CBC's flagship documentary series explores and expands on the major issues of our time. Around the corner, around the world, our cameras bring viewers to the center of the stories everyone is talking about. Informed, exciting and eventful, DOC ZONE presents a sweeping panoramic view of what matters most to Canadians.

DOC ZONE airs Thursday nights at 9, on CBC-TV.

COMING SOON

DEADLY BY DESIGN
The use of designer drugs has skyrocketed and Canada is now the world’s third largest producer. Entirely synthetic, they mimic organic drugs and are extracted from industrial chemicals and everyday products like cold medicine. The most common, ecstasy, has been responsible for a spate of deaths in Alberta and B.C. We go inside this world - from the cooks who distill the chemicals in kitchens from hell, to the dealers and users.

SLAVES TO HABIT
When it comes to bad habits, the road to despair is paved with good intentions. Why can’t we keep those New Year’s resolutions? Doc Zone explores the science of self-control and reveals startling new research about the interaction between brain chemistry and willpower. Now businesses are using these brain patterns to harness our habits and increase profits. It’s called neuromarketing and it works. But is it ethical?

BITE ME: THE BED BUG INVASION
Doc Zone burrows into the world of these miniature night crawlers and reveals the oversized impact they’re having on our daily lives. We nearly eradicated them in the 20th century, so why are they now staging a major comeback? Find out the best way to get rid of an infestation and learn about some DIY attempts you’d be best not to try at home.

THE CONDO GAME
With its population exploding, Toronto placed a big bet on condo towers. Their number has doubled in the last decade. But in the summer of 2011, when panes of glass repeatedly fell from brand new condos onto busy city streets, people began questioning whether this was a safe bet – for individual owners and for the city. The Condo Game examines the forces at play behind the fastest moving condo market in North America.

THE ZOO REVOLUTION
There is no institution more adored or reviled than the modern zoo. Despite their popularity with the public, the debate over whether wild animals belong in captivity continues. Critics argue zoos traffic in living creatures, exploiting them for profit and amusement. Zoos counter they educate the public and provide refuge for vanishing species. As habitat destruction and mass extinctions accelerate, zoos may be our Noah’s Ark. But is it time to re-invent them?

MISSION ASTEROID
Scientists say there are over 1500 asteroids which could one day collide with earth, many with the power to wipe out life as we know it. We follow astronaut Pascal Lee and his team as they train for a mission to near-earth asteroids in the harshest, most dangerous environments on earth. If this space cowboy can’t lasso an asteroid, how else can science save us from a doomsday rock?

THE MOTHERLOAD
Whether you’re an unemployed single mom or a Fortune 500 CEO with a new baby, women today are experiencing a motherload like never before. Women still lag behind men in income, full-time employment and senior management positions. They do double duty on the home front and the high cost of daycare is straining those already stretched to the limit. Doc Zone investigates why we are not yet living in a 50--50 world.

SUPERSTITOUS MINDS
We live in the most technologically advanced time in history, yet not only do we hold onto our superstitions, we are embracing even more of them. Multi-million dollar skyscrapers are designed with feng shui experts, sophisticated politicians carry good luck charms and famous athletes practice elaborate rituals to ward off defeat. We explore why this instinct is so deeply ingrained and reveal that sometimes superstitions can actually be good for you.

ALL THE ANGRY YOUNG MEN
Crime statistics continue to plummet yet numbers for violent youth crime remain stubbornly high. What if there was a way to stop a criminal in his tracks – in kindergarten? We follow groundbreaking programs which identify kids with a high probability of becoming criminals and see how early intervention transforms their lives.

LOVE UNDER OTHER SKIES
More and more single women are travelling to Cuba for sex. The majority are in their 30’s and at least a quarter of them end up in long distance relationships with Cuban men - sometimes leading to marriage. What motivates the women? Are the men simply desperate to escape poverty? We tell the intimate stories of several couples and explore whether this is sexual liberation or exploitation.

RESCUE ME
As more urban adventurers seek recreational thrills than ever before, search and rescue teams are pushed to the limit trying to save them. GPS technology - and the assumption that help is just a cell phone call away - have changed the way we play, but the rescue system is chronically underfunded and struggling to keep up with the new demand. Doc Zone follows dramatic searches as they unfold, and finds a rescue system patched together with volunteers who risk their own lives to save others.

NOT CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE
Amidst a growing national outcry about the neglect of mentally ill offenders who are being incarcerated in jails with inadequate psychiatric care, some important issues have been overlooked. What goes on in forensic psychiatric hospitals? How do forensic psychiatrists treat criminals with mental disorders? And how successful is this treatment? This film will examine these issues, taking you inside NCR forensic hospitals to follow the treatment process.

PUTIN'S RUSSIA
The Olympics in Sochi are set to be the crowning achievement in the reign of Vladimir Putin ― a chance to show the world the glory and achievements of Russia under his rule. Vladimir Putin first gained the presidency in 2000. He was credited for bringing stability and riches to Russia after the chaos of the Yeltsin years and by the end of the decade, his popularity had soared. Today, though back in the top job, Putin’s approval ratings have fallen dramatically. Russia and its people are changing, and many believe he is weaker than he has ever been, his regime more fragile than it seems.

OFFICELAND
The open concept office: it can be noisy, distracting, and sometimes smelly… there can be squabbles with co-workers over air conditioning, blinds, food, and the telephone ring tone. Yet the open concept office is becoming the new reality as the nature of work changes. Fewer of us will have a “job for life”. Driven by tough new economic realities, workspaces are downsizing, with more people fitting into smaller areas. The walls are coming down, the doors are being unhinged, and it’s a brave new world. Disciples of the movement claim greater productivity and more worker interaction. Critics point to a rigid, controlled environment where everyone will be under scrutiny.