Popular culture, movies in particular, has given us so many glimpses of the apocalypse that we may think we know exactly what it will look like. The special two-hour program "Jinrui Zero no Mirai" ("A Future of Zero Humanity"; Nihon TV, Mon., 7:56 p.m.) gives us several more, only this time without any people getting in the way.

The premise of the program is a world where human beings have vanished suddenly and completely. The reasons for this extinction is not the show's concern, only its impact on the planet. Based on extensive scientific research, it offers computer generated scenarios of what the Earth would be like one day after people are gone, as well as one year, 100 years, several centuries, and even 1 million years later.

The purpose is to figure out what exactly man's "role" is in relation to nature. Do humans "coexist" with the Earth, or are they simply parasites?