NOVA

Why Do Birds Sing?

NOVA travels to forests and marshes to discover why birds sing and finds surprising parallels with the acquisition of sp

How Much Do You Smell?

Many insects and some mammals use smell as a primary means of communication. NOVA explains how, for example, the entire

The Hunting Of The Quark

Smashing matter into ever smaller pieces in an attempt to find its fundamental building blocks has produced a confused n

The Secrets Of Sleep

Most of us spend one-third of our lives in a state of which we understand remarkably little—some people sleep for only

Inside the Golden Gate

NOVA joins a team of U.S. Geological Survey scientists on a mission to find out just how San Francisco Bay works: its ph

The Men Who Painted Caves

Just why did Cro-Magnon man living in France's Dordogne Valley some 15,000 years ago take time out from the desperate bu

Red Sea Coral

NOVA joins a group of English biologists living literally on a platform in the middle of the Red Sea, who for several ye

War From the Air

What Time is Your Body?

Have you ever sensed that your body reacts differently at different times of the day? NOVA examines the best and worseti

The Rise And Fall Of DDT

Has the case against DDT been proven? A strange question, perhaps, to be asking one year after the US has banned the ins

Take the World From Another Point of View

NOVA profiles two very different scientists: Richard Feynman, a theoretical physicist, at the pinnacle of his career—a

The Lysenko Affair

NOVA explores T.D. Lynsenko's rise to power in the Soviet Union in the early 20th century, and how it affected plant gen

The Tuaregs

High in the Hoggar Mountains, in the exact center of the Sahara desert, lives Sidi Mohammed and his family: children, gr

The Plutonium Connection

How likely is it that a terrorist group will steal plutonium intended for nuclear reactor fuel and put together a blackm

The Other Way

Since the Industrial Revolution, bigger has been better. NOVA profiles E.F. Schumacher, the author of Small is Beautiful

The Lost World Of The Maya

For over a thousand years the Mayan civilization grew and flourished in the rain forests of Central America. Discovered

Will The Fishing Have to Stop?

Fish is an excellent source of protein; it could help ease the growing international food shortage. But in 1972 the tota

Predictable Disaster

It is now possible to predict earthquakes. At least two successful predictions have already been made in the United Stat

Joey

NOVA takes viewers into the world of Joey Deacon, 54 years old and a spastic since birth. Joey has lived most of his lif

Meditation and the Mind

What do singer Peggy Lee, New York Jets Quarterback Joe Namath and Congressman Richard Nolas have in common? They all pr

The Planets

The last fourteen years have been a revolution in our understanding of our place in the stars, the Solar System. Beginni

A Desert Place

NOVA explores the mysterious ecosystem of the desert: a snowstorm; a lashing summer monsoon; and the emergence—in a po

A Small Imperfection

Every year, some 5,000 babies are born in the US with spina bifida, a congenital abnormality of the central nervous syst

Ninety Degrees Below

There's one place on earth where no one will ever catch a cold. And the freezing waters are so bitter there that a fish

The Race for the Double Helix

Author Isaac Asimov joins NOVA in the retelling of the remarkable story of the discovery of the structure of DNA. James

The Renewable Tree

Each Sunday edition of the New York Times consumes 153 acres of trees. The paper packs, napkins, paper cups and packing

The Williamsburgh File

NOVA joins chief archaeologist, Ivor Noel Hume, of Colonial Williamsburg, VA, for a fascinating glimpse of the lifestyle

The Overworked Miracle

Today we take antibiotics for granted, and by doing so are steadily eroding their medical value. NOVA examines the probl

The Transplant Experiment

Dr. Norman Shumway of Stanford University has performed more heart transplants than any other heart surgeon. NOVA explor

The Underground Movement

NOVA explores life underground, from foxes and badgers through moles and worms down to the myriad of micro-organisms tha

Hunters of the Seal

NOVA shows the Netsilik eskimoes of Pelly Bay and their traditional way of life and what happens when Western civilizati

Benjamin

Benjamin is a healthy, normal baby, whom we meet at birth and whose first year of life provides the backbone of this rev

The Women Rebel

Margaret Sanger was responsible almost single-handedly for changing the whole attitude of the male-dominated medical pro

Death of a Disease

As late as 1967, smallpox struck as many as 15 million people in 43 countries and killed an estimated two or three milli

Inside the Shark

The "Jaws" phenomenon has given sharks a bad name. But is the shark really such a barbarian? NOVA looks at the lifestyle

The Genetic Chance

Recent scientific developments have made it possible to detect a wide variety of defects in unborn babies. NOVA focuses

The Case of the Bermuda Triangle

Since 1945, hundreds of ships and planes and thousands of people have mysteriously disappeared in an area of the Atlanti

Hitler's Secret Weapon

NOVA traces the development of Hitler's V-2 rocket through rare footage obtained from the National Archives—some never

The Hot Blooded Dinosaurs

If you were a dinosaur scientist, what would you do with a pile of fossil bones? How would you even start to put the gia

What Price Coal?

What is the price we are prepared to pay for coal? NOVA looks at the environmental and health safety issues raised by th

The Sunspot Mystery

NOVA explores the research on the 1976 drought in the western United States which led some solar scientists to discover

The Plastic Prison

NOVA follows the lives of three boys who have combined immuned deficiency—a disease that leaves its victims with no im

Incident at Brown's Ferry

NOVA recreates March 1975 at Brown's Ferry, an Alabama nuclear power plant—the largest in the world—that suffered a

Bye Bye Blackbird

NOVA looks at blackbirds, their winter habit of nesting in the millions, and the destruction they do to crops.

The Pill for the People

NOVA profiles chemist Russell Marker who made the birth control pill possible by discovering a synthetic substitute for

The Gene Engineers

NOVA explores the history of genetic engineering and the possible risks and benefits of this area of research

The Human Animal

NOVA investigates the controversial theory of Harvard University biologist E.O. Wilson, that many aspects of human behav

The Wolf Equation

In the winter of 1976-77, 80 percent of the wolf population in Northwest Alaska was the target of aerial hunts. Although

The Dawn of the Solar Age

Solar energy is increasingly popular as a home heating source. But only recently has it been seriously considered as a s

The Business of Extinction

NOVA explores the huge international illegal trade in animals, penetrates the thriving underworld of smugglers and asses

The Red Planet

NOVA traces 300 years of speculation, investigation and discovery that have centered on Mars—particularly the theory t

Tongues of Men (1)

In part one of this two-part exploration of the diversity of world languages, NOVA examines how and why the bewildering

Tongues of Men (2)

In part two of this two-part series on the diversity of language, NOVA explores how man has coped with the confusion of

Linus Pauling: Crusading Scientist

NOVA profiles Linus Pauling—the only person to have received two unshared Nobel Prizes for his work in nuclear weapons

Across the Silent Barrier

NOVA explores the different means by which hearing-impaired people have learned to penetrate the world of the hearing by

The New Healers

NOVA explores the delibitating diseases that are often caused by poverty and follows two paths to health care in Tanzani

In The Event of Catastrophe

Can a nuclear war be survived? Some members of the defense community say yes. NOVA explores the possibility.

The Green Machine

Botany is a neglected science and plants are all around us, but unfamiliar. NOVA examines our state of knowledge of how

Blueprints in the Bloodstream

It has been known since the turn of the century that there are four human blood groups, based on different red cells and

One Small Step

Part one of a two-part series on the subject of man in space, NOVA examines the history of NASA—from the origin of the

The Final Frontier

Second of the two-part series on space programs, NOVA looks ahead to the future, post-Apollo and the role that man in sp

BaMiki BaNdula: Children of the Forest

In the rain forests of Zaire, in the heart of Africa, live the Mbuti Pygmies. The Pygmy way of life has always been extr

Trial of Denton Cooley

In a dramatic docudrama, NOVA reconstructs the controversial lawsuit raised against renowned heart surgeon Dr. Denton Co

The Great Wine Revolution

A science-based revolution in the making of wine is underway. NOVA traces the secrets of the aging process and science's

The Case of the Ancient Astronauts

NOVA investigates the theories of von Daniken and others that the Earth has been visited by intelligent beings from oute

The Mind Machines

Today's scientists may be creating their own successors. Work being done in Artificial Intelligence (AI), a branch of co

Icarus' Children

In the summer of 1977 Paul MacCready, a California scientist and businessman, won the coveted Kremer Prize. His achievem

Still Waters

NOVA shows a year in the life of a beaver pond and includes almost every life form that exists in, on, under, around and

Battle for the Acropolis

The fortified plateau above Athens known as the Acropolis is the site of some of the most remarkable architecture in the

The Road to Happiness. : The Life and Times of Henry Ford

Henry Ford, a great friend of Edison, was a film enthusiast who amassed some one and a half million feet of film during

Laser : Light of the 21st Century

When first invented 18 years ago, lasers were called "a solution looking for a problem;" nobody could think what to do w

Insect Alternative

In a world that each year loses up to 40 percent of its crops to insects, some form of pest control is desperately neede

The Desert's Edge

For thousands of years people have managed to live in deserts all over the world. But in recent years, a growing populat

The Tsetse Trap

NOVA explores Bovine sleeping sickness. Spread by a fly, it is a deadly disease that poses a threat to Africa's cattle.

Memories From Eden

Traditionally zoos were designed neither for people nor animals; barred cages taught people more about their separation

A Whisper from Space

In 1965, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, two radio astronomers at Bell Telephone Laboratories, discovered faint, but eve

Alaska: The Closing Frontier

Congress is currently considering a proposal that would double the size of America's national park system by designating

Black Tide

On the morning of March 16, 1978, the US owned, Liberian registered supertanker, the Amoco Cadiz, went aground off the c

Long Walk Of Fred Young

As a child, Fred Young hunted birds and wild animals with primitive weapons, spoke only the Indian languages Ute and Nav

A World Of Difference

In 1945, B.F. Skinner shocked the world by putting his 13 month-old daughter, Deborah, into a "box." The box was actuall

Cashing In On The Ocean

The bed of the northeast Pacific Ocean is covered with a "carpet" estimated to be worth a staggering ten million dollars

Patterns From The Past

Below the snow-capped peaks of the Peruvian Andes, the Q'eros Indians live a life patterned on that of their ancestors t

The Invisible Flame

Some day hydrogen may replace the gasoline that we are now using up so rapidly. NOVA looks at the potential of hydrogen

The End Of The Rainbow

Is nuclear fusion the solution to the energy crisis? NOVA examines the promise—and problems—of fusion as a future en

The Beersheva Experiment

Health care is the third largest industry in the US. As a result of billions of dollars spent for medical education in t

Einstein

One hundred years after his birth, Albert Einstein remains an enigma to most Americans. NOVA presents an insightful port

The Keys Of Paradise

Some powerful and complex painkilling drugs have just been discovered—in a place where you would least expect to find

A Plague on our Children

Is the chemical industry a boom to modern civilization, or a major threat to our health and that of future generations?

Life on a Silken Thread

Sinister, sometimes even deadly, spiders have little popular appeal; yet their silken webs are among nature's loveliest

Sweet Solutions

NOVA views the history of sugar—from its scientific, religious and political history to its medical controversy.

Race for the Gold

At the 1976 Olympics, East German athletes walked off with 40 of the coveted gold medals, though their country is only t

All Part of the Game

Thousands of amateur athletes are hurt every year, and many professional athletes suffer injuries that may mean the end

India: Machinery of Hope

Most of India lives by the same rhythm, the same tools, as in centuries past. But there is another India—with thriving

The Bridge that Spanned the World

The Iron Bridge across the River Severn in Telford, England is two centuries old this year. It remains a monument to the

Termites to Telescopes

Dr. Philip Morrison, Institute Professor and professor of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presents thi

Blindness: Five Points of Views

For many people the idea of life without vision is as fearful as death. NOVA looks at five people struggling to save the

The Elusive Illness

Aborigines in Australia, woodchucks in Pennsylvania, the Nobel Prize in Stockholm and the gay community in New York City

A is for Atom, B is for Bomb

NOVA profiles Dr. Edward Teller, the "Father of the Hydrogen Bomb," an acclaimed scientific genius and brilliant theoret

Living Machines

NOVA explores the science of natural engineering and asks the basic questions: what makes a good design in nature and wh

Portrait of a Killer

More than 40 million Americans are afflicted by cardiovascular disease. NOVA examines the new information on risk factor

Umealit: The Whale Hunters

Whaling is an integral part of Eskimo life, and a major source of food; even so, conservationists are seeking to restric

The Safety Factor

Recent aircraft accidents have raised the question of just how safe modern commercial aviation really is. NOVA looks at

A Mediterranean Prospect

Every year, millions of tourists converge on the Mediterranean's sunny coasts, lured by the prospect of bathing in clear

Mr. Ludwig's Tropical Dreamland

NOVA explores the amazing Jari project of the Amazon basin. Eleven years ago, 3.5 million acres of virgin jungle were bo

The Pinks and the Blues

NOVA explores the shaping and molding of the male and female personality. From infancy through childhood, the program do

The Cancer Detectives of Lin Xian

In one of the first films ever to come out of modern China, NOVA sifts through clues that Chinese scientists have uncove

The Sea Behind the Dunes

One year in the intricate life of a coastal lagoon unfolds in an hour's time when NOVA documents the fragile tidal ecosy

Do We Really Need the Rockes?

Locked in the shale of the Western Rocky Mountains is more oil than in the Middle East—more than enough to solve our d

The Big IF

Is interferon—known as IF in medical shorthand—the wonder drug and cure for cancer that some doctors claim? NOVA tra

Voyager: Jupiter & Beyond

On Wednesday, 12 November 1980, Voyager 1 is expected to arrive at Saturn for a first time ever extensive close-up inves

The Wizard Who Spat on the Floor

Thomas Edison is the quintessential American hero, the Wizard whose inventions revolutionized modern living. But there w

The Water Crisis

Water, water everywhere...but just how useful is it? NOVA travels to the Adirondack Mountains where acid rain is killing

Moving Still

NOVA tells the story of still and cine photography in science—from the extraordinary work of the pioneers in the early

A Touch of Sensitivity

The exquisite sensitivity of touch cells in the human skin makes it possible for us to discriminate with precision the s

The Red Deer of Rhum

The cuddly image of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has become an integral part of the jollity of the Christmas season. N

It's About Time

Time—a concept which has baffled scientists and philosophers since time immemorial. Actor Dudley Moore hosts a funny,

Doctors of Nigeria

Is the fagara root a match for the stethoscope? This program looks at the contributions of both traditional herbal medic

Message in the Rocks

This program explores clues gathered from ancient rocks and Meteorites in an attempt to piece together how our planet fo

The Dead Sea Lives

NOVA examines the Dead Sea. The lowest place on Earth, at 1400 feet below sea level, it is jointly owned by Israel and J

Anatomy of a Volcano

When Mount St. Helens erupted earlier this year, it focused the attention of the whole world on the almost incredible de

The Science of Murder

NOVA investigates what science can do in helping to solve murder—in understanding why it occurs, and how the rate migh

The Malady of Health Care

Health care is no longer two Aspirins and some chicken soup—it is a huge enterprise capable of amazing feats and costi

Beyond the Milky Way

Sophisticated instruments used by astronomers enable earthlings to see beyond what was once the cloudy barrier of the Mi

The Asteroid and the Dinosaur

For 150 million years, non-avian dinosaurs dominated the Earth. Then, 65 million years ago, they suddenly vanished, alon

Animal Olympians

The beauty, endurance, and raw power of animals in the wild are captured on film as NOVA juxtaposes Olympic athletes per

Resolution on Saturn

It's over 300 years since Galileo turned his new telescope on Saturn and first saw its spectacular rings. NOVA shows the

Computers, Spies and Private Lives

NOVA reports on the potential danger of modern Computers that gather "routine" information about our daily lives as we b

Why America Burns

More people die in fires in the US than in any other industrialized country. In an alarming report that challenges the c

The Great Violin Mystery

A great secret lies locked inside the master Violins created by Italian craftsmen like Antonio Stradivari in the 17th an

Cosmic Fire

A NOVA showing the extraordinary discoveries of X-ray astronomy. This new science has revealed that our universe is much

Locusts: War Without End

Called the "teeth of the wind" by those who have battled them for centuries, locusts continue to plague hundreds of mill

Did Darwin Get It Wrong?

The controversy which exploded a century ago when Charles Darwin published "The Origin of Species" is erupting again wit

Artists in the Lab

Many were delighted by the extraordinary special effects in movies like "2001" and "Star Wars," but few realized how the

Notes of a Biology Watcher: A Film with Lewis Thomas

You are not alone! Like it or not, every human being and virtually every living creature is, in a sense, owned and opera

City Spaces, Human Places

William H. Whyte's insightful and humorous look at city parks, plazas and Streets, and the people who use them. Whyte sh

Twins

Ever thought what it's like having your mirror image talk back to you? It can be an everyday occurrence for identical Tw

Salmon on the Run

NOVA captures the breathtaking power and determination of these amazing creatures and examines how business and technolo

Test-Tube Babies: A Daughter For Judy

NOVA presents a dramatic, exclusive film of the first "test-tube" baby born in America, Elizabeth Jordan Carr. NOVA foll

Field Guide to Roger Tory Peterson

NOVA takes an intimate look at Roger Tory Peterson, the man whose best-selling guide books to ornithology have played a

The Hunt for the Legion Killer

One of the biggest investigations in medical history began when a mysterious killer disease broke out during independenc

Finding a Voice

What is it like not to be able to communicate with others? NOVA explores the severest of speech disabilities with Dick B

The Television Explosion

NOVA explores the past, present, and future of American television including the potential of cable, the Columbus, Ohio,

Life: Patent Pending

NOVA shows how scientists go about creating new forms of life, and investigates the impact of the gene bonanza on indust

Palace of Delights

NOVA visits San Francisco's Exploratorium—part laboratory, part school, part three-ring circus—run by an unlikely co

Animal Impostors

In this vivid study of mimicry and camouflage NOVA shows dramatically how snakes, butterflies, fish, turtles and many ot

Aging: The Methuselah Syndrome

What is aging? Why does it happen? Can it be stopped? NOVA presents a startling report on research into the processes wh

The Case of the UFOs

For the first time on television a rigorous, scientific investigation into the fact, fiction, and hoax of Unidentified f

The Fragile Mountain

The Himalayas, highest peaks in the world, are crumbling. People are making them crumble, and people are the victims, as

Here's Looking At You Kid

Of the 70,000 Americans hospitalized annually for severe Burns, one-third are children. NOVA tells the story of extraord

Adventures of Teenage Scientists

NOVA introduces some of the winners of the 1982 Westinghouse Science Talent Search: high school students whose interests

The Cobalt Blues

An investigative report on US dependence on foreign sources of strategic minerals, vital to the aerospace and steel indu

Goodbye Louisiana

NOVA reports on the staggering water problems of Southern Louisiana—where the mighty Mississippi is threatening to cha

Whale Watch

NOVA follows the great grey whales along their annual marathon migration from the Arctic to the Mexican coast and reveal

Tracking The Supertrains

While America's passenger-train service deteriorates, trains in Japan and Europe are speeding ahead at over 150 miles pe

The Making of a Natural History Film

To celebrate its 10th broadcast season, NOVA repeats the very first NOVA program every aired, a fascinating and delightf

Hawaii: Crucible of Life

This land of fire and beauty is the most isolated island chain in the world. NOVA cameras uncover an extraordinary world

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

NOVA captivates a remarkably candid portrait of Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, a man of few pretensions

Lassa Fever

A gripping docudrama about a mysterious, highly lethal disease which struck a village in Nigeria in 1969, and the frustr

The Miracle of Life

NOVA presents the first film ever made of the incredible chain of events which turns a sperm and an egg into a newborn b

Asbestos: A Lethal Legacy

Every 58 minutes between now and the end of the century, one American will die from asbestos exposure. NOVA turns its sp

City of Coral

NOVA takes a spellbinding voyage through one of the world's most fascinating and colorful ecosystems: a coral reef, wher

Fat Chance in a Thin World

"Why can't I lose weight?" It's a question many Americans ask themselves everyday. NOVA comes up with some surprising an

Sixty Minutes to Meltdown

The accident at Three Mile Island made front page news all over the world and rocked the entire nuclear power industry.

Signs of the Apes, Songs of the Whales

The dream of talking with animals has been with us for centuries. NOVA explores the latest research, from language exper

The Artificial Heart

Seattle dentist Barney Clark received the first artificial heart implant in 1982. He died in March 1983, having survived

Talking Turtle

NOVA looks at computers in the classroom through the eyes of MIT's Seymour Papert, father of the Turtle—a computerized

Papua New Guinea: Anthropology on Trial

Remote tribes and exotic islanders have been made known to the world through the lens of anthropology. But in recent yea

To Live Until You Die: The Work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross has become a legend in her lifetime for her work with the dying. For the first time on Americ

A Magic Way of Going: The Story of Thoroughbreds

Can the thoroughbred horse run any faster? NOVA examines the billion-dollar horse racing industry in its search for the

A Normal Face: The Wonders of Plastic Surgery

When plastic surgeons repair the shattered face of a soldier or rescue a child from a disfiguring disease, the victory i

Captives of Care

Patients at an Australian institution for the severely handicapped rebel against a pair of over-zealous custodians. This

Twenty-Five Years in Space

As the American space program celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, NOVA chronicles the effects of the space age on

Nuclear Strategy for Beginners

Will nuclear weapons deter World War III or only make it more likely? NOVA explores the military strategies of the nucle

The Climate Crisis

This summer's record temperatures may be one of the signs that the earth's atmosphere is warming up. NOVA looks at the c

Eyes Over China

NOVA documents a dramatic encounter in international medicine when an American plane lands in China—equipped with a st

Alcoholism: Life Under The Influence

In a culture laced with alcohol, the search for a scientific understanding of alcoholism is as complex as the disease. I

The Case of ESP

In the past decade, a number of researchers have begun systematic laboratory research into extrasensory perception—ESP

Antarctica: Earth's Last Frontier

An astronaut once observed a great white light shining out from the bottom of our world: Antarctica, the ice-covered con

China's Only Child

Efforts to control the population explosion are among the burning controversies of our time. NOVA looks at the one-child

Will I Walk Again?

Is there a cure for paralyzing spinal injuries? Most neurosurgeons are doubtful, pointing to the central nervous system'

Visions of the Deep: The Underwater World of Al Giddings

Al Giddings is one of the greatest underwater photographers in the world. In a riveting look at the unearthly beauties a

Down on the Farm

Agriculture is America's biggest industry. This productivity, envied around the world, is also depleting the most essent

Make My People Live: The Crisis in Indian Health Care

What are America's obligations to its native population? As an important Indian health act comes up for renewal in Congr

The World According to Weisskopf

Victor Weisskopf: physicist, lover of music and citizen of the world. NOVA profiles the international statesman of scien

Space Bridge to Moscow

At a time when scientific exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union is at its lowest since the 1950s, a sp

The National Science Test I

NOVA departs from tradition with the first National Science Test. Viewers can match wits with celebrity panelists Jane A

Fountains of Paradise

NOVA explores the billion-dollar-plus Mahaweli Irrigation Project in Sri Lanka. Will this high-risk project prove to be

The Mystery of Yellow Rain

NOVA explores whether "yellow rain," described by members of the Hmong tribe of Laos, is a form of chemical warfare—or

The Nomads of the Rain Forest

NOVA visits a tribe of Ecuadoran Indians who still maintain traditions that date back to the Stone Age—thirty years af

Farmers of the Sea

NOVA looks at the "blue revolution"—modern advances in the ancient art of raising aquatic animals and plants—in the

Frontiers of Plastic Surgery

NOVA's sequel to "A Normal Face" examines the merging of technology and art in modern reconstruction and cosmetic surgic

Space Women

They have been part of the United States' space program for more than 20 years. Who are these talented, courageous women

Jaws: The True Story

Acclaimed underwater cameraman Al Giddings takes NOVA viewers beneath the waves to explore the fact and fiction surround

Acid Rain: New Bad News

The debate over acid rain continues to grow. NOVA travels to West Germany, the mid-Atlantic states and New England to ex

Stephen Jay Gould: This View of Life

What do dinosaurs, a panda's thumb and a peacock's tail have in common? Dr. Stephen Jay Gould, the internationally renow

The Garden of Inheritance

In this docudrama presentation, NOVA looks at the life, times and work of Gregor Mendel, the 19th century Augustinian fr

Edgerton and His Incredible Seeing Machines

NOVA explores the fascinating world of Dr. Harold Edgerton, electronics wizard and inventor extraordinaire, whose invent

Global Village

NOVA presents an in-depth look at India's attempt to use satellite technology to leapfrog into the era of space-age comm

Conquest of the Parasites

NOVA examines the complex world of parasites, parasitic diseases and the exciting work currently being done by a new bre

In the Land of the Polar Bears

A rare look at the beautiful and desolate Wrangel Island-a Soviet possession 300 miles off the coast of Alaska-as seen t

AIDS: Chapter One

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, is a deadly disease that has struck down some 2,000 people in the four yea

The Shape of Things

Sea shells, Crystals, Honeycombs, Eggs and seeds: They are shaped the way they are for a reason. NOVA takes viewers on a

Baby Talk

It's a mystery just how children acquire language. Does the process begin in the womb? And which comes first, language o

The Mathematical Mystery Tour

Imagine a bottle with no inside or a number bigger than infinity or parallel lines that meet. Welcome to the world of pu

Child's Play: Prodigies and Possibilities

What do Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the painter Raphael and chess champion Bobby Fischer have in common? They were all chil

Monarch of the Mountains

NOVA explores the breeding, migration and survival patterns of the Rocky Mountain elk in a unique film, made totally und

The National Science Test II

In NOVA's special sequel to 1984's National Science Test, viewers can match wits with celebrity panelists David Attenbor

Seeds of Tomorrow

NOVA examines worldwide efforts of scientists who employ aggressive agricultural technologies to ensure food for the fut

What Einstein Never Knew

Albert Einstein did not live to find the answer. NOVA follows a new generation of physicists in their search to explain

The Robot Revolution?

How are the computer and the robot affecting the way we work? NOVA chronicles the new industrial revolution reshaping th

The Magic of Special Effects

NOVA cameras go behind-the-scenes to reveal the new art of illusion, Hollywood-style, focusing on three blockbuster film

Child Survival: The Silent Emergency

NOVA charts the progress of an ambitious worldwide health program established to save the lives of millions of children

Tornado!

NOVA follows a chase team—a group of scientists who chart deadly Tornadoes—in an effort to learn more about predicti

The Genetic Gamble

NOVA examines current research and its ethical implications as modern medicine confronts the era of human gene therapy.

Animal Architects

NOVA examines the intricate world of nature's construction industry and presents rare footage of unusual habits.

The Plane that Changed the World

NOVA joins the 50th anniversary celebration of the DC-3—the plane that revolutionized commercial air travel, served ga

Halley's Comet: Once in a Lifetime

NOVA observes worldwide preparations as amateur comet hunters, astronomers and scientists armed with specialized cameras

Goddess of the Earth

Gaia, the Greek word for Earth goddess, also is the name of the controversial hypothesis that life on Earth controls the

Horsemen of China

For centuries, the Chinese Kazakh horseman preserved their ancient traditions, refusing to be dominated by either the Ch

Life's First Feelings

NOVA explores the incredibly complex emotional development of infants and examines the current theory that early childho

The Case of the Frozen Addict

In July 1982, a 42-year-old addict in a San Jose, California jail became paralyzed—unable to move or talk. His symptom

Toxic Trials

When a high number of cancer cases struck the suburban community of Woburn, Massachusetts, the town mobilized to investi

Skydive to the Rain Forest

NOVA journeys to a remote region of southern Venezuela where the land is alive with spectacular waterfalls, colored by e

Return of the Osprey

NOVA follows a conservation success story as environmentalists, scientists and bird-lovers fight to save the majestic Os

The Rise of a Wonder Drug

When Alexander Fleming discovered the penicillin mold in 1928, he never considered its possible therapeutic value. NOVA

When Wonder Drugs Don't Work

NOVA examines the medical community's alarm as the spread of antibiotic-resistant infection increases, and studies how o

Visions of Star Wars

NOVA and Frontline combine resources to explore the Strategic Defense Initiative. The two-hour documentary contains the

The Search for the Disappeared

NOVA joins scientists in Argentina as they help locate kidnapped children and identify thousands of dead in the aftermat

The Planet that Got Knocked on its Side

The adventures of the Voyager 2 spacecraft continue as it passes the rings of Uranus. Scientists suspect that violent ev

High-Tech Babies

Scientific breakthroughs now make it possible to reproduce ourselves in ways never before imagined. NOVA looks at the me

Can AIDS Be Stopped?

What are the prospects for halting or curing the deadliest epidemic ever to challenge modern medicine? NOVA finds cause

Is Anybody Out There?

Could there be life beyond Earth? Only recently has it become possible to scan the skies in a systematic attempt to find

Mystery of the Animal Pathfinders

Birds do it; bees do it, butterflies, bats and eels do it—all leave one habitat to migrate to another, often thousands

Are You Swimming in a Sewer?

NOVA dips into the sad plight of our coastal waters, where toxic chemicals, raw sewage and disease-carrying microbes are

Sail Wars!

Yankee ingenuity has designs on the America's Cup. NOVA goes behind-the-scenes to look at the engineering effort to desi

Leprosy Can Be Cured!

Leprosy, a misunderstood disease that has been curable for 40 years, still afflicts some 12 million people. NOVA looks a

How Babies Get Made

NOVA explores the ground-breaking experiments that led to the discovery of a tiny sequence of molecules—and more clues

Countdown to the Invisible Universe

NOVA scans the universe with the infrared eye of IRAS—the Infrared Astronomical Satellite—and discovers never-before

Children of Eve

NOVA examines a controversial theory that traces our ancestry to a small group of women living in Africa 300,000 years a

Why Planes Crash

Between 60 and 80 percent of all commercial airplane accidents are attributable to pilot error. NOVA looks at some shock

Orangutans of the Rain Forest

NOVA cameras travel to Borneo, one of the last habitats of the wild orangutans, where scientists study the endangered ap

Freud Under Analysis

Fifty years after his death, the creator of psychoanalysis is still the subject of intense debate. Was Freud right or wr

The Hole in the Sky

NOVA travels to Antarctica with an emergency scientific expedition to study a baffling "hole" in the Earth's protective

Confessions of a Weaponeer

Harvard chemist George Kistiakowsky was an anti-Bolshevik soldier in 1919 Russia, an atomic bomb scientist at Los Alamos

Great Moments from NOVA

NOVA presents two hours of the best from its 14 seasons of exciting science coverage. A "talking" chimp, an exploding vo

Will the World Starve?

All over the world, farmers are taking more from the soil than they return. NOVA reports on the soil crisis in world agr

The Desert Doesn't Bloom Here Anymore

In rich and poor countries alike, once-productive farms are turning to desert because of mismanagement of water resource

Rocky Road to Jupiter

In a case study of the strengths and weaknesses of the United States space program, NOVA chronicles the ambitious and lo

Death of a Star

Why do stars explode and how is the energy generated? What is the effect of all those little “aftermath” particles f

Spy Machines

On the 25th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, NOVA investigates the spy planes and satellites that played a criti

Hidden Power of Plants

Plants produce some of the world's most potent chemicals in the fight against disease. NOVA follows the urgent efforts t

Japan's American Genius

Is Detroit inventor Stanford Ovshinsky the new Thomas Edison? Japanese industries are betting that the genius behind amo

A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama

The Panama Canal opened in 1914 after a 30-year effort that dwarfed the building of the pyramids. Historian David McCull

Volcano!

Millions live in the shadows of nature's ticking time-bombs—volcanos. NOVA accompanies scientists who are developing n

How Good is Soviet Science?

Princeton professor and author Robert Mark tracks down the engineering secrets of some of the beautiful buildings in the

Ancient Treasures from the Deep

NOVA joins underwater archaeologists as they explore the oldest shipwreck ever excavated, a richly-laden merchant vessel

Riddle of the Joints

A trail of evidence leading from a medieval abbey to a small town in Connecticut sheds new light on rheumatoid arthritis

Secrets of the Lost Red Paint People

NOVA follows archaeologists as they unearth clues, some 7,000 years old, about an unknown, mysterious and advanced sea-f

Top Gun and Beyond

Today's sophisticated fighter jets can almost fly themselves, but well-trained pilots are still needed to win air battle

How to Create a Junk Food

Julia Child introduces NOVA's behind-the-scenes look at how science aids in the creation of snack foods.

Buried in Ice

Scientists investigate the frozen remains of members of the 19th century Franklin Expedition to the Canadian Arctic and

Why Planes Burn

Airplane fires are often deadly. NOVA looks at efforts to make fires aboard planes less likely and more survivable.

Battles in the War on Cancer: A Wonder Drug on Trial

In part one of a two-part special presentation, NOVA reports on the trials to determine whether the new drug Interleukin

Battles in the War on Cancer: Turning the Tide

Breast cancer claims the lives of four American women every hour. Jane Pauley of NBC News hosts and narrates this NOVA r

The Mystery of the Master Builders

Princeton professor and author Robert Mark tracks down the engineering secrets of some of the beautiful buildings in the

Whale Rescue

It was a blustery day in December 1986, and the New England Coast was in the midst of a winter storm, accompanied by str

The Man Who Loved Numbers

NOVA explores the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a poor clerk from India who astounded mathematicians in the 1910s with hi

Race for the Superconductor

NOVA charts an electronics revolution in the making as Japan and the United States race to develop a material that will

Can You Still Get Polio?

Most cases of polio in this country are caused by the vaccine designed to prevent it. NOVA examines the controvery surro

Pioneers of Surgery: The Brutal Craft

Part one of a four-part series on the pioneers of modern surgery relives the early days, when surgery was practiced with

Pioneers of Surgery: Into the Heart

Once unthinkable, open-heart surgery is now an everyday miracle. NOVA looks at the brave doctors and patients who make i

Pioneers of Surgery: New Organs for Old

From kidneys to hearts, NOVA examines the daring attempts to replace diseased organs with transplanted ones.

Pioneers of Surgery: Beyond the Knife

Surgeons have always been eager to help patients, even at the risk of killing them. NOVA looks at some of the excesses o

Can the Vatican Save the Sistine Chapel?

Science meets art in the controversial effort to restore Michelangelo's famous Sistine Chapel frescoes.

Can the Next President Win the Space Race?

Thirty years after Sputnik, the United States space program is mired in uncertainty, while the Russians, Europeans, Japa

Do Scientists Cheat?

NOVA examines the troubling question of scientific fraud: How prevalent is it? Who commits it? And what happens when the

Who Shot President Kennedy?

Using previously unavailable technology, NOVA probes the available evidence surrounding the 1963 assassination of John F

The Light Stuff

Reliving a Greek myth takes an effort of mythic proportions, as NOVA reveals in its behind-the-scenes report of a human

The All-American Bear

The life of the shy, intelligent black bear in the wild—foraging, mating, playing and constantly preparing for its rem

Can We Make a Better Doctor?

NOVA embarks on a 10-year project to profile—in its entirety—the education of a doctor. In the premiere episode, we

Hot Enough for You?

Was the searing summer of 1988 a taste of things to come? NOVA looks at the greenhouse effect, which portends higher tem

The Last Journey of a Genius

NOVA looks at the bongo-playing scientist, adventurer, safecracker and yarn-spinner Richard Feynman, most recently famou

The Strange New Science of Chaos

NOVA explains "chaos," a new science that is making surprising sense out of chaotic phenomena in nature, from the weathe

Back to Chernobyl

NOVA goes to the Soviet Union for an inside investigation of the world's most catastrophic nuclear power accident with c

God, Darwin and the Dinosaurs

In an Idaho classroom, teacher Phil Gerrish puts an unorthodox interpretation on the day's biology lesson. As students t

Adrift on the Gulf Stream

NOVA explores the importance of the Gulf Stream to ocean life, climate and human history.

Secrets of Easter Island (1)

In this two-part series, NOVA investigates the mystery of Easter Island in the South Pacific. Who built its celebrated s

Legends of Easter Island (2)

In the second part of this two-part series, NOVA explores ancient legends hold the clues to the violent history of the S

The World Is Full of Oil!

Scientific detectives test their ingenuity in the effort to find underground oil deposits.

Confronting the Killer Gene

Arlo, Nancy and Janice each have a 50/50 chance of developing a devastating nerve disorder. A laboratory test can tell t

The Hidden City

Actor Judd Hirsch narrates this behind-the scenes look at what makes New York City tick. Water, power and waste are the

The Controversial Dr. Koop

In this profile of the former Surgeon General, NOVA follows events as they unfold in a unique behind-the-scenes account

Design Wars!

Five architects compete for the approval of architecture-obsessed Chicagoans in the contest to build the city's new publ

Echoes of War

The atomic bomb might have ended World War II, but radar was the quiet miracle that won battles. NOVA tells the little-k

Decoding the Book of Life

Biologists around the world gear up to decode the three-billion-letter genetic message that describes how humans are mad

Hurricane!

NOVA studies hurricanes—the lurking giants waiting to destroy many coastal areas—by flying straight into one. Scient

Will Venice Survive Its Rescue?

Increasingly awash in high water, the romantic city of Venice is counting on high-tech floodgates to save it from drowni

What Is Music?

East and West came into direct conflict over trade and power in the 19th century. The West won. NOVA explores how Japan

Yellowstone's Burning Question

The 1988 Yellowstone fire may have been one of the worst in human memory, but nature has had eons of experience with suc

The Schoolboys Who Cracked the Soviet Secret

NOVA re-enacts a classic case of classroom detection when English schoolboys track down a secret Soviet launch site. Doc

Poison in the Rockies

NOVA reports on the 100-year-old legacy of pollution from mining that poisons the once-pristine waters of the Rocky Moun

Race for the Top

Using some of the largest machines ever built on earth, American and European physicists race to discover one of the mos

Disguises of War

Sixty-five years after attempts to ban them, chemical weapons pose more of a threat than ever. NOVA looks at the problem

The Bomb's Lethal Legacy

NOVA examines an alarming nuclear waste problem at the Hanfrod Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington state, where 45

The Big Spill

Covering last year's Exxon Valdez oil spill from an unexplored angle, NOVA focuses on how technology failed in preventin

The Genius That Was China: Rise of the Dragon

China in the 13th century was the richest, most powerful, most technologically advanced civilization on earth. NOVA look

The Genius That Was China: Empires in Collision

NOVA examines the extraordinary transformation that propelled Europe outward into the world from the 15th to 18th centur

The Genius that Was China: The Threat from Japan

Ever wonder how junk mail finds you? NOVA investigates the hidden world of direct marketing, pointing out how advertiser

The Genius That Was China: Will the Dragon Rise Again?

NOVA covers China's long road to economic and technological equality with the West, punctuated by frequent setbacks such

The KGB, The Computer and Me

This documentary covers the surprising tale of an average systems administrator who stumbled upon a KGB spy operation. C

Neptune's Cold Fury

NOVA visits Neptune, the planet that took Voyager 12 years to reach. Mysteries abound in and around this big, blue world

To Boldly Go...

NOVA chronicles the Voyager space mission—from Earth to the ends of the solar system. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and doze

Poisoned Winds of War

Sixty-five years after attempts to ban them, chemical weapons pose more of a threat than ever. NOVA looks at the problem

The Blimp is Back!

NOVA examines the troubled past and promising future of blimps, zeppelins, cyclocranes and other species of airships. Th

Earthquake!

NOVA looks at the high-stakes quest to predict earthquakes. Despite past disappointments, geologists still hope to divin

Killing Machines

Robotic weapons that seek out and destroy ships, planes, and other targets are the wave of the future. NOVA questions wh

Can the Elephant Be Saved?

Is the ivory ban in the elephant's best interest? NOVA looks at the controversial strategies to save the world's largest

We Know Where You Live

Ever wonder how junk mail finds you? NOVA investigates the hidden world of direct marketing, pointing out how advertiser

In the Land of the Llamas

NOVA profiles the llama, alpaca, vicuna and guanaco of South America. At one time nearly extinct, these four members of

What's Killing the Children?

NOVA tracks a mysterious disease that suddenly and fatally attacks the children of a small Brazilian town. Researchers f

Return to Mt. St. Helens

NOVA returns to Mount St. Helens a decade after its cataclysmic eruption to learn how nature is recovering from the disa

ConFusion in a Jar

An experiment that could mean limitless supplies of energy sets the scientific world on its head. NOVA covers the cold f

The Hunt for China's Dinosaurs (1)

NOVA covers the most elaborate expedition ever undertaken in the search for dinosaurs—to China's Gobi desert. Paleonto

Case of the Flying Dinosaur

Are dinosaurs still among us? NOVA looks at the contentious question of whether present-day birds are dinosaurs. Over th

T. rex Exposed

Tyrannosaurus rex, the terrifying kind of the dinos, recently turned up in a nearly complete skeleton in Montana. NOVA f

The Russian Right Stuff: The Invisible Spaceman

In the first program of a three-part miniseries on the Soviet space program, NOVA profiles the mysterious genius behind

The Russian Right Stuff: The Dark Side of the Moon

NOVA reveals the details of Moscow's secret plan to reach the moon ahead of the Americans. Was Neil Armstrong's "giant l

The Russian Right Stuff: The Mission

In an unprecedented insider's look, NOVA covers the training, flight and recovery of a cosmonaut crew that visits the So

Swimming With Whales

Gregory Peck narrates a scientific voyage around Vancouver Island in search of whales. Humpbacks, Killers, Grays and oth

The Chip vs. the Chess Master

Will machines be able to beat us at our own game? The computer chess champ matches wits with the human world titleholder

Sex, Lies and Toupee Tape

NOVA covers the causes and attempted cures of baldness. Some men take pride in their bald heads; others will go to great

So You Want to Be a Doctor?

In a two-hour special, NOVA follows seven aspiring doctors through four years of medical school. The first examination,

Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Forty years after they were discovered, the Dead Sea Scrolls have yet to be published in their entirety. NOVA looks at t

Suicide Mission to Chernobyl

NOVA accompanies Soviet scientists on a deadly mission inside the sarcophagus-the massive structure that entombs the Che

Taller Than Everest?

The tallest mountain in the world? Think again—cartographers had to when satellite date revealed a peak called "K2" mi

Fastest Planes in the Sky

The fastest machines in the sky are going to be slow stuff when the latest speed demons on the drawing board take to the

Avoiding the Surgeon's Knife

NOVA follows the efforts of four participants in a celebrated California study to unblock arteries without using drugs o

Skyscraper! A NOVA Special

This 80-minute NOVA pledge special chronicles the building of the Worldwide Plaza, 47-story office tower in midtown Manh

The Fine Art of Faking It

The spectacular eclipse of 1991 passed over major observatories on the island of Hawaii. NOVA was there for 6 1/2 minute

Hell Fighters of Kuwait

NOVA covers the fight to put out Saddam Hussein's bonfire of oil wells in Kuwait, which has created the worst manmade po

Submarine!

NOVA takes a voyage on the newest of America's doomsday machines—the ballistic missle submarine USS Michigan. The Cold

Saddam's War on Wildlife

Few people give any thought to wildlife in the midst of a war. During the Gulf War, environmentalist John Walsh did his

What Smells?

The nose knows. How much is the subject of NOVA's investigation of the mysterious aromas and hidden messages picked up b

Can You Believe TV Ratings?

Rating the audience for TV shows is a classic problem in statistical analysis. NOVA finds that ratings are getting more

Making a Dishonest Buck

Criminals still make money the old-fashioned way—by counterfeiting. NOVA looks at why US currency is so easy to fake a

Rescuing Baby Whales

NOVA examines the mysterious whale strandings along the beaches of Cape Cod Bay, as the puzzling behavior becomes more c

An Astronaut's View of the Earth

NOVA goes behind the scenes to watch the filming of a big-screen Imax/Omnimax space spectacle. Astronauts operate the ca

Eclipse of the Century

The spectacular eclipse of 1991 passed over major observatories on the island of Hawaii. NOVA was there for 6 1/2 minute

Animal Olympians II

In a 90-minute special presentation, NOVA reveals the ancient secrets of how the pyramids were built by actually buildin

The Genius Behind the Bomb

Physicists Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard reenact the signing of the 1939 letter that alerted President Franklin Roosev

Mind of a Serial Killer

NOVA goes behind the scenes to give the real story behind the FBI unit popularized in the Academy Award-winning film, Th

Search for the First Americans

NOVA follows the trail of America's first inhabitants. Did they migrate across a Bering Sea land bridge at the end of th

Rafting Through the Grand Canyon

NOVA explores Earth's greatest natural wonder by rafting down the river that created it, repeating the spectacular first

This Old Pyramid

In a 90-minute special presentation, NOVA reveals the ancient secrets of how the pyramids were built by actually buildin

Iceman

Five thousand years ago, a man perished in a mountain storm. In 1991, his frozen body was found along with artifacts of

Private Lives of Dolphins

NOVA delves into the deep sea drama of life among the dolphins at research stations in Florida and Australia. Like human

Brain Transplant

Two paralyzed drug addicts travel to Sweden to receive a revolutionary treatment for brain disease that is largely unava

Can You Stop People From Drinking?

NOVA looks at how Russia and the United States are attacking the intractable problem of alcohol abuse with old and new w

Sex and the Single Rhino

NOVA examines the high-tech efforts to preserve the world's animal diversity. Noah needed only an ark—but today's cons

The Hunt for Saddam's Secret Weapons

In a 90-minute special presentation, NOVA reveals the ancient secrets of how the pyramids were built by actually buildin

Can Bombing Win a War?

The Gulf War was fought in 38 days of non-stop bombing and four days of swift ground action. Did bombing win it? NOVA lo

The Deadly Deception

For four decades, 400 African American men from Macon, Alabama were unwitting participants in a government study of untr

Nazis and the Russian Bomb

NOVA tells the story of the German scientists abducted to the Soviet Union after World War II to help build an atomic bo

In the Path of a Killer Volcano

NOVA covers scientists on the brink of a sputtering, shaking, impatient volcano, trying to forecast when it will go off.

Can Science Build a Champion Athlete?

Athletes are training smarter, running faster, jumping higher and generally outperforming their predecessors—thanks to

Diving for Pirate Gold

These days, piracy on the high seas often involves sonar, magnometers, metal detectors and other high-tech equipment for

Murder, Rape and DNA

Wherever we shed our body cells, we leave an indisputable identity card: our DNA. NOVA investigates the new science of D

The Lost Tribe

NOVA covers both sides of the stormy controversy over the Tasaday tribe. When these isolated cave dwellers were discover

The NOVA Quiz

NOVA fans from around the country match wits in a fast-paced contest of general science knowledge celebrating NOVA's 20t

Wanted: Butch and Sundance

Forensic sleuth Clyde Snow and a posse of experts travel to Bolivia in search of the remains of Butch Cassidy and the Su

Secrets of the Psychics

Secrets of the Psychics was a PBS NOVA episode following James Randi's work. Also appearing in stock footage are Peter P

Dying to Breathe

NOVA covers the tense vigil of three people with terminal lung disease as they await the most complex of all organ trans

Shadow of the Condor

NOVA soars with the condor, an extraordinary bird that lives a tenuous existence in the California mountains and the And

The Real Jurassic Park

With help from director Steven Spielberg, author Michael Crichton and a host of scientific experts , NOVA investigates w

Roller Coaster!

NOVA takes viewers on the ride of their lives as it explores the science of roller coasters, where physics and psycholog

Mysterious Crash of Flight 201

US federal investigators are called in to determine the cause of a mysterious jetliner crash in Panama. Nothing about th

Great Moments from NOVA

Bill Cosby guides viewers through the most exciting footage from two decades of NOVA in a 20th anniversary salute. Real-

The Best Mind Since Einstein

A profile of the late Richard Feynman—atomic bomb pioneer, Nobel prize-winning physicist, acclaimed teacher and all-ar

Stranger in the Mirror

NOVA explores the nature of human perception through the puzzling condition called visual agnosia, the inability to reco

Codebreakers

NOVA delves into the history of secret communications and the people who wrack their brains to decipher them. The progra

Dinosaurs of the Gobi

Velociraptors and primitive birds are among the fabulous fossil finds as NOVA accompanies an American Museum of Natural

Daredevils of the Sky

NOVA follows members of the US Aerobatic Team as they prepare for and compete in the 1992 World Aerobatic Championship.

Journey to Kilimanjaro

NOVA explores ice-capped mountains-on the equator. These African giants are magical islands of life towering above the s

Can Chimps Talk?

NOVA covers exciting and controversial research with chimpanzees who have been trained to express themselves with human

In Search of Human Origins, Part One

In the first of a three-part series, noted anthropologist Donald Johanson probes the earliest ancestors of the human spe

In Search of Human Origins, Part Two

Anthropologist Donald Johanson looks at how our human ancestors of two million years ago made their living. Contrary to

In Search of Human Origins, Part Three

At what point did our distant ancestors become anatomically like us? And, more importantly, when did they begin to act l

Can China Kick the Habit?

NOVA visits the most cigarette-addicted nation in the world-China. Western advertising and trading practices have exacer

Aircraft Carrier!

NOVA experiences the relentless, round-the-clock life aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier, Independence-where every day

The Great Wildlife Heist

Polly wants a crackdown when it comes to the illegal trade in the world's most beautiful and intelligent birds: parrots.

Secret of the Wild Child

NOVA profiles "Genie," a girl whose parents kept her imprisoned in near total isolation from infancy. When social worker

Haunted Cry of a Long Gone Bird

NOVA explores the legacy of the great Auk, a magnificent flightless bird that was hunted to extinction over a century ag

What's New About Menopause

NOVA tackles the long-taboo subject of menopause, profiling new research and examining the medical and ethical controver

The Tribe that Time Forgot

NOVA travels deep into the Amazon wilderness in search of a mysterious tribe- a tribe that dismembered and partially ate

Killer Quake!

NOVA probes the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake. Even as the city struggles to repair itself from the tragedy, seismic press

Buried in Ash

Ten million years ago, an enormous volcanic eruption buried much of what is now Nebraska in up to 10 feet of ash, preser

Rescue Mission in Space

Hobbled by defective eyesight because of its original, bungled prescription, the Hubble Space Telescope was recently rep

Journey to the Sacred Sea

NOVA travels to Lake Baikal, the world's oldest and deepest lake, containing one-fifth of all the fresh water on Earth.

In Search of the First Language

NOVA explores the common threads that link the more than 5,000 languages of Earth, including a controversial theory that

Mammoths of the Ice Age

The subjects of Stone Age cave paintings thunder onto the screen as NOVA explores Woolly Mammoths. Recent discoveries sh

Vikings in America

NOVA investigates the myth and reality of the first known Europeans to reach North America -Vikings. These intrepid Nors

Little Creatures Who Run the World

NOVA looks at the most successful life forms on the face of the planet in Ants: Little Creatures Who Run the World, host

Nazi Designers of Death

NOVA uses recently discovered documents to uncover the complicity of German architects and engineers in the Holocaust. F

Siamese Twins

Born joined at the pelvis, Siamese twins Dao and Duan were brought to the United States from Thailand to assess their ch

Mystery of the Senses—Hearing

Shortly after midnight on 17 July 19l8, at a house in the town of Ekaterinburg in the Ural mountains, Bolshevik guards a

Mystery of the Senses—Smell

NOVA unravels baffling cases of bad air in buildings all over the world. Even hospitals are on the "sick building" list

Mystery of the Senses—Taste

Mystery of the Senses—Touch

Mystery of the Senses—Vision

The Universe Within

What amazing processes go on inside super-athletes and couch potatoes alike? NOVA uses the latest medical imaging techni

Making of a Doctor

In the third installment of a 10-year project, NOVA checks up on a group of aspiring doctors who've been chronicled sinc

Fast Cars

What does it take to win at Indy? NOVA follows champion race driver Bobby Rahal and a team of engineers as they strive t

Anastasia Dead or Alive?

Investigate the massacre of Tsar Nicholas and his family, and evaluate whether modern science has resolved the mystery s

Venus Unveiled

Venus reveals its true face, recorded in detail for the first time by the radar spacecraft Magellan. Our next-door plane

Hawaii Born of Fire

From their blistering beginnings as molten rock, the Hawiian islands have grown into a verdant paradise of unique lifefo

The Doomsday Asteroid

Is there an asteroid or comet out there with our name on it? NOVA scans the skies and the geological record on Earth, fo

Lightning!

Hunt for the Serial Arsonist

In the spring of 1991, a rash of suspicious store fires in Los Angeles set fire investigators on the trail of a serial a

Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef

Recording sights that will astonish even experienced divers, NOVA documents an extraordinary day in the life of the larg

Race to Catch a Buckyball

Can Buildings Make You Sick?

A search for the causes of Sick Building Syndrome. Experts look at various problem buildings, inspecting their air condi

Terror in the Mine Fields

The Day the Earth Shook

B-29 Frozen in Time

Travel on a perilous mission to repair and refly a rare B-29 bomber stranded on a Greenland icecap for almost 50 years.G

Plague Fighters

War Machines of Tomorrow

Kidnapped by U.F.O.'s?

Carl Sagan and other scientists investigate claims that people have been visited or abducted by aliens.

Flood!

The Great Flood of 1993 leaves a wake of destruction across the Midwest. Can rivers ever be contained?

Dr. Spock the Baby Doc

Warriors of the Amazon

Explore the unique culture of the Yanomami, an isolated tribe living deep in the Amazonian rainforest.

Bombing of America

Bombing is on the rise across the United States. But science is fighting back. Hidden within the chaos of a crime scene

Einstein Revealed

This two-hour program chronicles Albert Einstein's life and scientific achievements from his birth in 1879 to his death

Lost City of Arabia

Helped by remote sensing, an expedition searches Oman's vast al-Khali desert for the lost city of Ubar.

Three Men and a Balloon

One of the final aeronautics challenges left in the world today does not involve the use of a plane, a rocket, or even a

Secrets of Making Money

With a radically redesigned bill, the U.S. Treasury fights back against a new breed of counterfeiters.

Top Gun Over Moscow

Flights in Russia's powerful fighter jets are for sale to foreign travelers. So is the Russian Air Force still in the ga

Shark Attack

Sharks are known as the "perfect predators," but sometimes they slip up and attack the wrong prey—people.

Odyssey of Life: The Ultimate Journey (1)

NOVA explores the links between our individual development and the evolution of life itself.

Odyssey of Life: The Unknown World (2)

This program reveals some of the billions of practically invisible organisms that live on, in, and around us.

Odyssey of Life: The Photographer's Secrets (3)

Cracking the Ice Age

Did the crash of continents that produced the Himalayan Mountains also trigger the Ice Age?

Kaboom!

An in-depth and heart stopping look at the ultimate chemical reaction - the explosion. Using high speed photography and

Titanic's Lost Sister

In a 90-minuite presentation, NOVA reveals the ancient secrets of how the pyramids were built by actually building one.

Secrets Of Lost Empires (1): Pyramid

In a 90-minuite presentation, NOVA reveals the ancient secrets of how the pyramids were built by actually building one.

Secrets of Lost Empires: Stonehenge (1)

A distinctive feature of this stone site are the trilithons, which consist of two upright stones topped by a horizontal

Secrets of Lost Empires: Inca (2)

Secrets of Lost Empires: Obelisk (3)

Pharaohs who built magnificent temples to preserve their names for eternity often graced temple gates with pairs of obel

Secrets of Lost Empires: Colosseum (4)

Citizens of Rome came to the Colosseum to behold free entertainment that usually came in the form of violent war games a

Hunt for Alien Worlds

Astronomers discover planets beyond our solar system. But is there life on them?

Curse of T.rex

How do paleontologists and commercial fossil hunters know where to look for rare and priceless dinosaur bones?

Cut to the Heart

Ever since World War II, physicians have struggled to find ways to treat heart failure, the biggest killer in the modern

Kingdom of the Seahorse

The world's leading sea horse biologist journeys to Australia and the Philippines to explore the secret lives of these e

Coma

A famous brain surgeon struggles to save the life of a comatose child using a controversial new method of treating sever

Faster Than Sound

On the 50th anniversary of the first supersonic flight, Chuck Yeager relives his gutsy assault on the sound barrier and

Bomb Squad

IRA terrorists and British bomb disposal experts tell behind-the-scenes stories of a a deadly cat-and- mouse game that p

The Proof

In a tale of secrecy, obsession, dashed hopes, and brilliant insights, Princeton math sleuth Andrew Wiles goes undercove

Wild Wolves With David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough hosts a never-before-seen look at one of the most misunderstood creatures in nature. Special phot

Super Bridge

Viewers are sidewalk supervisors for one of the most unusual construction projects in the U.S. - the building of the stu

Treasures of the Sunken City

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, guided sailors in the Mediterranean Sea for

Avalanche!

Viewers see what it's like to be overwhelmed by a sudden onslaught of "white death"—an avalanche. Avalanches are an es

Danger in the Jet Stream

NOVA covers the latest efforts to be first to circumnavigate the planet non-stop in a balloon. NOVA's cameras are on boa

Night Creatures of the Kalahari

Beneath the grassland plains of the Kalahari lies a hidden world of rare and exotic animals. By day, the Kalahari belong

Mysterious Mummies of China

Perfectly preserved 3000-year-old mummies have been unearthed in a remote Chinese desert. They have long, blonde hair an

Supersonic Spies

The race to build the world's first supersonic passenger airliner led to a massive espionage effort during the Cold War

Animal Hospital

Tapping into the clearly demonstrated affection we all have for our pets, this program will offer an offbeat, sometimes

The Brain Eater

In this scientific mystery, NOVA ventures to the front lines of medical research where scientists are scrambling to unde

Everest - The Death Zone

NOVA treks with a group of Himalayan climbers in their quest to reach the summit of Everest, along the way exploring in

Search for the Lost Cave People

NOVA follows an international team of archaeologists and spelunkers into the Rio la Venta Gorge deep in the Chiapas jung

Warnings from the Ice

Could the earth as we know it be about to drown? Huge ice sheets in Antarctica may be in the process of collapse, trigge

Crocodiles! With David Attenborough

An unprecedented look at a dangerous predator, this is the second of three natural history programs hosted by Sir David

The Truth About Impotence

NOVA reports on new hope for victims of erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence. Among the promising therapies cov

The Perfect Pearl

For centuries, man has risked both life and life savings to possess the pearl's beauty. Pure and perfect, glowing and da

Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude

In 1714, following a maritime disaster, British Parliament offers £20,000 for the first reliable method of determining

Chasing El Nino

A massive planet-sized machine controls our weather day-to-day, and our climate season-to-season. It takes an event of s

Terror In Space

Experience the harrowing and life-threatening problems aboard the aging Mir space station through the eyes of the Russia

Special Effects: Titanic and Beyond

NOVA goes behind the scenes in Hollywood, where the art of illusion meets the science of perception.

Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius

The shattered remnants of the Roman city of Pompeii bear witness to the risk that the people of Naples still face today.

Ice Mummies: Frozen in Heaven (1)

This is the bizarre and fascinating story of the remains of Inca culture, frozen for posterity high in the mountains of

Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden (2)

The Siberian Ice Maiden, discovered in the Pastures of Heaven, on the high Steppes, is believed to have been a shamaness

Ice Mummies: Return of the Iceman (3)

Cutting-edge science and archaeology are reconstructing the life and culture of The Iceman—the 5000-year-old frozen co

Leopards of the Night with David Attenborough

Night stalkers by nature, leopards are observed both by night and day, using state-of-the-art camera equipment, to revea

The Perfect Pearl

The pearl—the only gem produced by a living animal—has long carried a certain allure. Yet the best mollusk for makin

The Beast of Loch Ness

Is it just a fairy tale, or could a primeval beast lurk in the deep, dark waters of a Scottish lake? Since it was first

Submarines, Secrets, and Spies

At the height of the Cold War, US subs gathered secrets that neither spies nor satellites could expose. Until recently,

Everest: The Mystery of Mallory and Irvin

When George Mallory was asked why he was willing to risk his life to climb Mount Everest in 1924 he simply replied "Beca

Escape! Because Accidents Happen: Fire (1)

The past five years have seen remarkable progress in both treatment and basic understanding of the human immunodeficienc

Escape! Because Accidents Happen: Car Crash (2)

Escape! Because Accidents Happen: Plane Crash (3)

Escape! Because Accidents Happen: Abandon Ship (4)

Battle Alert in the Gulf

Volcanoes of the Deep

Surviving AIDS

The past five years have seen remarkable progress in both treatment and basic understanding of the human immunodeficienc

Fall of the Leaning Tower

Even before it was finished 800 years ago, the Leaning Tower of Pisa - a masterpiece of medieval architecture - began to

Time Travel

In the program, leading physicists delve into the mystery of whether time travel is possible, and if so, how one might g

The Killer's Trail

The death of Marilyn Sheppard in 1954 is one of the most famous unsolved murders in America. The indictment of her husba

Island of the Spirits

In the far north of Japan, thrust out into the north Pacific, is the remote island of Hokkaido. It's a land of towering

Decoding Nazi Secrets

Most historians agree that by enabling Allied commanders to eavesdrop on German plans, Station X shortened the war by 2

Voyage of Doom

Buried in mud beneath the shallow waters of Matagorda Bay in Texas, lay a glorious remnant of one of the most ill-fated

Electric Heart

The program tells the story of a handful of brilliant, obsessed surgeons and researchers who have pursued the target of

Tales from the Hive

NOVA chronicles a year in the life of a bee colony with stunning images that take viewers inside the innermost secrets o

Lost on Everest

The program chronicles a successful 1999 NOVA expedition to investigate the mysterious disappearance of George Mallory a

Secrets of Lost Empires: Medieval Siege (1)

In the film, which is a part of the NOVA series Secrets of Lost Empires, a team of timber framers and other specialists

Diamond Deception

The film documents the efforts of researchers around the world to create synthetic diamonds, some of which have become s

Secrets of Lost Empires: Pharaoh's Obelisk (2)

In the film, which is a part of the NOVA series Secrets of Lost Empires, NOVA brings together a team of Egyptologists, e

Trillion Dollar Bet

The film tells the fascinating story of the invention of the Black-Scholes Formula, a mathematical Holy Grail that forev

Secrets of Lost Empires: Easter Island (3)

The film, which is a part of the NOVA series Secrets of Lost Empires, showcases the efforts of a team of archeologists,

Mystery of the First Americans

In 1996, near Kennewick, Washington, a suspected murder victim is identified by forensic anthropologists as Caucasian -

Secrets of Lost Empires: Roman Bath (4)

In the film, which is a part of the NOVA series Secrets of Lost Empires, an international crew of archeologists, enginee

Lost Tribes of Israel

At the heart of Jewish tradition lies the haunting mystery of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Ever since their defeat and ban

Secrets of Lost Empires: China Bridge (5)

The film, which is a part of the NOVA series Secrets of Lost Empires, documents a 1999 effort by a NOVA-assembled crew o

What's Up with the Weather?

In "What's Up with the Weather?" NOVA and FRONTLINE join forces to investigate the science and politics of one of the mo

Stationed in the Stars

The broadcast explores America's manned space program and the crisis caused by Russia's delay in delivering the critical

The Vikings

In this two-hour special, NOVA presents a dramatic investigation of a people who were much more than axe-wielding pirate

Lincoln's Secret Weapon

The film chronicles an expedition to study and retrieve parts of the USS Monitor, the famous Civil War ironclad, which s

Holocaust on Trial

The film uses a celebrated recent trial as a springboard to examine and successfully challenge the notion of Holocaust d

Hitler's Lost Sub

The film follows a six-year odyssey by a group of divers to identify a mysterious U-boat they discovered in 1991 off the

Runaway Universe

The program follows the efforts of two rival teams of astronomers as they search for exploding stars, map out gigantic c

Garden of Eden

The film takes a look at the extraordinary natural history of the Seychelles, an ancient archipelago of about 100 island

Dying to Be Thin

The film examines a disturbing increase in the prevalence of debilitating and sometimes life-threatening eating disorder

Japan's Secret Garden

The program chronicles a year in the life of wildlife and people around Lake Biwa, Japan, a cycle that has continued unc

Sultan's Lost Treasure

The program follows a French-led expedition to recover thousands of porcelain and other artifacts from a centuries-old C

Vanished!

The program investigates the mysterious disappearance -- and, half a century later, reappearance -- of Stardust, a civil

Nazi Prison Escape

The program documents a series of spectacular escape attempts made at Colditz Castle, the Nazi's most impregnable prison

Lost King of the Maya

The film follows the work of archeologists who are using new excavations and hieroglyphic translations to interpret the

The Cancer Warrior

For decades Dr. Judah Folkman struggled against the grain of many in the cancer research community in his quest to pione

Survivor M.D.: Tattooed Doctor (1)

In "Tattooed Doctor," the first hour of NOVA's "Survivor M.D." series, emergency-room physician Dr. Tom Tarter eloquentl

Survivor M.D.: Second Opinions (2)

In 1987 NOVA embarked with seven brilliant, natural-born survivors on the longest-running boot camp in higher education:

Survivor M.D.: Hearts & Minds (3)

In 1987 NOVA embarked with seven brilliant, natural-born survivors on the longest-running boot camp in higher education:

Cracking the Code of Life

This two-hour special, hosted by ABC "Nightline" correspondent Robert Krulwich, chronicles the race to capture one of th

Harvest of Fear

A gene from a jellyfish is placed in a potato plant, making it light up whenever it needs watering. Rice plants are gene

Search for a Safe Cigarette

The program chronicles the tobacco industry's decades long effort to create a "safer" cigarette.

18 Ways to Make a Baby

The program investigates the brave new world of assisted reproduction.

Secrets of the Mind

This NOVA program delves into the mind-tingling efforts of neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran to discover how the brain wo

Sex: Unknown

The film investigates the complicated world of gender identity.

Russia's Nuclear Warriors

NOVA takes an intimate look at the men who are in control of Russia's nuclear missiles, standing just a heartbeat from t

Bioterror

The film follows three New York Times reporters as they delve into the murky past of bioweapons research and grapple wit

Life's Greatest Miracle

A sequel to the most popular NOVA of all time, "Miracle of Life," the program once again uses the extraordinary microima

Methuselah Tree

Marked by striking imagery and a poetic style, the film dramatizes the life cycle of the world's oldest living thing, th

Flying Casanovas

The program, with Sir David Attenborough narrating, celebrates the extraordinary antics male bowerbirds get up to when c

Death Star

The program probes the deep mysteries of gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful celestial explosions since the big bang.

Neanderthals on Trial

The film probes the enigma of our Neanderthal cousins and the roots of our own ancestry.

Fireworks

Secrets, Lies, and Atomic Spies

The program chronicles the lives and covert activities of the so-called "atom spies" in the 1940's, including the big on

The Missing Link

A paleontological tour-de-force and suspenseful scientific detective story, the program documents the search for the anc

Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance

In October and November 1999, NOVA journeyed into ice-choked Antarctic waters and onto the shores of rugged Elephant and

Why the Towers Fell

Can lessons learned from the Twin Towers' collapse make new buildings safer?

Fire Wars

In the program, NOVA accompanies the men and women of a wildland firefighting crew known as the Arrowhead Hotshots as th

Killer Disease on Campus

Doctors combat the deadliest for of meningitis which strikes young people out of the blue.

Mysterious Life of Caves

Toxic caverns teaming with strange life-forms spark a brand new theory about how caves form.

Lost Roman Treasure

Experts rescue pricess mosaics from an ancient city that is about to disapear beneath a resivoir.

Galileo's Battle for the Heavens

In this two-hour special, NOVA celebrates the story of the father of modern science and his struggle to get Church autho

Volcano's Deadly Warning

In January 1993, six scientists and three hikers were scalded and crushed to death when they ventured into the smoking m

Sinking City of Venice

Experts struggle to save the City of Canals before it vanishes beneath the waves.

The Orchid Hunter

For nine months in 2000, Tom Hart Dyke was a captive of guerrillas who seized him while he was collecting wild orchids i

Spies That Fly

The air war in Afghanistan showed that sometimes the hottest pilots are sitting on the ground operating the remote contr

Last Flight of Bomber 31

On March 25, 1944, a U.S. Navy bomber disappeared into the fog over the Bering Sea heading for a Japanese target. Fifty-

Ancient Creature of the Deep

NOVA chronicles the discovery of a "living fossil," a fish called the coelacanth that has remained relatively unchanged

Battle of the X-Planes

A behind the scenes look at the competition to build the Joint Strike Fighter. Cameras follow engineering teams from Boe

Mountain of Ice

In this high-altitude adventure, Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air, world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker, and their

Lost Treasures of Tibet

Before Leonardo da Vinci painted "The Last Supper," Tibetan craftsmen were creating stunning artistry of their deities i

Dirty Bomb

"Dirty Bomb" probes the realities and implications for public health policy of a disaster that many consider to be all b

Deep Sea Invasion

In 1989 marine biologist Alexandre Meinesz went diving off southern France and was stunned by what he saw: a dense blank

Secret of Photo 51

On April 25, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published their groundbreaking discovery of the double helix structure

Infinite Secrets

A battered manuscript turns up after 1000 years revealing the mind of the Greek genius Archimedes

Who Killed the Red Baron?

Forensic experts investigate the most famous aviation mystery of World War 1.

The Elegant Universe: Einstein's Dream (1)

Part 1, "Einstein's Dream," introduces string theory and shows how modern physics—composed of two theories that are fe

The Elegant Universe: String's the Thing (2)

Part 2, "String's the Thing," opens with a whimsical scene in a movie theater in which the history of the universe runs

The Elegant Universe: Welcome to the 11th Dimension (3)

Part 3 of "The Elegant Universe” with host Brian Greene shows how Edward Witten of Princeton's Institute for Advance

Wright Brothers' Flying Machine

Relive the engineering challenges that two bicycle makers overcame to become the first in flight.

Magnetic Storm

Is the magnetic field protecting Earth from deadly radiation about to reverse direction or even dissapear?

Volcano Above the Clouds

Join a scientific expedition to the glacier-capped summit of Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain.

MARS Dead or Alive

Go inside NASA's risky field trip to the red planet in this tense and dramatic behind-the-scenes chronicle of the $820 m

Secrets of the Crocodile Caves

Rare lemurs and crocodiles with bizarre cave-dwelling behavior draw scientists to remote corner of Madagascar.

Dogs and More Dogs

NOVA goes beyond the wagging tails and floppy ears to reveal surprising insights into the origin and evolutionary strate

Descent Into the Ice

A team of "glacionauts" verntures into a labyrinth of unexplored and hazardous glacier caves on France's Mt. Blanc.

Crash of Flight 111

One of the most exhaustive investigations in aviation history reveals telling clues to the cause of a dissaster off Nova

Life and Death in the War Zone

While other reporters were embedded in fighting units during the Iraq War, NOVA was covering the emergency medical respo

Hunt for the Supertwister

Scientists, meteorologists and storm chasers try to uncover the secrets of F5 tornadoes, the largest, most powerful and

World in the Balance: The People Paradox (1)

Nova investigates the impact of forces that are radically changing populations in both rich and poor nations.

World in the Balance: China Revs Up (2)

Nova investigates the impact of forces that are radically changing populations in both rich and poor nations.

Battle Plan Under Fire

Can the US military's high tech weaponry prevail against insurgants.

Origins: Earth is Born

"Origins: Earth is Born" gives viewers a spectacular glimpse of the tumultuous first billion years of Planet Earth—a t

Origins: How Life Began

"Origins: How Life Began," zeroes in on the mystery of exactly how it happened. Join the hunt for hardy microbes that fl

Origins: Where Are the Aliens?

In "Origins: Where are the Aliens?," host astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson explores such provocative questions as: wou

Origins: Back to the Beginning

"Origins: Back to the Beginning" explores how the colossal, mind-boggling forces of the early universe made it possible

The Most Dangerous Woman in America

Examine the complex case of Typhoid Mary, a cook that was quaratined for life against her will in the early 1900s.

America's Stone Age Explorers

Who were the first Ameicans and where did they come from?

Great Escape

Archeologists excavate Stalag Luft 3, the site of the greatest WWII prisoner escape. Prisoners of the camp are also int

Ancient Refuge in the Holy Land

Follow an expedition to a remote cave in the Judean desert, first excavated by the famed Israeli archeologist Yigael Yad

Welcome to Mars

NOVA follows a team of scientists as the monitor the Martian rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Spirit runs into some proble

The Boldest Hoax

For decades, a fossil skull discovered in Piltdown, England, was hailed as the missing link between apes and humans. Ent

Supersonic Dream

A chronicle of the turbulent birth, life and death of the Concorde, the world's first and only supersonic airliner.

The Viking Deception

Ever since its sensational unveiling by Yale University scholars in October 1965, the Vinland Map has been a lightning r

Saving the National Treasures

A team of experts takes on the preservation of the origianl Constitution, Declaration of Indipendance and Bill of Rights

A Daring Flight

In 1909, Louis Bleriot undertakes a heroic first-ever flight over the English Channel.

Wave That Shook the World

On December 26, 2004 a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean kills more than 250,000 people. NOVA takes an in depth lo

Hitler's Sunken Secret

Explores the Nazi quest for atomic weapons as it follows a mission to recover barrels of heavy water bound for Berlin fr

Newton's Dark Secrets

The auction of some of Newton's papers early in the 20th century uncovers the fact that he had a side other than the gen

Storm That Drowned a City

An exploration of the devastation wrought on New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina details failures of levees and disaster-re

Mystery of the Megaflood

It was the greatest flood of the past two million years, and it posed a giant scientific riddle. A maverick geologist be

Sinking the Supership

The search for the wreck of the Yamato, the largest and mightiest battleship ever floated and the pride of the Japanese

Einstein's Big Idea

Exactly 100 years ago, Albert Einstein grappled with the implications of his revolutionary Special Theory of Relativity

Volcano Under the City

A restless mountain threatens a bustling metropolis perched on its flanks.

Hitler's Sunken Secret

One of the most daring clandestine operations of World War II was the 1944 sinking of the Norwegian ferry Hydro with its

Newton's Dark Secrets

He was the greatest scientist of his day, perhaps of all time. But while Isaac Newton was busy discovering the univers

Storm That Drowned a City

In less than 12 hours on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Louisiana coast, leading to more than a thous

The Mummy Who Would Be King

Could a mummy found in Niagara Falls be the remains of a long-lost Pharaoh?

Deadly Ascent

Doctors, rescuers and mountaineers try to determine why people die attempting to climb Mount McKinley.

The Perfect Corpse

Forensic investigators tease secrets from the well preserved bodies of people buried long ago under peat bogs.

Jewel of the Earth

David Attenborough probes the mystery of ancient life-forms perfectly preserved in amber.

The Ghost Particle

A 40-year hunt for solar neutrinos leads to a new understanding of matter itself.

Arctic Passage

NOVA recreates the expeditions of Sir John Franklin and Roald Amundsen, two Arctic explorers who set out to find the leg

The Great Robot Race: Nova

Driverless vehicles compete in a 130-mile race across the Majove Desert.

Voyage to the Mystery Moon

A mission to Saturn and its enigmatic sattelite, Titan, looks for clues to the origins of life.

Dimming the Sun

Everyone has heard of global warming, but a lesser-known man-made phenomenon has been nearly as powerful at affecting Ea

Wings of Madness

Nova reviews the contribution of Alberto Santos Dumont in the early days of aircraft development and his uncanny ability

Family That Walks on All Fours

This episode focuses on a scientific debate about five siblings in a Turkish family who walk on all fours. When, in 2005

ScienceNOW: Extinction

The "Nova scienceNOW" magazine delves into a case of mass extinction some 250 million years ago; investigates the 1918 i

Underwater Dream Machine

The story of Peter Robbins, an engineer who---at a cost of $1.5 million---built his own submarine (named Alicia) in orde

Building on Ground Zero

Can lessons learned from the Twin Towers' collapse make new buildings safer?

Mystery of the Megavolcano

Researchers unearth clues about the greatest Volcanic eruption of the past 100000 years.

The Deadliest Plane Crash

On March 27, 1977, on the island of Tenerife, two fully loaded 747 jumbo jets collided on a fog-blanketed runway, claimi

Monster of the Milky Way

Astronomers are closing in on the proof they've sought for years that one of the most destructive objects in the univers

Wings of Madness

The flamboyant rise and tragic death of pioneering aviator Alberto-Santos Dumont.

Family That Walks on All Fours

Experts explore the mysterious story of five siblings living in a remote Turkish village.

Underwater Dream Machine

Follow one man's dream to engeneer a submarine with panaramic views.

Forgotten Genius

The grandson of Alabama slaves, Percy Julian met with every possible barrier in a deeply segregated America. He was a ma

The Last Great Ape

Scientists return to the jungles of Congo to further explore the peaceful lives of bonobos.

Kings of Camouflage

Join NOVA on a voyage beneath the waves, where you'll discover a bizarre, alien-like creature like no other. It's an ani

First Flower

In the remote mountains of China, scientist come closer to understanding the origins of flowers.

Saved by the Sun

As the Earth heats up at a dangerous rate and fossil fuels become scarcer, ordinary citizens and businesses are bypassin

Pocahontas Revealed

The recent archeological discovery of the Native American Powhatan village of Werowocomoco, sheds new light on the James

Bone Diggers

NOVA follows a group of paleontologists to a cave in southwestern Australia where the fossils of a meat-eating marsupial

The Great Inca Rebellion

Through a mix of crime-lab science, archeology, and history, this NOVA/National Geographic special presents new evidence

Secrets of the Samurai Sword

English archers had their longbows, Old West sheriffs had their six-guns, but Japan’s samurai warriors had the most fe

Ghost in Your Genes

Experts investigate how a mysterious "second genome" helps determine our biological fates.

Marathon Challenge

Can anyone run a marathon? How do you run 26.2 miles if you have trouble making it around the block? With good coaching,

Sputnik Declassified

On October 4, 1957, the Space Age dawned with the red hue of the Communist flag when the Soviet Union launched the first

Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

Using courtroom reenactments based on transcripts and interviews with those present, NOVA looks at the events of the fed

Master of the Killer Ants

The Mofu people of northern Cameroon have a close relationship with insects, in particular, the red driver ants which th

Missing in MiG Alley

In the early 1950s, epic battles unfolded in the skies over North Korea as American and Russian fighters faced off in hi

Absolute Zero: The Conquest of Cold

Our mastery of cold is something we take for granted, whether it s air conditioning and frozen food or the liquefied gas

Absolute Zero: The Race for Absolute Zero

Our mastery of cold is something we take for granted, whether it s air conditioning and frozen food or the liquefied gas

Secrets of the Parthenon

For 25 centuries the Parthenon has been shot at, set on fire, rocked by earthquakes, looted for its sculptures, almost d

Astrospies

Millions remember the countdowns, launchings, splashdowns, and parades as the U.S. raced the USSR to the moon in the 196

Ape Genius

At a research site in Fongoli, Senegal, a female chimpanzee breaks off a branch, chews the end to make it sharp, and t

The Four Winged Dinosaur

A look at the 2002 discovery of a four-winged crow-sized dinosaur fossil dubbed Microraptor, which has rekindled the sci

Cracking the Maya Code

The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script, carved on

Car of the Future

Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's Car Talk, explore new technologies and ideas for the future of automobiles.

A Walk to Beautiful

In this award-winning documentary, a difficult journey that begins in hopelessness and shame for thousands of women in E

Lord of the Ants

At age 78, E.O. Wilson is still going through his "little savage" phase of boyhood exploration of the natural world. In

Arctic Dinosaurs

Most people imagine dinosaurs lurking in warm locales with swamps and jungles, dining on vegetation and each other. But

Space Shuttle Disaster

At the end of a nearly flawless 15-day mission in early 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry in

Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives

Join Mark Everett on his quixotic quest to understand his father Hugh, creator of a radical theory of quantum physics.

Hunting The Hidden Dimension

Fractals are more than just pretty pictures. These simple but sophisticated equations describe the world we live in, fro

Alien From Earth

The 2004 discovery of tiny human fossil bones on the island of Flores, Indonesia, raised new—and controversial—specu

The Bible's Buried Secrets

An archeological detective story tackling some of the biggest questions in biblical studies: Where did the ancient Israe

Ocean Animal Emergency

NOVA takes you inside a very special ER to witness the efforts of wildlife veterinarians as they fight to save their ani

Is There Life On Mars?

After four decades of fly-by probes, orbiters, landers, and rovers, the quest for life on Mars is as tantalizing as ever

The Big Energy Gamble

As Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger launches a dramatic and controversial program to slash carbon dioxide e

The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies

Orange-and-black wings fill the sky as NOVA charts one of nature's most remarkable phenomena: the epic migration of mona

The Spy Factory

In this program, an eye-opening documentary on the National Security Agency by best-selling author James Bamford and Emm

Rat Attack

Once every 48 years, bamboo forests in parts of northeast India go into exuberant flower. Then, like clockwork, the flow

Extreme Ice

In collaboration with National Geographic, NOVA follows the exploits of acclaimed photojournalist James Balog and a scie

Last Extinction

An examination over whether a comet struck the Great Lakes region 12,900 years ago, and whether it caused the extinction

Doctors' Diaries Pt.1

In 1987, NOVA's cameras began rolling to chronicle the lives of seven young, bright medical students embarking on the lo

Doctors' Diaries Pt.2

In 1987, NOVA's cameras began rolling to chronicle the lives of seven young, bright medical students embarking on the lo

Musical Minds

An exploration of the effect of music on the brain via four case studies from neurologist Oliver Sacks book "Musicopia"

Darwin's Darkest Hour

This two-hour scripted drama tells the remarkable story behind the unveiling of the most influential scientific theory o

Hubble's Amazing Rescue

The best-known scientific instrument in history was dying. After nearly 20 years in space and hundreds of thousands of s

Lizard Kings

Though they may look like dragons and inspire stories of man-eating, fire-spitting monsters with long claws, razor-sharp

Becoming Human: First Steps

The first hour examines the factors that caused the split from the apes. The film explores the fossil of “Selam,” al

Becoming Human: Birth of Humanity

In gripping forensic detail, the second program in “Becoming Human” investigates the first skeleton that really look

Becoming Human: Last Human Standing

The final program examines the roots of our own species, Homo sapiens, which new evidence pinpoints to southern Africa s

What Are Dreams?

What are dreams and why do we have them? Are they a window into a hidden realm within us? Science is only just beginning

What Darwin Never Knew

NOVA takes viewers on a journey from the Galapagos Islands to the Arctic, and from the Cambrian explosion of animal form

Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor

NOVA dives beneath the waters of Pearl Harbor to trace provocative new clues to one of the most tragic events of World W

Building Pharaoh's Ship

A magnificent trading vessel embarks on a royal expedition to a mysterious, treasure-laden land called Punt. Is this jou

Riddles of the Sphinx

A team of archeologists carries out experiments that reveal the techniques and labor invested in the carving of the Sphi

Ghosts of Machu Picchu

NOVA joins a new generation of archeologists as they probe areas of Machu Picchu that haven’t been touched since the t

Extreme Cave Diving

"Extreme Cave Diving" follows a fearless team of scientists as they venture into blue holes—underwater caves that form

The Pluto Files

When the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium stopped calling Pluto a planet, director Neil deGrasse

Hunting the Edge of Space: The Mystery of the Milky Way

In a two-hour special, NOVA examines how a simple instrument, the telescope, has fundamentally changed our understanding

Hunting the Edge of Space: The Ever Expanding Universe

In a two-hour special, NOVA examines how a simple instrument, the telescope, has fundamentally changed our understanding

Mind Over Money

Exposes the mysterious and surprising nature of the two most powerful forces on the planet: the human mind and money. U

Mt. St. Helens Back From the Dead

For 27 years, biologist Charlie Crisafulli has been documenting the dramatic return of plant and animal life to Mt. St.

Building the Great Cathedrals

Take a dazzling architectural journey inside those majestic marvels of Gothic architecture, the great cathedrals of Char

Emergency Mine Rescue

This one-hour film chronicles the fate of the 33 miners trapped in a collapsed Chilean gold and copper mine in August 20

Trapped in an Elevator

A documentary examining the ubiquitous transportation device as used in modern day and features a recounting of a real-l

Dogs Decoded

"Dogs Decoded" reveals the science behind the remarkable bond between humans and their dogs and investigates new discove

Secrets of Stonehenge

Dated to the late Stone Age, Stonehenge may be the best-known and most mysterious relic of prehistory. Every year, a mil

Quest for Solomon's Mines

Countless treasure-seekers have set off in search of King Solomon's mines, trekking through burning deserts and scaling

Secrets Beneath the Ice

Almost three miles of ice buries most of Antarctica, cloaking a continent half again as large as the United States. But

Deadliest Earthquakes

In 2010, several epic earthquakes delivered one of the worst annual death tolls ever recorded. The deadliest strike, in

Making Stuff: Stronger

What is the strongest material in the world? Is it steel, Kevlar, carbon nanotubes, or something entirely new? NOVA kick

Making Stuff: Smaller

How small can we go? Could we one day have robots taking "fantastic voyages" in our bodies to kill rogue cells? The triu

Making Stuff: Cleaner

Can innovations in materials science help clean up our world? In "Making Stuff: Cleaner," David Pogue explores the rapid

Making Stuff: Smarter

"Making Stuff: Smarter" looks at materials that respond to their environments and even learn, such as an airplane wing t

Smartest Machine on Earth

Augmenting human intelligence is a lot tougher than it looks, and the promise of "Hal" from 2001: A Space Odyssey is sti

Crash of Flight 447

On June 1, 2009, Flight AF447, an Air France Airbus A330 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, disappeared over the Atlan

Venom: Nature's Killer

Over the millennia, thousands of creatures have developed that most sophisticated of biological and chemical weapons: ve

Japan's Killer Quake

In its worst crisis since World War II, Japan faces disaster on an epic scale: a death toll likely in the tens of thousa

Power Surge

Can emerging technology defeat global warming? The United States has invested tens of billions of dollars in clean energ

How Smart Are Animals?

Would you care to match wits with a dog, an octopus, a dolphin, or a parrot? You may think twice after watching the segm

Engineering Ground Zero

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, NOVA presents an epic story of engineering, innovation, and the perseveranc

Surviving the Tsunami

The earthquake that hit the northern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, was recorded at magnitude 9.0 the worst ever reco

Finding Life Beyond Earth: Are We Alone?

Take a spectacular trip to distant realms of our solar system to discover where secret forms of life may lie hidden. Com

Iceman Murder Mystery

He’s been dead for more than 5,000 years and poked, prodded, and probed by scientists for the last 20. Yet Ötzi the I

The Fabric of the Cosmos: What is Space?

Space. It separates you from me, one galaxy from the next, and atoms from each other. It is everywhere in the universe.

The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time

Time. We waste it, save it, kill it, make it. The world runs on it. Yet, ask physicists what time actually is, and the a

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap

Join Brian Greene on a wild ride into the weird realm of quantum physics, which governs the universe on the tiniest of s

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Universe or Multiverse?

Hard as it is to swallow, cutting-edge theories are suggesting that our universe may not be the only universe. Instead,

Deadliest Volcanoes

Millions of people around the world live in the shadow of active volcanoes. Under constant threat of massive volcanic er

Bombing Hitler's Dams

In 1943 a squadron of Lancaster bombers staged one of the most audacious raids in military history: destroying two gigan

3D Spies of WWII

During World War II, Hitler’s scientists developed terrifying new weapons of mass destruction. Alarmed by rumors of ad

Mystery of a Masterpiece

In October 2007, a striking portrait of a young woman in Renaissance dress made world news headlines. Originally sold ni

Ice Age Death Trap

In a race against developers in the Rocky Mountains, archeologists uncover a unique fossil site packed with astonishingl

Separating Twins

This is the incredible story of Trishna and Krishna, twin girls born joined at the head. Abandoned shortly after birth a

Cracking Your Genetic Code

What will it mean when most of us can afford to have the information in our DNA—all three billion chemical letters of

Hunting the Elements

Where do nature’s building blocks, called the elements, come from? They’re the hidden ingredients of everything in o

Deadliest Tornadoes

In April 2011, the worst tornado outbreak in decades left a trail of destruction across the U.S., killing more than 360

Why Ships Sink

Twenty million passengers embark on cruises each year, vacationing in deluxe "floating cities" that offer everything fro

Secrets of the Sun

It contains 99.9 percent of all the matter in our solar system and sheds hot plasma at nearly a million miles an hour. T

Secrets of the Viking Sword

The Vikings were among the fiercest warriors of all time. Yet only a select few carried the ultimate weapon of their era

Forensics on Trial

There is a startling gap between the glamorous television world of “CSI” and the gritty reality of the forensic crim

Mystery of Easter Island

A remote, bleak speck of rock in the middle of the Pacific, Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, has mystified the world ever sin

Ultimate Mars Challenge

Why go back to Mars? Far from dead, Mars holds untold potential. Nearly half a century of Mars exploration has yielded t

Inside the Megastorm

Was Hurricane Sandy a freak combination of weather systems? Or are hurricanes increasing in intensity due to a warming c

Doomsday Volcanoes

In April, 2010 the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano turned much of Europe into an ash-strewn no-fly zone,

Decoding Neanderthals

Examining evidence about Neanderthals that sheds light on the hominids, which died off some 30,000 years ago. Included:

Rise of the Drones

Drones. These unmanned flying robots–some as large as jumbo jets, others as small as birds–do things straight out of

Who Killed Lindbergh's Baby?

In the aftermath of his 1927 solo transatlantic flight, Colonel Charles Augustus Lindbergh–the Lone Eagle–became the

Building Pharaoh's Chariot

3,600-year-old reliefs in Egyptian tombs and temples depict pharaohs and warriors proudly riding into battle on horse-dr

Earth From Space

"Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet.

Mind of a Rampage Killer

What makes a person walk into a theater or a church or a classroom full of students and open fire? What combination of c

Meteor Strike

On February 15, 2013, a 7,000-ton asteroid crashed into the Earth's atmosphere over Russia with the power of 30 Hiroshim

Ancient Computer

In 1900, Greek sponge divers discovered a 2,000 year-old shipwreck containing a geared bronze mechanism whose workings h

Australia's First 4 Billion Years: Awakening

Hidden in the red hills of western Australia are clues to the mysteries of when the Earth was born, how life first arose

Australia's First 4 Billion Years: Life Explodes

How did life storm the beaches and dominate planet Earth? Ancient Australian fossils offer clues in "Life Explodes." Hal

Australia's First 4 Billion Years: Monsters

"Monsters" begins Down Under at the dawn of the Age of Dinosaurs. Host Richard Smith comes face-to-face with the previou

Australia's First 4 Billion Years: Strange Creatures

In the wake of the catastrophic asteroid impact believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs, Australia was set adrift on a

Manhunt - Boston Bombers

NOVA follows the manhunt for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombers examining the role modern technology played in the case.

Oklahoma's Deadliest Tornadoes

On May 20, 2013, a ferocious EF5 tornado over a mile wide tore through Moore, Oklahoma, inflicting 24 deaths and obliter

Ground Zero Supertower

NOVA kicks off the fall season with a return to Ground Zero to witness the final chapter in an epic story of engineering

Megastorm Aftermath

In October 2012, superstorm Sandy cut a path of devastation across the Caribbean and the East Coast, killing hundreds an

Making Stuff Faster

Ever since humans stood on two feet we have had the basic urge to go faster. But are there physical limits to how fast w

Making Stuff Wilder

What happens when scientists open up nature's toolbox? In "Making Stuff Wilder," David Pogue explores bold new innovatio

Making Stuff Colder

Cold is the new hot in this brave new world. For centuries we've fought it, shunned it, and huddled against it. Cold has

Making Stuff Safer

The world has always been a dangerous place, so how do we increase our odds of survival? In "Making Stuff Safer," David

Cold Case JFK

For decades, the assassination of John F. Kennedy has fueled dark rumors of conspiracies and mishandled evidence. Now, f

At the Edge of Space

Between the blue sky above and the infinite blackness beyond lies a frontier that scientists have only just begun to inv

Asteroid: Doomsday or Payday?

The asteroid that exploded over Siberia—injuring more than 1,000 and damaging buildings in six cities—was a shocking

Alien Planets Revealed

It’s a golden age for planet hunters: NASA's Kepler mission has identified more than 3,500 potential planets orbiting

Zeppelin Terror Attack

NOVA investigates the technology behind the World War One Zeppelin bombing campaigns, both the airships themselves and t

Killer Typhoon

It was the strongest cyclone to hit land in recorded history. On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Phili

Ghosts of Murdered Kings

In the rolling hills of Ireland's County Tipperary, a laborer harvesting peat from a dried-up bog spots the remnants of

Roman Catacomb Mystery

Beneath the streets of Rome lies a city of the dead known as the Catacombs—a labyrinth of tunnels, hundreds of miles l

Great Cathedral Mystery

The dome that crowns Florence’s great cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore—the Duomo—is a towering masterpiece of Re

Wild Predator Invasion

Over the last few centuries we have shot, trapped, and skinned the predators that formerly thrived at the top of the foo

Inside Animal Minds: Bird Genius

When it comes to intelligence, we humans are clearly the most gifted animals around. But what make us so special? Is it

Inside Animal Minds: Dogs & Super Senses

What is it like to be a dog, a shark, or a bird? Long the subject of human daydreams, this question is now getting serio

Inside Animal Minds: Who's the Smartest?

What makes an animal smart? What forces of evolution drive brains to become more complex? Many scientists believe the se

Why Sharks Attack

In recent years, an unusual spate of deadly shark attacks has gripped Australia, resulting in five deaths in ten months.

Escape From Nazi Alcatraz

Colditz Castle, a notorious prisoner of war camp in Nazi Germany, was supposed to be escape-proof. But in the dark days

D-Day's Sunken Secrets

On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched the biggest armada in history to invade the Normandy beaches and liberate Europe fr

Vaccines Calling the Shots

Diseases that were largely eradicated in the United States a generation ago—whooping cough, measles, mumps—are retur

Rise of the Hackers

NOVA goes behind the scenes of the fast-paced world of cryptography to meet the scientists battling to keep our data saf

Why Planes Vanish

NOVA tells the inside story of the search for Flight MH370 and meets the key players, from all corners of the globe, who

Surviving Ebola

As the Ebola epidemic threatens to spiral out of control, NOVA reports from the hot zone, where courageous medical teams

Ben Franklin's Balloons

NOVA re-creates key flights, including the world’s first manned voyage on November 21, 1783. A descendant of the Montg

First Air War

When World War I began in 1914, the air forces of the opposing nations consisted of handfuls of rickety biplanes from wh

Bigger Than T. rex

Follow the paleontologists who are reconstructing this terrifying carnivore, a 53-foot-long behemoth with a huge dorsal

Emperor’s Ghost Army

To defend himself in the afterlife, the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, was buried in a vast mausoleum accompanie

Killer Landslides

In less than two minutes in March, a one-square-mile field of debris slammed into the Washington state community of Oso,

First Man on the Moon

When Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, he won instant fame. Yet this accomplished engineer and test pilot was so dete

Big Bang Machine

On July 4, 2012, scientists at the giant atom smashing facility at CERN announced the discovery of a subatomic particle

Sunken Ship Rescue

Follow the epic operation to secure, raise, and salvage the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which ran aground and tragicall

Sinkholes—Buried Alive

These geological hazards have swallowed highways, apartment buildings, horses, camels, even golfers, with monster-size h

Colosseum: Roman Death Trap

One of the ancient world's most iconic buildings, the Colosseum is a monument to Roman imperial power and cruelty. Its g

Petra: Lost City of Stone

In a daring experiment, an archaeologist and sculptors team up to carve an iconic temple-tomb to find out how the ancien

Hagia Sophia: Istanbul’s Ancient Mystery

Whether serving as Christian church, Islamic mosque, or secular museum, Hagia Sophia and its saring dome have inspired r

The Great Math Mystery

Join NOVA on a mathematical mystery tour—a provocative exploration of math's astonishing power across the centuries. W

Invisible Universe Revealed

Twenty-five years ago, NASA launched one of the most ambitious experiments in the history of astronomy: the Hubble Space

Nazi Attack on America

Long before 9/11, a far deadlier, little-known attack from the ocean depths struck our shores, lasting three-and-a-half

Lethal Seas

Sharply rising carbon emissions are entering Earth's seas at a staggering rate, raising their acidity. Learn how scienti

Chasing Pluto

On July 14, 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft, one of the most advanced ever built, is scheduled to fly by Pluto to take

Nuclear Meltdown Disaster

NOVA reveals the minute-by-minute story of the Fukushima nuclear crisis—the one you know about, and the one you likely

Dawn of Humanity

Deep in a South African cave, an astounding discovery reveals clues to what made us human.

Arctic Ghost Ship

NOVA presents an exclusive breakthrough in the greatest unsolved mystery in Arctic exploration. In 1845, British explore

Secrets of Noah's Ark

A team of historians and expert boat builders investigates the fascinating Noah's Ark flood legend and sets out to rebui

Cyberwar Threat

NOVA examines the science and technology behind cyber warfare and asks if we are already in the midst of a deadly new ar

Animal Mummies

NOVA joins a team of leading Egyptologists who deploy the latest medical imaging to peer beneath the wrappings of Egypti

Making North America: Origins

The epic 3 billion-year story of how our continent came to be. From the palm trees that once flourished in Alaska to tit

Making North America: Life

How did life emerge on our primeval continent? Why was North America home to so many iconic dinosaurs like T. rex? And h

Making North America: Human

The history of North America since the arrival of humans is chronicled. Natural resources, including gold and oil, have

Inside Einstein's Mind

On November 25th, 1915, Einstein published his greatest work: general relativity. The theory transformed our understandi

Secret Tunnel Warfare

During World War I, the Allies and Germans repeatedly struggled to break the hideous stalemate of trench warfare. In the

Life's Rocky Start

Four and a half billion years ago, the young Earth was a hellish place—a seething chaos of meteorite impacts, volcanoe

Mystery Beneath the Ice

Tiny, transparent, and threatened, krill are crucial to the Antarctic ecosystem. But the population of krill is crashing

Himalayan Megaquake

On April 25, 2015, a devastating earthquake rocked Nepal. As it ripped across the Himalayas, it wiped out villages and l

Creatures of Light

On a summer’s night, there’s nothing more magic than watching the soft glow of fireflies switching on and off. Few o

Memory Hackers

Memory is the glue that binds our mental lives. Without it, we’d be prisoners of the present, unable to use the lesson

Iceman Reborn

He was stalked, attacked and left to die alone. Murdered more than 5,000 years ago, Otzi the Iceman is Europe’s oldest

Rise of the Robots

Machines are everywhere. They run our factory assembly lines and make our coffee. But humanoid robots—machines with hu

Vikings Unearthed

Uncover the truth behind the legendary Vikings and their epic journey to the Americas.

Can Alzheimer's Be Stopped?

Alzheimer's ravages the minds of over 40 million victims worldwide. Join scientists as they untangle the cause of this t

Wild Ways

Explore how newly established wildlife corridors offer hope to endangered species.

Operation Lighthouse Rescue

Engineers race to rescue the Gay Head Lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard from the ocean's erosion.

Bombing Hitler's Supergun

Engineers and World War II historians investigate Hitler's fearsome bank of "superguns."

15 Years of Terror

From 9/11 to today’s crowd-sourced violence, trace how terrorists’ strategies have evolved.

School of the Future

How the science of learning may change education for all children.

Great Human Odyssey

Follow our ancient ancestors’ footsteps out of Africa and into every corner of our planet.

Super Tunnel

Join engineers as they build a massive new railway deep beneath the streets of London.

Treasures of the Earth: Gems

Gemstones like diamonds, rubies, opal and jade are the ultimate treasures. Delve into Earth's depths to discover how the

Treasures of the Earth: Metals

Gold, bronze, iron, steel... metals are pillars of our civilization, but what makes them so special? Discover their uniq

Treasures of the Earth: Power

Drill down to discover how Earth's natural treasures provide bountiful energy to power our modern world yet are also dri

Secrets of the Sky Tombs

The towering Himalayas were among the last places on Earth that humanity settled. Scaling sheer cliff sides, a team of d

The Nuclear Option

Five years after the earthquake and tsunami that triggered the unprecedented trio of meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi

Search for the Super Battery

Explore the hidden world of energy storage and how it holds the keys to a greener future.

Ultimate Cruise Ship

Join pioneering shipbuilders as they embark on a feat of maritime engineering.

The Origami Revolution

The centuries-old tradition of folding two-dimensional paper into three-dimensional shapes is inspiring a scientific rev

Why Trains Crash

From derailments to head-on collisions to drivers killed at road crossings, deadly train accidents claim dozens of lives

Holocaust Escape Tunnel

The Lithuanian city of Vilna, known also as the “Jerusalem of the North”, was one of the most important Jewish cente

Building Chernobyl's Megatomb

Engineers race to build a massive dome to contain the crumbling remains of the reactor.

Chinese Chariot Revealed

For over 1000 years, chariots thundered across China's battlefields - dominating warfare longer than anywhere else on ea

Poisoned Water

NOVA investigates what happened in Flint, Michigan when local officials changed the city’s water source to save money,

Eclipse Over America

On August 21, 2017, millions of Americans will witness the first total solar eclipse to cross the continental United Sta

Ghosts of Stonehenge

Stonehenge is the grandest and most enigmatic of Europe’s prehistoric monuments, and has inspired countless theories t

Death Dive to Saturn

Aiming to skim less than 2000 miles above the cloud tops, no spacecraft has ever gone so close to Saturn, and hopes are

Secrets of the Shining Knight

Once upon a time, knighthood was serious business, and for countless medieval fighters, their armor was what stood betwe

Secrets of the Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is the world’s biggest and most extravagant palace complex ever built. For five centuries, it was t

Killer Volcanoes

NOVA follows a team of volcano sleuths as they embark on a worldwide hunt for an elusive volcanic mega-eruption that plu

Killer Hurricanes

Devastating hurricanes struck the U.S. mainland and Caribbean islands in 2017. But they weren’t the first. The Great H

Killer Floods

All over the world, scientists are discovering traces of ancient floods on a scale that dwarfs even the most severe floo

Extreme Animal Weapons

From lobster claws and dog teeth to bee stings and snake fangs, every creature depends on a weapon. But some are armed t

Bird Brain

Watch astonishing tests of avian aptitude: parrots that can plan for the future, jackdaws that can “read” human face

Day the Dinosaurs Died

66 million years ago, a seven-mile-wide asteroid collided with Earth, triggering a chain of events that coincide with th

Black Hole Apocalypse

Astrophysicist and novelist Janna Levin talks about black holes and their importance to the universe.

The Impossible Flight

For the first time, two intrepid pilots fly a solar-powered airplane around the world.

First Face of America

Discover remains of a 13,000 year-old teenager in an underwater cave in Mexico.

Great Escape at Dunkirk

How courage and ingenuity saved Allied troops during the epic Dunkirk operation in 1940.

Prediction by the Numbers

Discover why some predictions succeed and others fail as experts forecast the future.

Decoding the Weather Machine

Disastrous hurricanes. Widespread droughts and wildfires. Withering heat. Extreme rainfall. It is hard not to conclude t

Rise of the Superstorms

In just one devastating month, Houston, Florida, and the Caribbean were changed forever. In summer 2017, three monster h

Transplanting Hope

NOVA takes you inside the operating room to witness organ transplant teams transferring organs from donors to recipients

Operation Bridge Rescue

Follow the race to rebuild the Old Blenheim Bridge in New York State, an icon of 19th century American engineering, dest

Volatile Earth: Volcano on Fire

Climb with volcano experts to the summit of Nyiragongo, a highly active volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Volatile Earth: Volcano on the Brink

Explore Nyamuragira, one of the world’s most active and mysterious volcanoes in Africa. Decades of civil strife have p

Addiction

Hear firsthand from individuals struggling with addiction and follow the cutting-edge work of doctors and scientists as

Flying Supersonic

NOVA takes you inside the historic international race to develop the first supersonic airliner, the Concorde. Hear stori

Last B-24

Dive to the bottom of the Adriatic Sea in search of the Tulsamerican, a B-24 bomber that crashed off the coast of Croati

Thai Cave Rescue

In July 2018, the world held its breath as an international team of cave divers endeavored to rescue 12 boys and their s

World's Fastest Animal

See the world through the eyes of nature’s fastest animal: the peregrine falcon. Though once perilously endangered in

Apollo's Daring Mission

Apollo astronauts and engineers tell the inside story of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon. The U.S. space

NOVA Wonders What Are Animals Saying?

From singing whales and squeaking bats to thumping spiders and clicking dolphins, the world is filled with the exotic

NOVA Wonders What's Living in You?

Whether they make you fat, fart, or freak out, microbes play a central role in your life. Right beneath your nose—on y

NOVA Wonders Are We Alone?

The search for extraterrestrial life is an age-old quest. But recent breakthroughs make today an era unlike any in the h

NOVA Wonders Can We Build a Brain?

Artificially intelligent machines are taking over. They’re influencing our everyday lives in profound and often invisi

NOVA Wonders Can We Make Life?

"It's alive!" Since Dr. Frankenstein spoke those famous words, we've been alternately enthralled and terrified by the id

NOVA Wonders What's the Universe Made Of?

The universe is hiding something. In fact, it is hiding a lot. Everything we experience on Earth, the stars and galaxies

Pluto and Beyond

Since it explored Pluto in 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft has been zooming toward NASA’s most distant target yet. J

Einstein's Quantum Riddle

Einstein called it “spooky action at a distance,” but today quantum entanglement is poised to revolutionize technolo

Kïlauea: Hawai'i on Fire

Journey to Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, which sent rivers of lava through communities and into the sea when it erupted in 2

Decoding the Great Pyramid

New archeological evidence sheds light on the stunning engineering of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Rise of the Rockets

With new technologies, NASA and private companies are promising a new renaissance in space travel.

The Next Pompeii

In the shadow of Vesuvius and Pompeii, a lesser-known volcano puts the city of Naples at risk.

Saving the Dead Sea

Scientists, engineers and political leaders devise a plan to save the Dead Sea, whose levels have declined by more than

Inside the Megafire

Scientists try to determine the cause for the increasing megafire threat by exploring the physics of fire, how firestorm

First Horse Warriors

Canadian anthropologist Niobe Thompson travels to sites in Kazakhstan, genetics labs in Denmark and anthropology museums

Lost Viking Army

Forensic archaeologist Cat Jarman and her team investigate the Great Heathen army, a legendary Viking fighting force tha

Back to the Moon

On the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing, NOVA looks ahead to the hoped-for dawn of a new age in l

The Planets: Inner Worlds

The rocky planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars all have similar origins, but only one supports life.

The Planets: Mars

The dry, red planet Mars was once a blue water world studded with active volcanoes and may have even had the ingredients

The Planets: Jupiter

Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped

The Planets: Saturn

Nasa's Cassini reveals the mysteries of Saturn's rings and new hope for life on one of its moons.

The Planets: Ice Worlds

Uranus and Neptune's unexpected rings, supersonic winds and dozens of moons; an up-close view of Pluto before exploring

Why Bridges Collapse

Join experts as they compare what happened in several deadly bridge collapses across America.

Look Who's Driving

Self-driving cars may one day be big business, but will they ever be safer than human drivers?

Rise of the Mammals

Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs in a fiery global catastrophe. An amazing trove of foss

Dead Sea Scroll Detectives

Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, these fragile parchment relics have intrigued scholars, religious le

Decoding Da Vinci

How Leonardo da Vinci used science to create his legendary artwork. Included: why Mona Lisa's smile is so captivating—

The Violence Paradox

Is violence actually declining? If so, why? And can we build a more peaceful future?

Animal Espionage

Camera technology is revolutionizing the study of animals—without them even noticing.

Polar Extremes

Following a trail of fossils found in all the wrong places–beech trees in Antarctica, redwoods and hippo-like mammals

Dog Tales

Dogs have long been dependable companions by our sides. But it wasn’t always that way, and a look at their closest liv

Cat Tales

Worshipped as a goddess, condemned as satanic, and spun into a stunning array of breeds, cats have long fascinated human

Mysteries of Sleep

From fruit flies to whales, virtually every animal sleeps. But why? Why do we need to spend nearly a third of our lives

Cuba's Cancer Hope

When the U.S. trade embargo left Cuba isolated from medical resources, Cuban scientists were forced to get creative. Now

The Truth About Fat

The mysteries of fat and its role in hormone production, hunger and pregnancy.

Decoding COVID-19

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has upended life as we know it in a matter of months. But at the same time, an unprecedented

Eagle Power

Eagles dominate the skies. But what makes these predators so special? Researchers study one special bird—and stunning

Human Nature / Gene-Editing Reality Check

With an extraordinary new technology called CRISPR, we can now edit DNA—including human DNA. But how far should we go?

Secret Mind of Slime

Scientists investigate the bizarre “intelligence” of slime molds, which appear to learn and make decisions—without

A to Z: The First Alphabet

Writing shaped our world and the rise of human knowledge, from the trading of goods to tales of ancient goddesses and ki

A to Z: How Writing Changed the World

Just as writing changed the course of human history, the evolution of paper and printing revolutionized the spread of in

Nature's Fear Factor

For animals in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, the normal balance of competition and predation was upended when

Touching the Asteroid

In October 2020, a NASA spacecraft called OSIRIS-REx attempts to reach out and grab a piece of an asteroid named Bennu t

Can We Cool the Planet?

As global temperatures continue to rise, scientists are wondering if we need solutions beyond reducing emissions. Enter

Saving Notre Dame

When the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral erupted in flames in April of 2019, firefighters battled for nine grueling hours t

Secrets in Our DNA

The value of DNA testing and the risks of entrusting this private data to commercial enterprises and online databases.

Beyond the Elements: Reactions

Just about every solid, liquid, or gas in the world as we know it begins with reactions between individual atoms and mol

Beyond the Elements: Indestructible

Women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the United States, and numbers are even lower for women of co

Beyond the Elements: Life

Without the chemistry of photosynthesis, ozone, and a molecule called Rubisco, none of us would be here. So how did we g

Looking for Life on Mars

NASA launches its most ambitious hunt for traces of life on Mars, landing a car-sized rover in a rocky, ancient river de

Picture a Scientist/ Search Engine Breakdown

Women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the United States, and numbers are even lower for women of co

Reef Rescue

Coral reefs are not just beautiful, they are also home to over a quarter of all marine life and are crucial to human soc

Fighting for Fertility

What causes infertility, and how can assisted reproductive technologies help? Follow the journeys of people navigating f

Hindenburg: The New Evidence

80 years after the world’s largest airship ignited in a giant fireball, newly discovered footage sparks a reinvestigat

Great Electric Airplane Race

Can new emission-free electric planes replace our polluting airliners and revolutionize personal transportation in our c

Ship That Changed the World

Five centuries ago, the Age of Exploration and Europe’s imperial colonization of far-off lands was launched by a revol

Bat Superpowers

Bats have been implicated in deadly epidemics such as COVID-19 and Ebola, yet scientists are discovering evidence that t

The Cannabis Question

As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA investigates the latest scientific evidence for its potential benefits and ris

Particles Unknown

Outnumbering atoms a billion to one, neutrinos are the universe’s most common yet most elusive and baffling particle.

Arctic Drift

Join scientists on the most ambitious Arctic research expedition of all time. Experts from over twenty different nations

Edible Insects

From crunchy crickets to nutty fly grubs, NOVA takes a tasty look at insect foods and how they could benefit our health

NOVA Universe Revealed: Age of Stars

The sun is our life-giving source of light, heat, and energy, and new discoveries are unraveling its epic history. Join

NOVA Universe Revealed: Milky Way

Straddling the night sky, the Milky Way reminds us of our place in the galaxy we call home. But what shaped this giant s

NOVA Universe Revealed: Alien Worlds

It’s an age-old question: are we alone? Or do other lifeforms and intelligences thrive on worlds far beyond our own? U

NOVA Universe Revealed: Black Holes

Take a seat on the ultimate thrill ride to explore nature’s strangest and most powerful objects. Black holes can resha

NOVA Universe Revealed: Big Bang

The Big Bang is when many think the universe started and time itself began. But what clues can we discover about this ul

High-Risk High-Rise

Gleaming symbols of prestige, skyscrapers are an ingenious way to save space in dense urban areas. But even as we devise

Butterfly Blueprints

The hidden scientific secrets of butterflies reveal them to be more inventive and resilient than we ever imagined. Follo

Alaskan Dinosaurs

A team of intrepid paleontologists discovers that dinosaurs thrived in the unlikeliest of places—the cold and dark of

Ancient Maya Metropolis

The ancient ancestors of today’s Maya people thrived in large sophisticated cities across Central America for centurie

Arctic Sinkholes

In the Arctic, enormous releases of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, threaten the climate.

Secrets in the Scat

Scott Burnett is “Scatman”—an Australian ecologist on the trail of the secrets of poop. By identifying and analyzi

Great Mammoth Mystery

Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique site in southern England where amateur fossil hunters uncovered giant mammo

Augmented

Follow the dramatic personal journey of Hugh Herr, a biophysicist working to create brain-controlled robotic limbs. At a

Determined: Fighting Alzheimer's

Follow three women at risk of developing Alzheimer’s as they join a groundbreaking study to try to prevent the disease

Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence

In the Badlands of North Dakota, a team of scientists think they might have found the fossilized remains of animals kill

Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day

In the second episode of this two-part series, the search continues for signs of what happened on the day the dinosaurs

Why Ships Crash

When the bow of the colossal Ever Given container ship plowed into the bank of the Suez Canal on March 23, 2021, interna

Ice Age Footprints

Thousands of ancient footprints stretch for miles across New Mexico’s White Sands National Park, capturing moments whe

Ultimate Space Telescope

How did NASA engineers build and launch the most ambitious telescope of all time? Follow the dramatic story of the James

Saving Venice

Rising seas and sinking land threaten to destroy Venice. Can the city’s new hi-tech flood barrier save it? Discover th

Ending HIV in America

Almost 40 years after the discovery of HIV, could we be on the verge of ending the AIDS epidemic in America? How did sci

Computers v. Crime

In police departments and courts across the country, artificial intelligence is being used to help decide who is policed

Can Psychedelics Cure?

Hallucinogenic drugs—popularly called psychedelics—have been used by human societies for thousands of years. Today,

Ocean Invaders

Lionfish–long prized in home aquariums–have invaded the Atlantic, and are now one of the ocean’s most successful i

Nazca Desert Mystery

One of the world’s greatest ancient enigmas, the Nazca lines are a dense network of criss-crossing lines, geometric sh

Crypto Decoded

From Bitcoin to NFTs, crypto is making headlines. But what exactly is it, and how does it work? Experts go beyond the hy

Zero to Infinity

Discover how the concepts of zero and infinity revolutionized mathematics.

Rebuilding Notre Dame

In April 2019, the world watched as a devastating fire almost destroyed Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Go behind

London Super Tunnel

Thousands of engineers, technicians and workers race to build Europe’s biggest construction project–London’s new r

Star Chasers of Senegal

A NASA spacecraft named Lucy blasts off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to the Trojans, a group of asteroids over 400 m

Ancient Builders of the Amazon

Recent discoveries in archaeology are exploding the myth of the Amazon as a primeval wilderness, revealing traces of anc

New Eye on the Universe

Join scientists as they use NASA’s brand new James Webb Space Telescope to peer deep in time to hunt for the first sta

Weathering the Future

It’s hard not to notice: our weather is changing. From longer, hotter heat waves, to more intense rainstorms, to megaf

Chasing Carbon Zero

The U.S. recently set an ambitious climate change goal: zero carbon emissions by 2050. And to achieve that, slash emissi

Saving the Right Whale

North Atlantic right whales are among the planet’s most critically endangered large ocean mammals. With fewer than 350

Hidden Volcano Abyss

In January 2022, one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history rocked the Pacific islands of Tonga, se

Your Brain: Perception Deception (1)

Is what you see real? Join neuroscientist Heather Berlin on a quest to understand how your brain shapes your reality, an

Your Brain: Who's in Control? (2)

Are you in control, or is your brain controlling you? Dive into the latest research on the subconscious with neuroscient

Ancient Earth: Birth of the Sky

Today, Earth is enveloped by a thin veil of gas, a narrow band of atmosphere that protects a world covered in lush green

Ancient Earth: Frozen

700 million years ago, Earth was a giant snowball cloaked in ice from pole to pole—a global deep freeze that held the

Ancient Earth: Life Rising

For billions of years, life teemed in the oceans of planet Earth while the land was desolate and inhospitable. So how di

Ancient Earth: Inferno

252 million years ago, the most devastating mass extinction of all time abruptly wiped out around 90% of all species on

Ancient Earth: Humans

The story of Earth can only be told because now, 4.5 billion years into its existence, a technological and self-aware an

Inside China's Tech Boom

In the span of just a few decades, China has transformed into a science and technology superpower. But how did it get he

The Battle to Beat Malaria

Malaria is one of humanity’s oldest and most devastating plagues. In many parts of the world, it remains an ever-prese

Lee and Liza's Family Tree

Many descendants of enslaved people have little record of their family's ancestry. Follow one family's quest to discover

When Whales Could Walk

In Egypt’s Sahara Desert, massive skeletons with strange skulls and gigantic teeth jut out from the sandy ground. This

Easter Island Origins

How were the giant stone heads of Rapa Nui–also known as Easter Island–carved and raised, and why? Since Europeans a

Building the Eiffel Tower

Explore the revolutionary engineering behind Paris’s iconic landmark. Completed in just over two years for the 1889 Wo

Hunt for the Oldest DNA

For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. Follow the dramatic quest to recover DNA millio

A.I. Revolution

A.I. tools like ChatGPT seem to think, speak, and create like humans. But what are they really doing? From cancer cures

Great American Eclipse

Explore the spectacular cosmic phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. In April 2024, the Moon's shadow is sweeping from Te

Secrets in Your Data

Whether you’re on social media or surfing the web, you’re probably sharing more personal data than you realize. Find

Decoding the Universe: Cosmos

How big is the universe? Will it ever end? Why is so much of it made of mysterious dark matter and energy? See how mind-

Solar System: Storm Worlds

Out in the solar system, the weather gets wacky – with globe-spanning dust storms, monsoons of liquid methane, and lig

Solar System: Strange Worlds

From a dwarf planet that looks like a deflated football, to a tiny moon with cliffs taller than Mt. Everest, to the spec

Solar System: Volcano Worlds

All around our solar system, volcanoes are powerful shapers of worlds. Next door on Mars is Olympus Mons, a giant volcan

Solar System: Icy Worlds

Ice might seem familiar to us on Earth, but out in the solar system, it can get quite exotic. From Uranus’s ultra hot

Solar System: Wandering Worlds

The classic view of our solar system contains eight orderly planets, some with moons in neat orbits – but when we look

Decoding the Universe: Quantum

When we look at the world at the tiniest scales in the subatomic realm, things get weird – very weird. Welcome to the

Building Stuff: Boost It!

Around the world, engineers are finding ingenious ways to amplify our abilities and senses – allowing us to access and

Building Stuff: Reach It!

From the time our species first evolved, we’ve been on the move. Not content to stay in one place, we’ve imagined an

Building Stuff: Change It!

Thousands of years of human innovation have allowed us to shape the environment to improve lives. The consequences of ou

Lost Tombs of Notre Dame

After the devastating 2019 fire at Notre Dame, two mysterious sarcophaguses were discovered under the cathedral’s ston

What Are UFOs?

Can science reveal the secrets of mysterious objects seen in our skies?

Extreme Airport Engineering

Follow the race to build a world-class airport on the site of one of America’s busiest flying hubs.

Dino Birds

Fossils reveal how birds survived the killer asteroid and became today’s only living dinosaurs.

Egypt's Tombs of Amun

A long-lost ancient cemetery opens the door to a unique period in Egyptian history.

Pompeii's Secret Underworld

Archaeologists uncover new truths about Pompeii, a wealthy Roman playground with dark secrets.

Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Follow the investigation into the deadly container ship collision that closed the Port of Baltimore.

Revolutionary War Weapons

Explore key military technologies in the American colonies’ fight for freedom.

Secrets of the Forest

Follow scientists in a quest to understand how complex forest ecosystems can help cool our planet.

Critical Condition: Health In Black America

Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to suffer from chronic diseases than Whites. Why? From false beliefs that per

Ultimate Crash Test: Countdown

What really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup? A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a high speed crash to gain n

Ultimate Crash Test: Impact

Car safety experts just pulled off a first-of-its-kind remote controlled multi-vehicle pile up. Now investigators are pu

Human: Origins

Where did humans come from, and what makes us unique? Discover the remarkable origins of Homo sapiens, and the crucial m

Human: Journeys

Follow Homo Sapiens as they venture across the world, farther than any other human species. See how they invented new to

Human: Neanderthal Encounters

For 400,000 years, Neanderthals thrived across frigid, Ice Age Europe. What happened when Homo sapiens arrived, and how

Human: Into the Americas

Follow ancient humans' perilous journey into the Americas, where a frigid Ice Age landscape, mammoths, and other fearsom

Human: Building Empires

Discover how Homo sapiens transformed from nomads to empire builders. Witness the innovations – from animal domesticat

Ancient Desert Death Trap

Archaeologists investigate dozens of strange Stone Age megastructures in the Arabian desert. They're so big that their t

Superfloods

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene dumped 14 inches of rain on North Carolina, triggering flash floods and killing more

Operation Space Station: High-Risk Build

From ammonia leaks to Space Shuttle disasters to a spacewalk gone terribly wrong, astronauts and Mission Control insider

Operation Space Station: Science and Survival

Witness life-or-death decisions 250 miles above Earth, as astronauts and Mission Control work together to survive moment

Asteroids: Spark of Life?

Imagine a time when Earth was a molten, volcanic wasteland, heavily bombarded by colossal asteroids. We’ve long feared

Angkor: Hidden Jungle Empire

Uncover the lost secrets of a once-mighty empire. The city of Angkor, the seat of the great Khmer Empire in Southeast As

Can Dogs Talk?

Imagine a world where your furry best friend could tell you exactly what they're thinking. A growing number of dog owner

Mammal Origins

Uncover the surprising ancient origins of mammals, a story that began long before the dinosaurs' reign. Surveying Earth'

Stone Age Temple Mystery

On a remote hillside in modern-day Turkey sits Gpbekli Tepe, the oldest temple on Earth. For centuries, archaeologists b

Return to the Moon

A half-century after Apollo, the Artemis missions aim to bring astronauts back to the Moon and establish a lunar space s

Rain Bombs

An invisible, unpredictable atmospheric force is wreaking havoc across the globe, sinking superyachts and bringing down

Athens: Birth of Democracy

Follow archaeological investigations into the dramatic origins of democracy in Greece 2,500 years ago. Mass graves and a