Human Footprint

Meet Kristin Winchell, the urban evolution expert. She's on a mission to unravel the secrets of anoles — the charismatic lizards thriving in cities like San Juan. Join us as we embark on a journey through the concrete jungle and discover how anoles have adapted to their urban playground.

Brought to Florida as pets, many Burmese pythons have found a perfect home in the Everglades, and they’re spreading fast. As the pythons gain ground, biologists are racing to understand them, hoping to find a weakness and stop the invasion.

Donna Kalil is a professional bounty hunter. The scaly fugitives she tracks down in the Everglades grow to 18 feet long… and eat deer and alligators for supper. Shane joins Donna on a hunt to learn more about Burmese pythons. Brought to Florida as pets, many pythons were dumped into

From Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park to the scars left on the elephant population, Shane's research is revealing how our actions can change the course of evolution itself.

Shane steps into a land of giants at the to meet Nick Pyenson, a biologist who studies ancient (and living) whales, to find out why even the biggest animals that ever lived aren't off limits for the planet's Top Predator.

To become the world’s Top Predator, we also have to eliminate the competition. We’ve waged war on America’s wolves for two centuries. For decades, eliminating wolves was an official federal policy. Shane joins Yellowstone National Park’s wolf recovery lead, Dan Stahler, to investigate a fresh kill

They say dogs are man's best friend, but Inuit sled dogs take it to a whole new level. They're not just companions, they're the lifeline of Resolute Bay. Shane’s journey begins above the Arctic Circle, where the power and endurance of Inuit sled

At the Duke Puppy Kindergarten – a “preschool” for service dogs – Evolutionary Biologists, Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods, show Shane that dogs have an unmatched ability to understand human body language.

Shane shares a meal with local Mexican chefs committed to reviving the sacred heritage of maize and preserving culture through corn.

Shane follows geneticist Sarah Hearne into a vault of over 28,000 species of maize that has weaved itself into the fabric of Mexico's past, present and future. But in the last century, just a handful of varieties have come to dominate global corn production. What happened?

Despite their abundance, scientists know close to nothing about what cats are doing in the wild, or what their impact might be. Dr. Roland Kays plan? Track cats the way we’ve tracked other large predators – by fitting them with GPS enabled collars.

Host Shane Campbell-Staton and Director Nathan Dappen explore how humans have impacted and changed the planet in this first look from Human Footprint. Shane explains how PBS has shaped his storytelling.

Wild horses are an icon of the American West, but there are no native horses in the U.S. Those wild mustangs we idolize are European invaders. In Nevada, Shane observes a government “gather,” a dystopian round-up where helicopters chase panicked horses into pens to remove them from public lands.

Meet Craig McClain, the selfie-master turned biological oceanographer. While he studies tiny creatures in the ocean, he's also unraveling the secrets hidden within the rock formations. Join us as we delve into the past to understand the incredible ripple effect behind each layer of time.

Over an ice cream with Historian Laponce Harrison, Shane learns the boll weevil’s history – and how this insect became an icon in the town of Enterprise, Alabama.

Shane’s journey begins in North Carolina, where Julius Tillery – a.k.a. “The Puff Daddy of Cotton” – is a 5th-generation Black cotton farmer. Julius and Shane dig into the rich soils that underlie the “Black Belt,” a broad swath of the South that formed the heart of the U.

In Singapore, green spaces are no longer an escape from the city, they ARE the city. Pearl Chee, the genius architect behind Kampung Admiralty, proves that where there's a will (and a law), there's a way to bring nature into the concrete jungle.

Rain or shine, Scott and Angie Mullaney, the rat-busting duo behind Unique Pest Management, hit the city streets at night with their trusty dogs, ready to conquer the rodent kingdom.

Shane joins a “canine freestyle” class to see how dogs and their human dance partners communicate without words to improvise elaborate and definitely-not-silly routines.

Invasive species are reshaping the world’s ecosystems, but who’s to blame? Shane wrestles a python, hunts Hawaiian pigs, and gets sucker-punched by a carp to answer the question: how does our species decide what belongs? Here’s how it all went down: the dangers of flying fish, the

"Human Footprint" is unlike any other science, natural history, or travel series out there, because it’s all of those things and then some. It’s a journey guided by biologist Shane Campbell-Staton, scored by hip-hop legend Adrian Younge, and made endlessly entertaining by a dazzling array of

"Human Footprint" was always meant to be a different kind of science show, from the cinematography, to the host, to the style, to the edits. But to have someone like Adrian Younge, multi-instrumentalist and legendary hip-hop producer, lending his talents to the series’ score – well, it seemed like

"Human Footprint" is unlike any other science series, and it was no small feat to make. Our small crew spent 140 days in over 40 locations, and wrangled nearly 100 characters and experts. We filmed the extravagant and strange, the devastating and dire, the elusive and the abundant.

In Mexico, Shane Campbell-Staton explores around a maize vault, a treasure trove of genetic diversity. He joins geneticist Sarah Hearne to unravel the intricate DNA makeup of corn. In a tortilla factory, Shane meets with local Mexican chefs Santiago Muñoz and Daniela Moreno, who are committed to reviving the sacred

Step into the world of manicured lawns and desert golf courses. Turf grass is America's most resource-intensive plant, yet one of its least productive crops. Palm Springs' golf courses, beautiful but thirsty artificial oases, have impressive engineering to keep their area lush and green. Shane Campbell-Staton visits

The Westminster Kennel Club played a vital role in preserving and promoting the rich diversity of dog breeds – resulting directly from the hand of human intervention. Shane Campbell-Staton meets these posh pooches and unlocks the secrets of the canine code. We unravel how genes and selective breeding shape these remarkable

The invasive Asian carp, once introduced as a solution, is now disrupting native fish species and shrinking their populations across rivers, streams, and lakes along the Mississippi River Basin. Join Shane as he visits a safeguarded battlefront in a lab, gears up for a thrilling fishing tournament, and devours a

Who says a densely populated city can't be a green paradise? Not in Singapore! Shane Campbell-Staton visits visionary architect Pearl Chee and legendary urban planner Professor Cheong Koon Hean to find out how creators like them have woven nature into the fabric of the city. Green spaces aren&

In the Arctic, it's not just about muscle power, but brainpower too. The bond between humans and sled dogs goes beyond physical strength. It's a testament to our shared intelligence and teamwork throughout history. Keep watching to learn how sled dogs have evolved over millennia to

Ever heard of the phrase "when pet pythons outgrow their owners"? Well, host Shane Campbell-Staton is about to take us on an adventure to find out what happens next. Join Shane as he meets bounty hunter Donna Kalil, exotic animal trader Hillary Dupont, and biologists Matthew McCollister and

Long before the days of fast-fashion and chain restaurants, humans were busy hunting down whales and nearly wiping them out – yikes! The efficiency of 20th-century whaling had a devastating impact. Join host Shane Campbell-Staton as he visits Paleontologist Nick Pyenson at Smithsonian's Whale Warehouse to uncover the history

Host and evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton uncovers the impact of hunting on elephant genetics. From Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park to the scars left on the elephant population, Shane's research is revealing how our actions can change the course of evolution itself.

Puerto Rican Crested Anoles are a prime example of adaptation in action. In just a few decades, these city-dwelling lizards have undergone remarkable evolutionary changes to thrive in an urban landscape. Longer limbs, stickier toe pads, and higher heat tolerance are just a few of the adaptations they've

From ancient seas to fertile soils, evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton explores the remarkable journey that transformed the Cretaceous coastline into the fertile “Black Belt” region of the American South. He joins oceanographer Craig McClain, professor Sven Beckert, and geneticist Steven Micheletti to learn how millions of years of deposits shaped

When it comes to NYC, the rat is the undisputed king of the urban jungle — and we made it that way! Find out why with host and evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton in this episode of Human Footprint.

Meet Xenopus, the African Clawed Frog: a strange creature that has opened a window into understanding ourselves in unexpected ways. Join Shane in this episode of Human Footprint as he talks to scientists Jim Hanken, Kelsey Tyssowski, and Marko Horb to find out how one frog become one of the

Our adorable companions are extremely efficient hunters, with the ability to devastate ecosystems and decimate wild prey populations. Get the scoop when Shane Campbell-Staton meets the scientists behind the largest animal tracking study that is hoping to curb this problem - and meet a few charming felines along the way