One of the CBC's most successful productions in terms of longevity, audience acceptance, and international sales, The Nature of Things has been a mainstay of the network's science unit since 1960. Underlying the program is the interaction of human beings and aspects of different fields of natural and physical science and the evolution of technology. In the first season, each program included one main feature and a shorter item on developments in science news. By 1967 the unit had been able to expand into documentary film production.

The most significant change came in 1979, when the geneticist and television and radio personality Dr. David Suzuki took over as the show's host. Science Magazine and The Nature of Things merged to become a new one-hour show, The Nature of Things with David Suzuki.