Explorer Season 2007

Christian residents are caught in the crosshairs of a growing Islamic fundamentalism and the entrenched Israeli fortress that surrounds the birthplace of Jesus

Vipers have been evolving their way to the top of the reptile heap for millions of years. Their venom is lethal and they can strike with precision in complete darkness. Now, some vipers may be evolving into even deadlier forms. Did humans help?

Follow the global black market in body parts, from transplant surgeries in America to eager "donors" in India to China where executed prisoners' bodies are coveted.

Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs on earth. Stronger, purer and easier to get than ever before, heroin is attracting a whole new breed of addict. Dangerously pure, the newest forms of heroin can be snorted or smoked, rather than injected, attracting millions of new mainstream users. Explorer investigates how the war in Afghanistan has inadvertently unleashed a deluge of heroin, enticing users from Kabul to Europe to America's heartland.

What caused the sudden mass extinction of mammoths 13,000 years ago? Clues point to the biggest cosmic impact humans have ever witnessed.

Did you know babies can learn languages and even grasp math? Explore the remarkable plasticity of a baby's brain and see how early experiences influence human development.

Ultimate Crocodile: Saltwater crocodiles are one of the most successful predators the world has ever seen. They out-lasted the dinosaurs with a 200 million year-old biological design, perfectly engineered for the modern world. The "saltie" has the most powerful jaws since T-rex, a complex heart and brain, and unexpected intelligence.

With 400 breeds and counting, the dog is more varied in size and behavior than any other species. Follow man's evolutionary manipulation of dogs' appearance and talents, and see how nature and man have partnered to create new and specialized breeds

It has no bones, blood or brains, but the jellyfish has survived in our oceans for more than 500 million years. Now, its numbers are exploding. Why?

NGC takes you inside the perilous world of one of America's most elite law enforcement agencies, offering a rare glimpse of their investigative strategies and techniques in action. Find out how the G-men always get their man.

What really happens when 30 million volts of electricity charges through your body and you survive being struck by lightning? Now, meet survivors who live to tell their tale of being hit by a force that is faster than a speeding bullet and five times hotter than the sun as Explorer unravels the science behind one of nature's most mysterious phenomena. Using revolutionary brain imaging technology and 3-D CGI, NGC travels inside the human body along the path of a lightning bolt.

The Aryan Brotherhood is a secretive criminal gang that began inside California's maximum-security penitentiaries and expanded rapidly into dozens of state and federal prisons across the nation. Outwardly a white power group, its real interest is in controlling drug and extortion rackets. Now, Explorer unveils this underworld society and comes face-to-face with some of the gang's most infamous members, including a former Aryan Brotherhood leader who, by his own count, has killed 22 men

Volcanologists make a stunning discovery when they dive into one of the largest, yet most mysterious, natural calamities in human history: the eruption of Santorini

Cross into North Korea, one of the world's most secretive nations, for a rare glimpse of the country and its absolute dictator Kim Jong II.

The world's first MRI scan of a great white shark reveals the extreme engineering and hunting abilities of one of nature's most perfect predators.

For up to $600 a day, private security contractors in Iraq's war zone risk their lives to protect VIPs and transport critical supplies. See how these mercenaries survive in the "kill zone."