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Sand can be lava, coral, bones, even excrement. What’s on your favorite beach?

Depending on where you are in the world, the sand beneath your feet can be anything from a fragment of a seashell to brine shrimp excrement to a piece of coral – the classification ‘sand’ only means a particle that is smaller than gravel and larger than silt. The Amazing Life of Sand explores the diverse nature of the substance, and the incredible journeys sand particles frequently travel.

Producers: Josh Cassidy, Liz Roth-Johnson

Website: Deep Look

27 January 2015
Aerial photo of an industrial conveyor unloading material into a turquoise water body, surrounded by carved sand dunes.

videoProgress and modernity

From Michigan to Singapore, a meditation on dreams built on sand

17 minutes

A detailed sand sculpture of a dog being carved by a hand with a tool on a dark surface.

videoDemography and migration

The heart-wrenching stories behind immigrants’ sand sculptures on London streets

14 minutes

Close-up of a black and grey seal’s face with dark eyes and whiskers, lying on a sandy surface with a few pieces of dry grass nearby.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

The perpetual motion of life and sand on the ‘walking islands’ of the North Sea

8 minutes

Close-up of a dark, complex organic structure with a central white shape, surrounded by red and dark textures.

videoBiology

If a sea urchin survives the incredible tumult of youth, it’s nearly immortal

3 minutes

A small, colourful fish swimming underwater against a blurred background.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

Watch as wanderlust propels mussels on epic journeys worthy of a Pixar movie

5 minutes

Close-up of a vibrant sea anemone with purple and yellow hues, surrounded by small pink dots against a dark blue background.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

The eerie otherworldliness of slow undersea life sped up to a human pace

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

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

A circular, colourful mandala-like pattern made from various geometric shapes and stars, against a black background.

videoHistory of science

Amazing hidden worlds become visible through a forgotten Victorian art form

4 minutes