Original subtitles

(lively music) (water rushing)

People like to think they control everything

and they try to.

Changing the course of water.

Reclaiming land.

Replanting deserts.

But there is one thing we definitely can't control.

The passing of time.

Unless we use cameras.

Then we can really see the world in different timeframes.

Now even watching the grass grow could be fun.

We see animals following the sun,

mass movements with the changing seasons,

and the impact of weather.

(rain rumbling)

Watch what happens

(gentle orchestral music)

when time flies.

(lively lighthearted music)

In wildlife films, footage is often slowed down

giving us more details and fast action

that we'd otherwise miss.

(birds chirping)

The slow movers of the world (gentle music)

are often ignored.

It's only when sped up that the trekking capabilities

and near agility of a snail can really be appreciated.

(lighthearted music)

Despite slime apparently streamlining its passage,

(slow lighthearted music)

most of the snail's locomotion

comes from a complex array of muscles in its foot.

(birds chirping)

It comes to life, albeit slowly,

when footage is speeded up.

The muscles contract in waves from back to front

propelling its slimy owner along.

With a cruising speed of around 50 centimeters per hour,

it's not exactly an Olympic contender.

But still impressive for a creature with no legs.

Its slimy mucous comes into its own

on vertical surfaces creating more traction

as the snail seeks a crevice to rest.

(lighthearted music)

(tense music) (birds chirping)

With no sense of passing minutes,

even inanimate objects can come to life.

We think of plants as constants.

(gentle music)

And for many animals, they're convenient places to perch

thanks to the fact they don't move.

(ethereal vocalized music)

Or do they?

(lively inspirational music)

Sundew not only provides a perch for bugs

but it even offers tempting globules of sugary sap treats.

But as its guests drop in,

tiny hairs on the plant's leaves

let them know it's dinnertime.

The droplets are glue.

Speeded up, the leaf closes like a fist

to engulf its prey.

It secretes enzymes that will dissolve the bug

so the plant can absorb its juices.

(gentle music)

Time-lapse can reveal patterns in nature,

not just behavior but everything.

(birds chirping)

From the turning tides

to the sun moving across the sky

and the life that tracks it.

(birds chirping)

(gentle music)

We don't think of flowers on the move.

But time-lapse tells us otherwise.

Many flowers tuck themselves away during the night

but slowly open to welcome the dawn.

(birds chirping)

The movements of plants are so slow

that we don't notice as we dash past.

(gentle magical music)

But when hours become seconds,

the movement is clear.

(lively vocalized music)

And far from random, many kinds of flowers

actively follow the sun.

(slow gentle music)

It's a behavior called heliotropism.

The stem just below each flower

contains a mobile section that has the ability

to change the pressure of its cells

by pumping in potassium. (gentle magical music)

(birds chirping)

It increases the pressure on the shady side

pushing and tipping the flower towards the sun.

(ethereal music)

Why it happens is something of a mystery.

But there are two likely reasons.

(gentle music)

Facing the sun, its warmth can help the production

of the ripening seeds within the flower.

(birds chirping)

(slow gentle music)

And making sure the flowers are in the light,

shining like a beacon,

and with warm welcoming petals,

they're more likely to attract the insects

to pollinate them.

(bee buzzing)

It's not only plants that track the movements of the sun.

(lighthearted music)

Ants nests always seem busy and chaotic.

Up close, it appears a sea of random movement.

But time-lapse reveals a pattern.

The ants build their nest mounds

with the larger surface facing south

to get more sun.

For their eggs and young to develop well inside the nest,

they need the interior to stay a comfy 30 degrees.

(tense music)

Not easy on a cold spring morning.

(lighthearted music) So the ants

bask in the sun, warming their bodies.

Once they're nice and toasty,

they head back inside.

And their sun-kissed bodies help to warm up the nest.

As the day progresses,

the sunbathing insects move around the anthill

to catch the best rays.

(birds cawing and chirping)

Birds also welcome the sun (gentle music)

with their dawn chorus,

(birds chirping)

singing with all their might to proclaim their territories.

(gentle lilting music)

In spring, plants are on hyper-drive.

The increasing hours of daylight

trigger leaves to unfurl.

Bare trees are blanketed in green.

Forests come back to life after a winter slumber.

(birds chirping)

(gentle music)

(bird chattering)

(bird cawing)

The lengthening days trigger animal behavior too.

(frogs croaking)

Frogs gather to spawn.

(lighthearted music)

(birds honking)

Birds begin elaborate courtship rituals.

Flowers bloom...

splattering their spectacular colors across every landscape.

(birds chirping)

(gentle music)

Magnolias and azaleas can turn the mountainsides

of Asian into a sea of pink.

The vibrant display doesn't just attract insects

but nectar-loving birds.

Even a squirrel gets in on the act.

(dramatic music)

All thanks to the passing sun.

(lighthearted music)

Not all plants produce flowers or the seeds that follow.

Once mosses are fertilized, they send up sporophytes,

which, like a pot of pepper, shake their spores into the air

to drift off and begin a new colony.

(birds chirping)

(toad gulping)

All of this breeding behavior is triggered

by the lengthening hours of day.

(gentle inspirational music)

(birds chirping)

The sun shines longer as spring passes into summer.

(lively inspirational music)

Not all parts of the world

experience the same doses of sunlight.

(tense music)

Close to the equator, the length of day

is similar throughout the year.

(ominous music)

There's little seasonal change.

(water whooshing)

But because the world sits at a tilted angle,

the north and south are more exposed to the sun

at different times of the year.

(tense music)

(tense ethereal music)

During winter, barely any sunlight

reaches the extreme north.

(wind whistling)

(eerie music)

Because of the world's shallow axis, by summer,

the sun doesn't set at all. (somber vocalized music)

(wind whistling)

It just makes a dip towards the horizon

but rises again.

(wind whistling)

(gentle music)

Sunlight is the key to life.

Plants use its energy to make food,

laying the foundations of a food chain

on which everything survives.

(birds chirping)

Because the Arctic summers are non-stop party in the sun,

its very productive.

So much so that animals from all over the world

travel here to raise families during the time of abundance.

(birds chirping)

Birds in particular use the long hours for child-rearing

knowing there will be plenty of food

for their young families.

(birds chirping)

(inspirational music)

(lighthearted music) (birds chattering)

The increased sunlight brings riches to the world.

(birds chirping)

(chicks cheeping)

But it can also bring hardship.

(somber music)

At its hottest, the sun's heat dries the land.

Water evaporates and small pools are in danger of drying up.

(insects chirping)

Aquatic creatures are stranded

(lighthearted music)

and make easy pickings for predators.

(tense music)

For birds, its a seasonal treat.

(water splashing)

(upbeat lighthearted music)

(gentle piano music)

As the season progresses,

plants are working on new offerings too.

(gentle music)

Few things are more beautiful than the emergence of blossom.

(birds chirping)

But it's just the forerunner,

the prelude to the real gift.

(bee buzzing)

Once flowers are fertilized, they produce seeds.

And in the case of fruits like apples, pears, and cherries,

wrap their seeds in tasty food parcels

(lighthearted music)

to entice others to eat them

helping to spread their seeds.

(light upbeat music)

By the end of summer,

they're ripe and ready for harvest.

(gentle inspirational music)

But as summer progresses, the evenings slowly creep back in.

(birds cackling)

The shorter days again trigger the movement

of animals and birds clearing out before winter.

Autumn sees some of the most dramatic changes of all.

For spring and summer, the trees have used green pigment

called chlorophyll to help in their production of food.

But as the trees sense the shorter daylight hours,

they stop producing chlorophyll.

(birds squawking) (gentle music)

There are two there pigments that are always in the leaves,

but they're not visible until the green ebbs away.

The leaf is full of carotenes

and as the green pigments fade,

its yellows and oranges are revealed.

(water splashing)

(gentle music)

The trees are preparing to shed their leaves

and so block the base of each stalk

basically killing off their foliage,

(birds cawing)

an unmistakable signal that winter is returning.

(slow gentle music)

The trees are cutting their losses

and shutting up shop,

storing what they need in their trunks

and ready to lie dormant until spring

when they will repeat the full cycle.

(wind whistling)

(gentle somber music)

(birds chirping) (wind whistling)

Low, cold clouds roll over the landscape

leaving in their wake the first winter frosts.

(wind whistling)

(somber horns music)

(bird chirping)

(gentle somber music)

(birds chirping)

(wind whistling)

Small bodies of water and the creatures in them

are brought to a standstill, (slow inspirational music)

(tense music)

transforming water into sculptures of solid ice.

(gentle majestic music)

Time-lapse reveals our non-stop, ever-changing world.

(birds chirping)

Daily shifts that we barely notice fly by

and their effects become obvious.

(wind rustling)

(birds chirping)

(wind whistling)

(somber music)

Speeding up time makes the patterns in nature

easier to observe.

And not all revolve around the sun.

(bird chirping)

Our planet circles the sun

but as it does

the moon orbits around Earth. (gentle cello music)

Its impact on life is dramatic.

(water splashing)

(gentle music)

Just like the sun, we witness

a daily moonrise and moonset.

And its height and trajectory change throughout the year.

(birds chirping)

We also see its monthly phases from new moon,

the thin crescent,

(gentle music)

through full and old moon. (insects chirping)

The so-called waxing and waning

is caused by the angle of the Earth to the sun

with Earth casting a shadow

over varying parts of the moon's surface.

(gentle emotional music)

The moon's journey around Earth

causes one of the biggest changes of all.

(gentle music)

The moon has gravity just as Earth does

and as it passes

over our landscape, (light gentle music)

its gravity is pulling against ours.

It's not powerful enough to lift against the stronger forces

of the Earth's gravity, (lighthearted music)

(light magical music) but it is strong enough

to pull water.

The result is the ever-changing tide.

The rising and falling waters (gentle music)

present great challenges for creatures

living in the so-called intertidal zone.

(lighthearted music)

Shellfish and crustaceans are adapted for marine life.

They are used to being surrounded by salty water.

(gentle magical music)

But when the tide retreats, they're left high and dry.

(light upbeat music)

(birds chirping)

(tense music)

They dig themselves into the wet sand.

Or seal themselves into their shells

to avoid desiccation.

(birds chirping)

(wind rustling)

(tense music)

(gentle music)

(gull squawking)

With mud flats exposed, birds dash in

to pry the hiding shellfish from the sand,

their only chance to enjoy seafood

that's otherwise submerged. (waves splashing)

(birds chirping and squawking)

It's only when the waves again roll in,

that the tidal wildlife

can get back to business. (lighthearted music)

The creatures of the coast must keep busy.

They get two windows a day

between the tides so feed fast.

(water splashing) (gentle music)

Time-lapse reveals other movements of water.

The endless water cycle that brings it to dry places

and gives us and our crops the watering we need.

(gentle violin music)

(thunder rumbling)

(thunder cracking)

(rain pattering)

(birds chirping)

(birds chirping)

Evaporation happens as the sun warms bodies of water.

(gentle somber music)

Even wet Earth when mist can be seen rising

from the damp ground after morning dew.

(wind rustling)

Water also gets into the atmosphere through transpiration.

(birds chirping)

Surplus water absorbed by plants passes through tiny pores

in their leaves

and into the atmosphere. (gentle inspirational music)

It's why rainforests are often shrouded in mist.

(birds chirping)

Living in wet soils, they have plenty of excess water.

Time-lapse shows it rising up through the branches

and into the atmosphere.

(gentle music)

All of this moisture in the air accumulates.

(gentle orchestral music)

Close to the warm ground, the moisture is invisible.

(birds chirping)

Very fine steam.

But as it rises, (gentle inspirational music)

it hits colder air in the atmosphere and expands.

The cooler air can't support the liquid so well.

It reaches a saturation point and the water

begins to condense into larger droplets.

They cling to each other forming clouds.

As clouds become thicker and thicker,

they get darker and grayer. (wind whistling)

(thunder cracking)

(rain pattering)

The water is now too heavy for the air to support.

Gravity brings it back down to Earth.

(thunder cracking)

Because warm air can hold more water than cold,

the tropics see the biggest cloud formations

resulting in the heaviest rain.

(gentle somber music) (wind whistling)

Rainfall can have dramatic consequences.

(rain rumbling) (wind whistling)

Too much falling at once

results in flooding.

Fresh water falling from the skies

can change the chemistry of the sea.

Sensitive animals like starfish and sea urchins

flee from the diluted lower concentrations of salt.

(tense music)

At first glance, they don't seem capable

of dashing from the scene,

but time-lapse reveals their marathon.

(tense music)

Water doesn't always fall as rain.

If the air is cold enough, the water particles freeze

and stick together eventually falling as snow.

Over time it builds.

In mountains, after periods of warm and cold weather,

dangerous instability creeps (thunder cracking)

through the stacks of snow with dramatic consequences.

(tense vocalized music)

(snow rumbling)

Avalanche.

(slow gentle music)

(birds chirping)

(gentle piano music)

Time-lapse reveals the great systems

that drive the planet

but also the details of daily life,

growth, and recovery,

offering a glimpse of recycling in action.

Stag beetles.

(tense music)

Their elaborate head gear isn't for feeding or biting

just wrestling like the antlers of a deer.

(ominous music)

The beetles jostle,

trying to throw their opponent off balance.

(dramatic music)

(eerie music)

It looks like a tragic end.

(magical music)

But speed up what happens next

and reveal that this is only the beginning.

We view slime molds as inanimate.

But sped up, they pulse

like a living mutant science experiment.

(gentle music)

This kind is nicknamed scrambled egg slime

for its vivid hue.

(slow gentle music)

Molds and fungi grow fast.

And its lucky that they do.

They make their living breaking down and consuming

dead and decaying matter.

(gentle magical music)

Without them, we'd be drowning in death.

But instead, they bring new life.

(slow magical vocalized music)

Time-lapse provides a way to see nature's ability

to recover and rejuvenate.

(lively music)

We can speed up what we've seen

but we can't bend time to see what's coming next.

If we could fast-forward looking into the future,

would we see the world becoming a drier, hotter place?

(people chattering)

Would humans still be there?

Looking at the changes over our lives

and the lives of our parents and grandparents,

we can take a time-lapse view

imagining slow changes over a short period of time,

perhaps giving us the chance to learn from the past

and predict the future.

(lively upbeat music)

As human numbers have grown and development has reigned,

particularly the consumption of energy

and the burning of fossil fuels,

(gentle music)

we can clearly see the impact it has on our world.

(insects chirping)

It's a privileged view and a warning.

We can choose whether to ignore it or change our ways.

(birds chirping)

Technology allows multiple views of the world

and the greatest treasure we have,

our time on planet Earth.

(lively inspirational music)

�Tmoovlmvhd