The return of large predators, such as wolves, to certain regions in Germany means that local herders need to take extra steps to predict their flocks. Here in the Eifel mountain range in western Germany, two “livestock guardian dogs” named Günther and Biene protect the sheep and goats of herder Heike Dahm-Rulf. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

In addition to many majestic and fascinating species, evolution also led to the emergence of humankind — and we now have the obligation to protect our planet and care for all forms of life.

Chaos rages on in the various NICHTLUSTIG households! The power may be back on, but that’s created a whole other set of problems.

“Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht” (known as “Silent Night” in English) is one of the best-known Christmas carols on the planet, and the definitive Christmas song in the German-speaking world. It was first performed on December 24, 1818 in a Roman Catholic church in Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg, with a melody by Franz Xaver Gruber and lyrics by Joseph Mohr. Since then, the original German text has been adapted into 320 languages and dialects worldwide.

Today, Cettina and Sabine are making "Pfälzer Fläschknepp,” a regional dish from the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate. “Fläschknepp” means “meatballs” in the local dialect. These flavorful, savory meatballs are made from fresh ingredients, and are served with a pungent horseradish sauce. Enjoy!

An intruder grabs Henri — is he going to kidnap him? Meanwhile, Nina gets stuck in the elevator with Max, who may now finally be forced to talk to her.

In this video, we learn amazing things about leopards and rhinos — and why a life-giving river in New Zealand was granted protected status equivalent to that of a human being.

Jan from Munich tells us a whimsical winter story — loosely adapted from the tales of Baron of Münchhausen, the “Baron of Lies” — and carries us off into the Baron's world of fantasy and exaggeration.

The weekly political satire show “extra 3,” which is produced by Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Northern German Broadcasting), presents a series of retro-style animated shorts addressing pressing social issues. Here, we explore Nestlé’s profit-fueled depletion of one of the Earth’s most precious resources: water.

In the piano ballade "Wer wir geworden sind" (Who We’ve Become), Lotte and singer-songwriter Joris present a wistful duet about the darkness and self-questioning that follows a breakup.

The day of the award ceremony has arrived, and everyone is in a great mood — except for Max, who’s furious with Nina and refuses to speak with her. Meanwhile, rumors are flying among the church congregation about the nature of Hannes and Jan’s relationship.

From the oceans to the cliffs, from the steppe to the semi-desert, we continue our journey through our planet’s many biomes. Here, we meet spectacular white storks, and herds of wildebeests and zebras, whose distinctive stripes serve as camouflage against tsetse flies and horseflies.

Leipzig, 1989: Twelve-year-old Fritzi lovingly looks after a little dog belonging to her best friend, Sophie, who has apparently gone on summer vacation with her family in Hungary. But when Sophie doesn’t return in the fall, it becomes clear that her family actually fled to West Germany. Fritzi courageously sets out to return Sputnik to Sophie… and gets caught up in a movement that’s changing the future of the country.

Heidi and her grandfather ride a sled through the valley — it’s her first time, and she loves it! Peter, meanwhile, is having a rough time in class, and the teacher isn’t going easy on any of the students today.

It sounds like science fiction: Researchers at the University of Augsburg are developing an app that can recognize a coronavirus infection whenever a potential carrier speaks into the phone. So far, the app has a hit rate of over 80 percent. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]