By April MacIntyre Dec 13, 2008, 2:12 GMT
Nat Geo has some interesting documentaries for you to watch this weekend.
Exploding whale, from Nat Geo
Can you image a giant dead whale being carted through your mainstreet on a truck, then whammo... whale guts everywhere? Or an unholy bible made of animal skins written by a monk who went to the darkside?
"The Whale that Exploded"Saturday, December 13, at 8P ET/PT (U.S. Premiere)
In late January 2004, one of the largest sperm whales seen in Taiwan is found dead by local fishermen.
Eager to determine the cause of death, a marine biologist transports the 60-foot-long behemoth weighing over 50 tons to a university lab for testing. But while in transit, the gut of the whale explodes in the middle of the city with the force of a bomb, showering everyone within 100 feet with blood and guts.
How did this happen and what was the cause of the explosion? NGC examines the physics of this unusual event using forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts — to ultimately explain how this animal exploded with the force of up to five pounds of TNT.
"Devil's Bible"Sunday, December 14, at 8P ET/PT (World Premiere)
At 165 pounds, and allegedly made from the skins of 160 donkeys, the Codex Gigas is the world's largest and most mysterious medieval manuscript.
Filled with satanic images and demonic spells, according to legend, the cursed text sprang from a doomed monk's pact with the Devil. Now, Nat Geo follows a team of scientists as they embark on an unprecedented quest to unravel the secrets behind the book's darkened pages.
Using ultra-violet fluorescence imaging, handwriting analysis and a re-creation of the text, forensic document experts attempt to uncover the cryptic truth behind this ancient Devil's Bible.
Your Talkback on this Story