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    Nearly stingless jellyfish on a remote Pacific island are a wonder of evolution

    On an uninhabited island in Palau in the western Pacific Ocean, beneath the surface of a lake, there is a hidden world of seemingly alien life. Translucent amorphous creatures glide through the clear water, float lazily just beneath the surface of the lake, or drift along with the current. Thousands of years ago, these jellyfish were trapped in a natural basin on the island when the ocean receded. With time, they evolved into a new species that no longer stings. In Jellyfish Lake, the filmmaker Sarosh Jacob dives into the world of these wondrous creatures, and swims among them, recording their slow, mesmerising migrations.

    Director: Sarosh Jacob

    1 October 2014
    Close-up photo of two translucent, pink comb jellies with visible cilia and internal structures, set against a dark background.

    videoEvolution

    Take a shimmering, surreal swim with what might be the Earth’s oldest animals

    7 minutes

    Close-up of an orange sea anemone with flowing tentacles against a teal background.

    videoOceans and water

    See what no human eyes have seen before, deep in the sea off Western Australia

    5 minutes

    Abstract digital artwork with glowing circular shapes and bright colours, including red, orange and white, against a cloudy background.

    videoBiology

    How airborne microbes ride clouds, hop continents and even make it rain

    5 minutes

    Microscopic close-up of a Hydra with a translucent body, multiple tentacles, and a central, reddish-brown core on a dark background.

    videoBiology

    Peering into the eerie world of plankton reveals a variety of vital creatures

    3 minutes

    Various sea creatures, including starfish and marine worms, surrounding a partially visible carcass underwater.

    videoBiology

    Join massive, ancient carnivores for a rare feast beneath the Antarctic ice

    3 minutes

    Bioluminescent microscopic organisms glowing in a dark background, photograph showing various shapes and patterns in blue light.

    videoEcology and environmental sciences

    How beautiful bioluminescent bacteria can expose invisible water pollution

    3 minutes

    A blue planet with visible ice formations and rings, resembling a view of an icy gas giant from space.

    videoSpace exploration

    In the search for life, might alien ocean worlds be a better bet than Earth-like planets?

    5 minutes

    Painting of a dark blue fish with light blue fins swimming in a dark underwater scene, illuminated by soft blue light.

    videoHistory of science

    In 1938, a fish thought extinct for 65 million years resurfaced, nearly unchanged

    7 minutes

    A large, artificial ice structure in a mountainous landscape with clear blue sky in the background.

    videoEngineering

    Can monumental ‘ice stupas’ help remote Himalayan villages survive?

    15 minutes