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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
    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

    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