Human Planet - Deserts: Life in the Furnace

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the second episode of a breathtaking documentary series titled the Human Planet that explores how humans have learned to adapt to life in desert environments.

Human Planet is an eight part British television documentary series produced by the BBC with co-production from Discovery and BBC Worldwide.

We can survive for weeks without food, but only days without water: it is the essential element of life. Yet many millions of us live in parched deserts around the world. In the second episode of Human Planet, we discover how the eternal quest for water brings huge challenges – and ingenious solutions – in the driest places on Earth.

Battling through a sand storm in Mali, Mamadou must get his cows to a remote lake but desert elephants have arrived first. Can he find a safe way through the elephant blockade?

Alone for weeks on end, Tubu women and children navigate the endless dunes of the Sahara. How does young Shede know where to find  the last oasis, three days walk across the sea of sand? At the height of the drought we witness a spectacular frenzy: two thousand men rushing into Antogo Lake to catch the fish trapped by the evaporating water. When the rain finally arrives in the desert it’s a time for flowering and jubilation – and love. The Wodaabe men of Niger put on make-up for an intoxicating courtship dance and beauty contest.

Human Planet is available on DVD from Amazon.com in the United States and Amazon.co.uk in the United Kingdom. 

Human Planet Episode 2 - Deserts: Life in the Furnace

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