he did some investigating and wrote this four-minute episode of SciShow to share some kind of scary banana truths with us.

These animals are only found in the Amazon rainforest.

The mighty Amazon River and its surrounding rainforest is home to millions of different species of animals, with new ones being discovered regularly.

A 3-minute look at Gandhi’s life, activism, and global influence

This video traces how a single incident launched Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent campaign against British rule, helping end the Raj. Archival images and footage show how his methods later shaped leaders like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.

Hear 2 literature professors unpack the legacy of 'Animal Farm'

The University of Oxford's David Dwan—a professor of English literature and intellectual history—is an Orwell scholar who has written about the author's politics, especially as they relate to "Animal Farm." In this conversation with Dr. Nathan Waddell, from the University of Birmingham, UK, Dwan explores how framing the novella as a beast fable both made it more accessible and allowed it to be overly simplified.

'Bluey' actors didn't meet for four years, and the kids' identities are secret

The hit cartoon show from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation first debuted in 2018 and later became a global hit after being licensed to Disney. Main voice actors Melanie Zanetti and David McCormack recorded their voices for four years before meeting in person ahead of an appearance on Jimmy Fallon. Learn more tidbits about the show here.

The Jane Goodall Institute was not amused by a 'Far Side' cartoon, but Goodall was

The doctor's institute was not amused by a cartoon by Gary Larson that used her name, sending the "Far Side" author a cease and desist letter. However, Goodall thought the cartoon was funny and rescinded the letter. Goodall and Larson would go on to become friends and work together.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

Doctors differentiate between a phobia and fear by asking patients whether their fear interferes with their day-to-day activities.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, but became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Before writing 'Walden,' transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau nearly burned down his hometown with a campfire that grew out of control.

Brian Wilson wrote the Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby' for the Ronettes, but the legendary girl group rejected it.