Catastrophe: Survival Earth

Scientists believe that evolution has been shaped by major catastrophes that have almost extinguished all life on Earth. Using the latest CGI, scientific experts investigate these theories of natural disasters, putting a new perspective on our existence. So far, humans have been lucky not to have experienced catastrophes on a global scale, like those that have extinguished 99% of all other species. Humans have become the most powerful species on this planet, but the forces that wiped out many of our ancestors are still at work. This programme maps out key events over the last 75,000 years. During that time, humans were subjected to a super volcano that nearly devastated whole regions of populated Earth; the ice age that followed, covering Europe with ice sheets kilometres thick; and the cosmic catastrophe believed to have changed life for ever for the early inhabitants of North America.