I Walked on Earth

Mathieu heads to Gabon where, in the heart of the forest, he discovers a vegetative lushness. He follows a veterinarian working to save endangered species, particularly gorillas. Mathieu meets Florian who tracks viruses that great apes can transmit to humans. In Franceville, scientists examine mandrills, healthy carriers of the SIV virus, the HIV of primates.

Beneath the blue waters of New Caledonia's enchanting lagoon lies an exceptional coral reef, sheltering some 15,000 animal and plant species. But this ecosystem is also very fragile. Pollution promotes the proliferation of toxic microalgae which contaminates fish. These will make men who consume them sick. Pharmacologists are trying to overcome this scourge and find a cure.

Peru, land of mythical civilizations, a country rich in animal and plant species, from the Andes to the Amazon Basin. In the Altiplano, over 4,500 meters above sea level, Mathieu Vidard sets out among the Yaneshas in the company of a French pharmacologist and ethnologist. They spend several months a year with the Yaneshas to try to understand how they take advantage of nature to heal themselves.

Nearly 300 ethnic groups have developed on the 17,000 islands scattered across the Indian Ocean which make up the Indonesian archipelago. Mathieu set out to meet those living on this devastating land. Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is shaken by the eruptions of its 400 active volcanoes, some of the most violent earthquakes in the world and devastating tsunamis.

Sabrina Krief has lived in Uganda with chimpanzees for ten years. By observing their behavior, this brilliant primatologist discovered that chimpanzees are capable of selecting plants to heal themselves. Sabrina's challenge is simple: find cures for common illnesses. The stakes are considerable. But it may already be too late: great apes are facing imminent extinction.

From the Royal Cordillera to the Atacama Desert, Mathieu invites us to a scientific exploration under the sign of very high altitude. Direction the Andean highlands where scientists flirt with the summits at the limits of hypoxia, the lack of oxygen, to try to understand the origins of the earth, but also to better analyze the climatic upheavals which risk changing the appearance of our planet.