Winter break brings more time to have fun and relax. Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime all have a variety of science documentaries available for streaming. Here are some of my personal favorites that are all available on Netflix.

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“Chasing Coral” was released this year and chronicles the coral worldwide coral bleaching. The filmmakers also tell about the struggle of filming underwater and of creating the technology to capture the bleaching.

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“Chasing Ice” with the same producers as “Chasing Coral” was released in 2012. Time lapse photography of melting glaciers is used to show a visual of the impact of Global Climate Change. This compelling documentary has even prompted people from the oil industry to switch careers.

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“Round Planet” is fairly close the average nature documentary, except for the narration is hilarious. There are ten episodes that are each 25 minutes long, including Arctic, Yellowstone, Oceans, Wildebeest, Madagascar, Penguins, Islands, Great Apes, Forests, and Bears. As expected from the BBC, the shots of various plants, animals and landscapes are phenomenal, and the comedic commentary adds to the experience.

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“Cowspiracy” looks at society’s craving for meat at the expense of the environment. Animal agriculture is one of the main causes of environmental degradation, including deforestation, pollution and production of greenhouse gases from the animals and transporting them. This documentary may be very surprising to some and has even been reported to convert some people into herbivores..

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“Forks Over Knives” has commonly been shown in health and nutrition classes and looks at the negative health implications of animal based and processed foods. T. Colin Campbell, PhD, an American biochemist, is one of the main people in this film. In addition to the health science, he discusses his research that became the book “The China Study,” which was a study completed by Campbell and his son in China on the link between eating animal products and chronic illnesses, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. This documentary drives home what Hippocrates once said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

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“Mission Blue” is about the life and work of oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Earle is on a mission to save the planet, which is told in this part adventure, part call to action for anyone who cares about the fate of the world’s ocean, and therefore the world. The scientists in this documentary work together to build a network of protected marine areas, and this fight is still going on today.

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“The Magic of Mushrooms” looks at the diversity of mushrooms, their life cycle and how researchers are working to identify them. Although relatively short and simple at a little under an hour, the stunning images of the various fungi incites a sense of wonder and awe at this relatively little studied group of organisms.