(8 December 2005 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Continuing its mission of making its viewers ‘Think Again,’ National Geographic Channel (NGC) will be airing a slew of shows next year that are certain to make viewers think about their world.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com this evening NGC vice president marketing Rajesh Sheshadri says,“One show that we are quite keen about is Megacities. This insightful series takes a look at the modern metropolis.Each episode of the series identifies and examines, one aspect of the infrastructure of a particular megacity that is crucial to its survival. From transportation systems in Mumbai and London, to the recycling system in Sao Paulo, to the power systems that ensure that the bright light of Vegas never dim, Megacities takes a detailed look at the infrastructures that keep these modern megaliths ticking.”

The first episode looks at India’s financial capital Mumbai. It examines the Mumbai Traffic Improvement project, which is said to be one of the largest public works project in the history of the world. The initiative is implementing integrated railroad and water transport systems into the city’s infrastructure in order to support its increasing population. The 50 Flyovers project is using the latest technology to reconfigure traffic flow in and around the city, the Golden Quadrilateral project is connecting Mumbai to other major cities of India and spectacular bridges will soon span previously inaccessible waterways, creating an entire transportation transformation in India.

Another episode looks at the gambing city - Las Vegas. What the show reveals is the fact that the secret behind Las Vegas is not the gambling. It's not connections. It's not even sex. This MegaCity's power is electricity and without it, Las Vegas would simply shrivel and die. This is the Vegas no one sees. Power lines are its arteries. Electricity is its blood. This episode examines the importance of this process and what happens when it fails. It goes inside Las Vegas’ generation and distribution systems and examines current transformations that are occurring in order to prevent a possible black out.

Hong Kong meanwhile is said to be the most densely populated urban region on the planet, and in the recent past it has been rocked by economic and financial upheaval. Yet it has come through with some of the most high-tech, counterfeit-proof currency in the world, as well as some of the most complex bank building structures. This episode shows how such a small city accomplished such immense technological feats. This city is based on the power of money. If it stops flowing Hong Kong will loose its privileged place as financial center of this quickly evolving region.

Those interested in biology can check out Microkillers which kicks off in February 2006. It takes a look at various bacteria and viruses to examine how a pathogen 1/2500th width of a human hair causes the deaths of thousands of people. The series explores the evolution of old foes like malaria and plague, the “Black Death” that killed millions in the Middle Ages, into new drug resistant strains. It also examines the emergence of new killers like AIDS and Ebola, recent escapees from nature’s bio- weapons lab and the frightening implications for the world at large.

Sheshadri adds that in March 2006, NGC will premiere National Geographic's Most Amazing Moments - a two-hour special that counts down dramatic events captured on film through the National Geographic lens. Five segments feature spectacular imagery and firsthand accounts from the scientists, journalists and filmmakers on the scene that let viewers experience moments of discovery, adventure and rarely seen animal behaviour. From moments of danger, to extreme behaviour that pushes the limits of human endurance, from face to face encounters with dangerous predators, to close encounters with death, that provide an adrenaline rush, the National Geographic cameras capture it all.