NOVA
Wednesday 9:00 PM on PBS Premiered Mar 03, 1974 In Season
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- 3/2/10An exploration of the public's interest in the former planet Pluto, based on the book The Pluto Files by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
5/4/10In 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted, replacing two hundred miles of previously green terrain with course, arid lava rock and ash. Charlie Crisafulli, an ecologist, set out to study the landscape to see if it was doomed to remain as such. To his astonishment, life began almost instantly to sprout up among the rock, which is captured now in Mt. St. Helens Back From the Dead.
moreless- 11/13/07Using courtroom reenactments based on transcripts and interviews with those present, NOVA looks at the events of the federal case of Kitzmiller v. Dover School District.
1/5/77NOVA traces the development of Hitler's V-2 rocket through rare footage obtained from the National Archives—some never broadcast before on television.
11/16/04Archeologists excavate Stalag Luft 3, the site of the greatest WWII prisoner escape. Prisoners of the camp are also interviewed.- 2/23/11Hunting down the most venomous animals to reveal their medical mysteries.
- 4/6/10A look at the history of the telescope and how it has changed our understanding of the universe.
- 2/4/03NOVA goes inside Boeing’s Phantom Works and Lockheed’s Skunk Works to record classified meetings, fly the most revolutionary planes and examine the high-stakes battle to build the most capable fighter ever createdâ€"the Joint Strike Fighter.
- 2/1/12Racing against developers in the Rockies, archaeologists uncover a unique site packed with astonishingly preserved bones of mammoths, mastodons and other giant extinct beasts, opening a window on the vanished world of the Ice Age.
- 12/18/07Missing in MiG Alley is a 2007 war documentary that explores the confrontation between Russian MIG 15s and American F86 Sabres during the Korean War. With in depth interviews and raw film footage, the Nova episode looks for clues in the disappearance of American pilots with some signs pointing toward Moscow.moreless
- 3/30/04In seconds, a supertwister can leave immense swaths of death and destruction. But what if technology could help us tame tornadoes? Join stormchasers as they untwist mysteries that may explain how these killer storms spawn.
1/28/97Titanic's Lost Sister from the PBS show NOVA presents the tragic history of the Britannic, sister ship to the ill-fated Titanic. In 1916, the Brittanic sank in the Aegean Sea after being hit by a mine or torpedo, while serving as a hospital ship in World War I. This 1997 episode follows the search for ship's wreckage and reconstruction of its final hours.moreless
2/2/88Buried in Ice is a science documentary from the PBS show NOVA. In this 1988 episode, the reporters investigate the reasons for the failure of the 19th century Franklin Expedition to the Canadian Arctic. Beginning with the frozen remains of crew, the episode interviews forensic experts and scientist on the reasons for why all the men perished.moreless
10/3/89Four of the major systems forming the infrastructure of an urban center are examined. Judd Hirsch narrates as Nova looks at the distribution and disposal of electricity, water, sewage and garbage in New York City.
10/12/93Forensic detective Clyde Snow is on a mission to uncover the truth of the legend of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He travels to Peru to physically examine the evidence and finds that some facts do not add up to the legends. How much of the story of these two legendary outlaws is the truth, and how much has Hollywood invented?moreless
4/30/02New York City and the World Trade Center take a center stage in this episode when NOVA producers turn to forensic engineers and scientists to find out why the twin towers fell in 2001. By the end of the episode, audiences get a new perspective as to why the towers collapsed.moreless
10/12/04The Most Dangerous Woman in America looks at the unfortunate life of "Typhoid Mary." This 2004 episode from the science series NOVA follows Irish immigrant, Mary Mallon, a household cook who unknowingly spread typhoid fever wherever she worked at the turn of the century. Once identified as a healthy carrier of the virus, Mary refused to believe she could be spreading disease. Authorities incarcerated her for the later part of her life to protect the public.moreless
1/18/05A chronicle of the turbulent birth, life and death of the Concorde, the world's first and only supersonic airliner.
2/21/06As scientists examine every particle of the universe to understand its creation, a mystery is revealed. Neutrinos are tiny, invisible particles that move through everything - space, matter and even humans. This "Ghost particle," however, has previously only been explained in theory. Will the study of this particle unlock the origins of the universe?moreless
9/28/04Part 2 of 4
11/15/05This docudrama looks at Isaac Newton's discoveries in mathematics, physics and optics, as well as his lesser known pursuit of alchemy and hidden meanings in the Bible.- 10/31/06Until now, supermassive black holes have just been theory. Astronomers are working hard to get proof, and they're coming very close. NOVA goes deep inside space research to uncover the mysteries of black holes. Deep-space photography and interviews with scientists reveal clues to an enigma that has previously belonged in the realm of science fiction.moreless
2/6/07In Forgotten Genius, NOVA looks at the extraordinary career of scientist Percy Julian whose laboratory work led the way to the cortisone family of medications. The grandson of slaves, and working during a deeply segregated time in American history, Julian managed to remain devoted to his laboratory work while facing prejudice and other barriers to acceptance.moreless
2/10/81The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was the most deadly and destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. NOVA explores the events leading up to the blast, analyzes the blast itself frame-by-frame and surveys the aftermath in the hopes of learning just how to prevent a similar incident from causing so much damage.moreless
6/26/07In collaboration with National Geographic Television, NOVA explores new evidence about the last days of the Inca Empire.
3/7/76Author Isaac Asimov joins NOVA in the retelling of the remarkable story of the discovery of the structure of DNA. James Watson and his ex-colleague Francis Crick exchange memories of the events which led to their winning the race for the structure of the gene.- 4/24/07NOVA explores solar energy and its contribution towards getting humanity off of fossil fuels.
- 10/30/07Every year thousands of athletes from across the globe flock to Boston to run the city’s marathon, known worldwide as the ultimate test of stamina and endurance. But how do you run 26 miles if you have trouble making it around the block?
4/3/07NOVA explores the lives of cuttlefish. Not actually fish, these cephalopods can change their shape and color, they can put on dazzling light shows, and they're surprisingly intelligent.
10/9/07NOVA follows the long and exacting centuries-old process of making a Japanese samurai sword, from smelting the ore to the finished katana.
10/16/07This episode goes inside the gatekeeper role played by the epigenome and also looks at how a person's habits can affect future generations.- 1/19/10Archaeologists carry out an investigation into the origins of Egypt's Great Sphinx.
- 9/29/04Part 4 of 4
- 10/6/09A docudrama covering the events which led Charles Darwin to publish On the Origin of Species.
- 11/23/11Is our universe unique, or could it be just one in an endless "multiverse"?
- 1/18/12With 3D graphics, NOVA reveals how the Allies used special aerial photos to deal a dire blow to the Nazi rocket program.
- 4/22/08Tom Magliozzi of NPR's Car Talk needs to replace his 1952 MG roadster. Where do you turn to in today's car market? Is new technology about to change how we drive? Join Tom and brother Ray as they take a look at America's four-wheeled future.
- 2/13/01From 200 to 900 A.D., Yax K’uk Mo’s dynasty of Blood Lords presided over the Maya city of Copan. Join archaeologists to piece together the rise and fall of this ancient city, its founder, Yax K’uk Mo and its amazingly advanced culture.
- 5/13/08A difficult journey that begins in loneliness and shame for thousands of Ethiopian women ends in a productive new life and hope for the future in this award-winning film.
1/30/01In 1947, an aircraft named Stardust vanished, seemingly from thin air. It would be many decades before the world had any closure on the fate of the civilian plane and its disappearance in the Andes. This NOVA episode examines the mystery, including the enigmatic Morse code messages sent moments before the crash.moreless
4/20/04A groundbreaking investigation of worldwide trends in population. Personal stories from people around the world are showcased by this episode. This first installment of Nova's World in the Balance movie shows how the world's population is both growing in some countries, yet dwindling in others. According to the results the world population will reach 9 billion by 2050.moreless
1/3/06A mummy rested in a museum in Niagara Falls, NY, for years - far away from his native Egypt. The question is, who is he? It is possible that the mummy is the remains of a great leader named Ramses I. Scientists will have to use every tool in their technological arsenal to unravel this mystery.moreless
2/28/06NOVA retraces the steps of Artic explorers, Sir John Franklin and Roald Amundsen, who discovered the Northwest Passage. The program takes viewers back to the 1840s, showing audience how sailors traveled through ice and snow on medium-sized wooden ships. NOVA also explains why only eight percent of the men who traveled to the Arctic Sea made it out alive.moreless
1/15/08Our mastery of cold is something we take for granted, whether it’s air conditioning and frozen food or the liquefied gases and superconductivity in cutting-edge technology. But what is cold? How do you achieve it, and how cold can it get?
4/18/06Everyone has heard of global warming, but a lesser-known man-made phenomenon has been nearly as powerful at affecting Earth's climate. A look at global dimming, created by soot and pollution reflecting the sun's rays and surprisingly helping to offset global warming's catastrophic advance.
11/4/03The uniting of five different versions of string theory into "M-theory", a development requiring eleven dimensions.- 3/28/0623 bizarre looking vehicles line up at the gate of the DARPA Grand Challenge with one thing in common: there’s nobody behind the wheel. With names like Terramax, Ghostrider and Stanley, these vehicles are armed with cutting-edge technology.
2/10/04NOVA heads to Mount Blanc in Italy to film glaciologists as they look for hidden lakes inside the ice. The episode discusses how glaciers are formed and how water constantly changes from solid to liquid form. Cameras go on an ice adventure into a glacier to find out exactly where its water flows.moreless
2/17/04Crash of Flight 111 from the PBS show NOVA details the exhaustive, four year search for the answer to a 1998 flight crash. Swissair Flight 111 crashed into the sea near Nova Scotia, killing 229 people and leaving behind a mystery. The investigation reveals some surprising reasons for the crash and how the crash paved the way for important changes in airplane safety and crash recovery.moreless- 1/8/08Our mastery of cold is something we take for granted, whether it’s air conditioning and frozen food or the liquefied gases and superconductivity in cutting-edge technology. But what is cold? How do you achieve it, and how cold can it get?
- 10/28/08Neil Ross narrates this exploration of fractals. These repeating shapes may not be visible to the naked human eye, but they can be found in the structures of everything from plant life to human hearts. Recently, mathematicians have learned how to better understand fractals. Guests such as Dana Cartwright, Ralph Abraham and Loren Carpenter explore the ways fractals can further human understanding.moreless
- 10/13/09A look at the mission to service, for the last time, the Hubble Space Telescope.
- 1/11/12Can experts recreate an Allied attack from WWII and destroy dams with a bouncing bomb?
- 12/29/09
In this 2-hour episode from the ninth season, the PBS science documentary series looks at the remarkable variety of life forms on planet Earth, and how over one million species have evolved from a similar genetic toolkit. The film takes a new look at Darwin's familiar theory of natural selection and considers other scientific possibilities.
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11/8/05This documentary takes a look at whether Norwegian resistance fighters stopped Hitler from acquiring a nuclear weapon. In 1944, a Norwegian ferry supposedly carrying a vital supply of heavy water was scuttled by a commando raid. For six decades the wreck rested in a lake, but now a research team is exploring the wreckage and examining its lost cargo to see if there really was any heavy water onboard.moreless
9/5/06Building on Ground Zero from the PBS show NOVA explores the challenge of rebuilding the World Trade Center after the collapse on 9/11. Engineers, construction experts, architects and investigators all contribute their specialized knowledge to an understanding of how to build better skyscrapers in the age of terrorist attacks and new challenges.moreless- 2/2/10An archaeological review of the discoveries that have been made at Machu Picchu over the last 100 years.
- 2/12/08Millions remember the countdowns, launchings, splashdowns and parades as the U.S. raced the USSR to the Moon, but few know that both superpowers also ran parallel covert space programs to launch military astronauts on spying missions.
11/6/07Using previously classified documents, NOVA uncovers the secret history of U.S. space programs in the 1950's and how those aspirations were given a boost in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I.- 2/3/09A look at the National Security Agency's role in eavesdropping. Based on James Bamford's best-selling 2008 book, The Shadow Factory.
6/30/09An exploration into the influence music can have on the human brain, using case studies from neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks' book, Musicophilia.
9/26/06Nova follows four scientists in their quest to uncover the mystery of what they believe to be an epic volcanic eruption that occurred 75,000 years ago and which wrought untold devastation to Earth. If their theory is true, it may mean this ancient megavolcano or others like it may reawaken some day and inflict catastrophic damage once again.moreless
10/28/03Further elaborations of string theory from its origins to five different versions.- 2/19/08As new research continues to reveal that apes are smarter than previously thought, NOVA explores just what separates humans from the great apes.
12/26/06Peter Robbins is an American who uses the latest technology to deep search for sunken German U-Boats. He not only hunts for and explores the U-Boats, but he also builds the equipment he uses. NOVA joins Robbins on his latest adventure to document the launch of his new submarine, the Alicia.moreless
6/21/78In 1965, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, two radio astronomers at Bell Telephone Laboratories, discovered faint, but ever-present, microwave signals from space—the most ancient and most distant signals detected by man: the oldest "fossils" in the universe. NOVA explores the current surge of cosmological discovery that continues to aid scientists in the "cosmic archaeology" of digging into the history of the universe.moreless- 11/17/09A look at the fate of Neanderthals, Homo erectus, and Hobbits as modern humans colonized the world.
- 10/20/09Dr. Eric Pianka tracks monitor lizards across Australia.
- 11/3/09An exploration of the causes which lead to the separation of humans from the other great apes. Also revealed is Selam, a 3.3 million-year-old fossil child.
- 11/10/09A look at Turkana Boy, one of the earliest skeletons to really look human. Also explored are the development of characteristics more uniquely human, such as longer childhoods and long-distance running.
10/11/05Einstein's Big Idea from the PBS show NOVA explores the revolutionary theory of relativity. Albert Einstein's famous formula E = mc2, which concludes that mass and energy are one. This docudrama looks at how Einstein developed his most famous accomplishment, as well as his other radical breakthroughs which led to his winning the Nobel Prize in Physicsmoreless- 11/11/08A look at the investigation surrounding the discovery of "hobbit" bones on the Indonesian island of Flores.
- 2/24/09Scientists explore the connection between the rat population and the bamboo blooms in the Indian state of Mizoram.
- 11/25/08In Ocean Animal Emergency, a team of doctors and veterinarians work rapidly to save the lives of injured seal pups who are rescued off the California coast. The show describes the process and the personalities behind wildlife rescue operations, environmental protection, and marine biology research as it takes place in a lab in Sausalito.moreless
- 1/4/04Go inside NASA’s risky field trip to the red planet in this tense and dramatic behind-the-scenes chronicle of the $820 million Mars Exploration Rover (MER) project.
- 10/10/12The Vikings were the most ferocious warriors of the Middle Ages. Especially fearsome were the select few who wielded a formidable weapon: a light, razor sharp, virtually indestructible sword with its maker’s name, ULFBERHT, inlaid along the blade. But who Ulfberht was, where the sword came from, and how it was made remained secrets for more than 1,000 years?moreless
11/1/05Volcano Under the City from the show Nova is a 54 minute TV documentary which stars Neil Ross. The storyline tells of a daring expedition of a team of scientists whose mission is to study Congo's deadly Mount Nyiragongo up close to find out what makes it tick. French volcanologist Jacques Durieux and Italian geochemists Dario Tedesco and Orlando Vaselli extend their help to the Congonese scientists. The episode writers include Antoine de Maximy and Caroline Wrinch and under the direction also of Antoine Maximy, Caroline Wrinch and Jackie Mow.moreless
11/7/06Alberto Santos-Dumont's name might not be as recognizable as Orville and Wilbur Wrights'. However, this Brazilian aviator was a true pathfinder when it came to flight. His desire to fly helped spur inventions that would change the face of human achievement. Kathryn Walker narrates this documentary about Santos-Dumont's life and his works.moreless- 1/25/12Experts investigate whether a portrait sold for about $20,000 in 1998 is a lost Leonardo.
- 10/14/08A look at the history of NASA's shuttle program, with particular emphasis on the disaster which befell the space shuttle Columbia.
- 4/14/09A last look at the doctors NOVA has been documenting since 1987. Part two covers the lives of each doctor since graduating medical school.
2/9/75NOVA explores T.D. Lynsenko's rise to power in the Soviet Union in the early 20th century, and how it affected plant genetic research in the USSR.
6/27/76NOVA heads to the Bermuda Triangle to find out why over the last 40 years planes and ships have disappeared there. The episode starts in Florida and travels southeast over the Atlantic Ocean. Cameramen stay overnight to see if anything strange happens, and at around midnight, some odd lights appear on the horizon.moreless
2/23/76NOVA recreates March 1975 at Brown's Ferry, an Alabama nuclear power plant—the largest in the world—that suffered a seven-hour fire which came very close to developing into a major public disaster.
11/15/88This NOVA episode tackles one of history's most pressing and controversial questions. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy rocked the world in 1963, but the identity of his killer remained shrouded in mystery. Decades later, researchers and scientists are able to apply updated technology to the case, uncovering surprising new clues about the assassin's identity.moreless
11/14/00Hitler's Lost Sub explores the six year quest of diver John Chatterton and his team to solve the mystery of a World War II U-boat found off the coast of New Jersey. This dangerous pursuit to explore and identify the ship leads to a surprising historical discovery in this extended episode from the 2000 season of NOVA from PBS.moreless
10/23/01Secrets of the Mind explores the fascinating work of neuroscientist Dr. V.S. Ramachandran as he develops groundbreaking theories on how the human brain functions, especially after trauma such as an amputated limb or a stroke. This episode from the 2001 season of "Nova" on PBS follows these unusual patient cases and Dr. Ramachandran's new theories on perception and the mysterious brain.moreless
2/5/02Secrets, Lies, and Atomic Spies from the show NOVA is a 2002 documentary that explores the rich history of Soviet spying at the start of the Cold War. Using declassified documents, the film reveals that the Soviet Union had penetrated virtually every part of the U.S. federal government by the end of the 1940s. The program originally aired on February 5, 2002.moreless
3/26/02NOVA heads to Antarctica to retrace the voyage of Ernest Shackleton, when in 1914, he stranded himself on the southern icepack along with a team of scientists. Living on seal and penguin meat, the group traveled across the ice for the next two years before setting off an 800-mile long journey across the Atlantic in a small rowboat.moreless
10/7/03Who Killed the Red Baron? is episode 2 from season 31 of the popular PBS sicence show NOVA. The episode originally aired October 7, 2003. This episode featured segments on the mind of the red baron, theories surrounding his death, America's part in the Allied battle against Germany and the war-time aerial arms race.moreless
3/29/05On December 26, 2004 a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean kills more than 250,000 people. NOVA takes an in depth look at just what happened on that fateful day.
4/17/07In the remote mountains of China, scientist come closer to understanding the origins of flowers.- 9/29/04Part 3 of 4
- 1/4/05Take an astounding look at the red planet in this interplanetary adventure. Mission Control and its two robotic explorers face a daunting taskâ€"find proof that liquid water, the essential ingredient of life, once existed on Mars.
- 11/18/08Archeologists and historians explore the controversial origin story of the Old Testament, including asking questions about the Bible's actual authors, the origins of ancient Israelites, the truth behind famous Bible stories and the very emergence of Christianity. Guests include Gabriel Barkay, Manfred Bietak, Amnon Ben-Tor, Elisabetta Boaretto, Lee Levine and Sharon Zuckerman.moreless
- 1/5/10An investigation into the sinking of the USS Arizona during World War II.
3/8/78Ancient scientists and their early theories of extraterrestrial life are the focus on this episode of NOVA. Producers head to the Great Pyramids of Egypt and to Mexico to see if alien life had a hand in helping humans create their architectural masterpieces. The episode ends with a look at some ancient artwork of an astronaut leaving Earth on a spaceship.moreless
12/11/01Methuselah Tree is a 2001 poetic profile of a 4600-year-old bristlecone pine tree growing in the White Mountains not far from Las Vegas. Discovered by scientist Edward Shulman in 1957, this ancient tree was already 77 years old at the death of Egyptian pyramid builder Cheops. According to Leroy Johnson of the U.S. Forest Service, Methuselah could live forever.moreless- 3/24/09NOVA joins forces with National Geographic to follow photojournalist James Balog and a team of scientists as they attempt to record time-lapse images of glaciers in Alaska, the Alps and the Arctic.
10/21/08Follow EELS frontman Mark Everett on his journey to understand his father Hugh, creator of the Many Worlds Theory of quantum mechanics.- 9/28/04Part 1 of 4
- 1/12/10Archaeologists and boat builders reconstruct an ancient Egyptian trading vessel based on archaeological evidence.
- 11/24/09
Dreams have been the material of soothsayers and the subject of analytical work by Sigmund Freud, but how much to we really know? NOVA's What Are Dreams? explores how the biochemistry of the brain creates dreams and what scientists and doctors currently think that dreams do for the brain's health and development. It studies common questions about nightmares, sleepwalking, and the psychological implication of dreaming.
moreless - 2/26/08Long ago in the age of dinosaurs, a volcano in eastern China erupted and buried a host of strange creatures in ash, creating exquisite fossils that preserved a big surpriseâ€"many dinosaurs were covered in feathers.
11/21/00Runaway Universe from the show NOVA first aired on November 21, 2000. This episode follows two rival teams of scientists as they explore the concept of quintessence. Both teams map out stars and galaxies and explore the depths of the universe. They are both searching for answers as to how the universe might end.moreless
4/4/06Voyage to the Mystery Moon explores the Cassini/Huygens satellite mission to Saturn, including a landing on its Earth-like moon, Titan. This 2006 episode from the PBS show NOVA interviews the international team of scientists and astronomers as they design and execute the project and await a long seven years for their satellite to send back data on the mysterious rings of Saturn and possible secrets to our solar system.moreless
6/19/07NOVA follows a group of paleontologists to a cave in southwestern Australia where the fossils of a meat-eating marsupial lion, and other extinct giant animals, have recently been discovered.
10/2/01In Search for a Safe Cigarette, NOVA explores the efforts by scientists and the tobacco industry's efforts to create a less life-threatening product. In spite of the known health risks, smoking continues to grow around the globe. With a prohibition unlikely, the solution may lie in creating a healthier cigarette.
2/8/05One of history's greatest controversies is a hand-drawn piece of paper called the Vineland Map. No one knows its origins, yet it appears to be a map of the eastern United States. It is also assumed to be dated back to at least fifty years before Columbus set foot on American soil. Is this map real, or is it a hoax?moreless- 3/31/09A look at a new theory as to what killed off the mammoths and other large mammals of North America.
- 1/27/09
Every year, monarch butterflies migrate nearly 2,000 miles across North America. NOVA investigates this migration in this episode, using helicopters, hot-air balloons, and other aircraft to get the butterflies' point of view as they travel across the continent. Narrators also discuss the increasing threat to this migration as the monarchs suffer the loss of their habitats.
moreless - 12/30/08The most recent scientific findings from the Mars rovers and Phoenix probe, including the discovery of water ice.
- 1/20/09A look at California's efforts at energy conservation and efficiency, as well as carbon-free power generation, as a model for the rest of the United States.
- 1/29/08How did the ancient Greeks design and build the Parthenon, their masterpiece, so quickly? How did they achieve such precision and perfection without modern tools and architectural aids that we take for granted today?
3/10/74NOVA explores the mighty Colorado River which today has become the life-blood of the Southwest, providing water and electricity to the farms and cities of California, Nevada, and Arizona. The program examines the political expediency and technological over-optimism that has led to some major miscalculations of the river's capacity.- 4/8/08The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind a riddle: an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script carved on stone monuments and painted on pottery and bark books.
1/5/75NOVA travels to Washington, DC, visiting the Pentagon to ask some difficult questions to military officials. Producers want to discover how science and new advances in technology contributed to weapons and warfare. This episode takes a look at weapons of war and how soldiers use them to accomplish their missions.
2/22/78In a dramatic docudrama, NOVA reconstructs the controversial lawsuit raised against renowned heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley when one of his patients died after heart surgery, and examines the legal and moral issues this raises in the practice of modern medicine.
10/2/90This documentary covers the surprising tale of an average systems administrator who stumbled upon a KGB spy operation. Clifford Stoll carried out one of the first successful digital forensics investigations by tracking down Markus Hess, a KGB hacker, after noticing a discrepancy in the logs of a University of California computer.moreless
12/29/98The Perfect Pearl from the show NOVA originally aired on December 29, 1998. NOVA dives deep into the fascination surrounding the pearl and visits many places where pearls are harvested. They also visit many pearl farms and discuss the effect that these farms will have on the monetary value of the pearl.moreless
11/18/03While many people might not realize it, the Earth has an invisible magnetic shield that serves the vital purpose of protecting the planet from radiation. However, the magnetic shield is not invincible, and has grown weaker over time. This NOVA episode follows the scientists who are searching for important solutions.
10/4/05The search for the wreck of the Yamato, the largest and mightiest battleship ever floated and the pride of the Japanese Imperial Fleet. Constructed in absolute secrecy and sunk by American planes toward the end of World War II, her rapid demise had been a mystery, rather like a military Titanic.moreless
2/14/06Jewel of the Earth from the show NOVA is a 2006 documentary that explores ancient life trapped in liquid pine resin millions of years ago. Once fossilized these time capsules, called amber, contain the remnants of insects and small animals; from fungus gnats and aphids in the Baltic region to tadpoles and marsh beetles in the Dominican Republic. Hosted by famed naturalist, David Attenborough, this episode originally aired on February 12, 2006.moreless
5/8/07The recent archeological discovery of the Native American Powhatan village of Werowocomoco, sheds new light on the Jamestown story of Pocahontas.
11/6/01Russia's Nuclear Warriors from the show NOVA is a 2001 documentary that explores the mindset of the men who control Russia's nuclear arsenal. Narrated by Vladimir Pozner, one of Russia's top journalists, this film paints a picture of patriotic soldiers who, despite low pay and tedious working conditions, are responsible for one of the world's most destructive forces.moreless
11/12/02Volcano's Deadly Warning is episode 5 of season 30 from the informative PBS science show NOVA. The episode originally aired on November 12, 2002 and featured a look at the destructive force of volcanoes. Featuring the monitoring of a volcano in the Columbian Andes and segments on seismic signals and the emergency response team made up of volcanologists that travel the world.moreless- 4/7/09A last look at the doctors NOVA has been documenting since 1987. In part one, the seven students are followed through four years of medical school at Harvard University.
5/12/74When Paul Kammerer committed suicide in 1926, it was taken by most of his fellow biologists as a tacit admission of guilt that he had faked his experiments purporting to show the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Arthur Koestler joins NOVA in an in-depth examination of Kammerer's infamous experiment.
1/31/95One of the creatures that rarely gets any attention unless it has done something bad is the ant. Entomologist Edward O. Wilson takes NOVA on a journey into the world of this much-hated insect and explains the complex living and working conditions of these tiny work-a-holics. Their behavior is unique and not at all what one would expect.moreless
2/9/10An exploration of underwater caves in the Bahamas expands upon our understanding of the history of Earth's climate.
2/13/07Scientists return to the jungles of Congo to further explore the peaceful lives of bonobos.- 11/16/10
NOVA explores the perpetual mystery of Stonehenge in a new investigation of its ancient secrets. New sites have been excavated approximately one mile from the original site that add to current knowledge of its original purpose. Stonehenge researchers describe their current findings and what new questions have arisen in their exploration.
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10/7/08Paleontologists discover a wealth of dinosaur fossils in Alaska's North Slope. Using CGI, the lives of these polar dinosaurs are revealed
10/17/06The Deadliest Plane Crash from the science program NOVA explores the 1977 aviation disaster on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Two 747 jumbo jets crashed on a foggy runway, killing 583 people. The episode features interviews with investigators and survivors who recreate the tragic evening and point out the relevance to runway safety today.moreless
10/14/86Up until the early 1980s, thousands of victims vanished in Argentina, left in unmarked graves. During the most terrifying days of Argentina's junta, such executions were commonplace. Decades later, Dr. Clyde Snow and other forensic specialists work together to identify the anonymous victims, based solely on their bones. Their hope is to bring peace to the families left behind and justice to the killers.moreless
10/30/90Nova looks at the history and future of dirigible airships, from the early rigid, giant zeppelins to the smaller nonrigid blimps taking to the skies, including the Liteship. Also shown, some unsuccessful hybrids including the Cyclocrane and the ill-fated Piasecki Heli-stat.
11/9/99Nazi code breaking takes a center stage on NOVA when the show revisits World War II and Winston Churchill's effort to win the intelligence war over Germany. By gathering the world best mathematicians, linguists, and gamers, the English Prime Minister organizes a team to crack a German message-coding machine named "Enigma."moreless
10/31/00Holocaust on Trial from the show NOVA aired on October 31, 2000. In January of 2000, author and World War II specialist David Irving claimed in court that another author, Deborah Lipstadt, slandered his name and reputation in her Holocaust-related book. Historians look back and study the tragic event and how it has been denied by some.moreless
1/14/03Last Flight of Bomber 31 is an episode from the science documentary series NOVA that aired on January 14, 2003. In March of 1944, Bomber 31 vanished without a trace over the Bering Sea during a mission in World War II. Scientists discover the bomber 55 years later and, with a government team, attempt to solve the mystery of its disappearance.moreless
11/4/92Egyptologist Mark Lehner and professional stonemason Roger Hopkins explore the secrets of pyramid building by actually building one.- Are you safe aboard a modern cruise ship?
11/20/07The Mofu people of northern Cameroon have a close relationship with insects, in particular, the red driver ants which they use to combat termites.- 5/20/08NOVA profiles E.O. Wilson, renowned for his scientific study of ants that led to his book Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, where he put forth the idea that evolutionary principles could explain social behavior throughout the animal kingdom.
9/29/11Gripping stories from Japan offer lessons on how to act in the face of a deadly disaster.- 4/13/10A look at the history of the telescope and how it has changed our understanding of the universe.
- 1/2/13The eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010 turned much of the northern hemisphere into an ash-strewn no-fly zone. Katla, an Icelandic volcano 10 times bigger, has begun to swell and grumble, and Hekla and Laki, could erupt without warning. Iceland is a ticking time bomb: When it blows, the consequences will be global. What can we do to prepare for the coming disaster?moreless
- 9/7/11
Architects and engineers plan the construction of One World Trade Center and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
- 9/7/11On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, NOVA presents an epic story of engineering, innovation and the perseverance of the human spirit. With extraordinary access granted by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, this program follows the five-year construction of One World Trade Center (1 WTC) and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. NOVA captures the behind-the-scenes struggle of architects and engineers to make the buildings safe and highly secure under the pressures of a tight schedule, the demands of practical office space and efficient, "green" architecture, and the public's expectations of a fitting site for national remembrance. Featuring interviews with 1 WTC architect David Childs; Chris Ward, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Mayor Michael Bloomberg, chairman of the 9-11 Memorial Foundation; and Michael Arad, the man behind the breakthrough concept for the 9-11 Memorial.moreless
4/27/10In the wake of the financial crash of 2008, NOVA recreates experiments from the field of behavioral economics to help illuminate the connections between the human mind and money.- 2/9/11Jeopardy! challenges even the best human minds. Can a computer win the game?
- 10/17/12Virtual autopsies, 3-D fingerprints, and digital crime scenes are making crime-solving into a more precise science.
- 10/26/11A new forensic investigation of a 5,000-year-old mummy reconstructs his death and reveals an ancient way of life.
- 1/23/13NOVA reveals the amazing technologies that make drones so powerful. From cameras that can capture every detail of an entire city at a glance, to swarming robots that can make decisions on their own, to giant air frames that can stay aloft for days on end, drones are changing our relationship to war, surveillance and each other. Discover the cutting-edge technologies that are propelling us toward a new chapter in aviation history.moreless
- 2/16/11On June 1st, 2009, Flight AF447, an Air France Airbus A330 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of all 228 lives. How could a state-of-the-art airliner with elaborate electronic safety and navigation features and a faultless safety record simply vanish without trace?moreless
- 11/9/11It defines our lives, but what is time really? Have a look into its true nature.
- 11/2/11Surprising clues indicate that space is very much something and not nothing.
- 11/23/10
NOVA and National Geographic go on a quest to discover the mines of King Solomon, one of the most celebrated kings of ancient Israel. Through archaeological investigations in Jordan, clues to Solomon's history such as an ancient copper mine and ancient inscriptions and messages are discovered that may unlock the mysteries surrounding this great king.
moreless - 12/12/00Dying to Be Thin from the PBS show NOVA takes a disturbing look at the increase in eating disorders. n Anorexia, bulimia and binge eating can be the most difficult of psychological disorders to treat. This episode interviews specialists who are trying to find new ways to reach the young women and men who suffer from these disorders.moreless
- 1/11/11Big quakes are inevitable, but can we prevent their devastation?
- 4/20/11Are we finally on the brink of a clean energy revolution?
- 10/10/12A modern-day swordsmith reverse engineers the ultimate weapon of the Middle Ages '? a sword both prized and feared.
- 10/1/96Einstein Revealed is a 2-hour special presentation from the PBS show NOVA about the personal life of the famous scientist, as well as the inspirations behind his revolutionary ideas. This biography explores Einstein's German childhood, his marriage and how his breakthroughs were built on the work of earlier scientists such as Isaac Newton.moreless
- New tools let scientists better grasp our star's potentially destructive solar storms.
- 2/15/00Travel to Easter Island to discover the secrets of this vanished civilization through the "moai," the massive headstones that these ancient islanders created to achieve peace and harmony, yet resulted in ecological disaster.
2/3/98Animal Hospital from the PBS nature show NOVA explores the problem of animal care, especially those pets with behavior problems. Many veterinarians now utilize high tech medicine to save many pets, but many animals are put to sleep at animal shelters or animal hospitals because of a lack of understanding of animal needs.moreless- 10/19/10A look at the construction and artistry of Gothic cathedrals.
- 1/30/96
- Tom Magliozzi has a problem. The wacky co-host of NPR's Car Talk needs to replace his beloved 1952 MG roadster. But where do you turn to in today's car market? Is new technology about to transform the way we drive? Join Tom and brother Ray as they take a light-hearted but shrewd look at America's four-wheeled future. "Click and Clack" explore everything from a glitzy Detroit auto show to a green think tank in Colorado.moreless
10/19/11We are on the verge of answering one of the greatest questions in history: Are we alone?- 1/30/13NOVA is reopening one of the most confounding crime mysteries of all time as a team of expert investigators employs state-of-the-art forensic and behavioral science techniques in an effort to determine what really happened to Charles Lindbergh’s baby... and why.
- 2/6/13In Building Pharaoh's Chariot, a team of archaeologists, engineers, woodworkers, and horse trainers join forces to build and test two highly accurate replicas of Egyptian royal chariots. They discover advanced features, including spoked wheels, springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars, and even a convex shaped rear mirror, leading one of them to compare the level of design to the engineering standards of 1930's-era Buicks!moreless
- 10/11/11Watch a rare interview with the late Apple visionary, conducted in 1990.
- 11/16/11Take a wild ride into the quantum realm, where even the impossible seems possible.
- 11/2/10The secret life of elevators.
- 11/9/10New discoveries in genetics reveal the origin of dogs.
- 11/20/01After the success of The Miracle of Life, NOVA catches up with Lennart Nilsson two decades later to produce a sequel called Life's Greatest Miracle. This episode aims to feature the latest innovations in fetal photography and the most recent advances in fetal and embryonic research, as well as the varied techniques in fertilization.moreless
7/11/03Eleven dimensions, parallel universes, and a world made out of strings. It's not science fiction, it's string theory. Today, Einstein's goal of combining the physical laws of the universe in one theory that explains it all is the Holy Grail of modern physics. In order to solve some of the deepest mysteries of the universe, the rules that govern large objects like galaxies must be combined with the rules that govern small objects like subatomic particles. String theory is radically changing our ideas about the nature of space, opening up the possibility that extra dimensions, rips in the fabric of space, and parallel universes actually exist.moreless- 1/4/12How can we best prepare for the most lethal volcanic eruptions?
- A two-hour special from the producers of "Making Stuff"
- What will it mean when most of us can afford to have the information in our DNA—all three billion chemical letters of it—read, stored, and available for analysis? Cracking Your Genetic Code reveals that we stand on the verge of such a revolution.
- 12/28/10
In this science documentary, the PBS NOVA series looks at Antarctica ice shelf and the clues it holds for climate change past and future. The melting of the region's ice could flood coastal cities around the world. The recent collapse of an ice shelf the size of Manhattan brought a research team to explore the potential for a devastating change.
moreless - 3/30/11An account and investigation of the epic earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis.
- Why was the 2011 tornado season in the U.S. so extreme, and why did so many die?
- 5/4/10When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, every living thing in the blast zone was buried beneath 300 feet of avalanche debris, covered with steaming mud, and finally, topped with a superheated layer of frothy rock from deep within the earth. It seemed as though Mount St. Helens might remain a wasteland forever. When biologist Charlie Crisafulli first flew over the disaster zone, finding no sign of life, little did he realize that his own life would be forever changed. Crisafulli has remained at the site for 27 years, documenting the dramatic return of plant and animal life to the barren landscape and pioneering a new understanding of the interaction between geologic forces and the life surrounding the mountain. NOVA brings viewers on an inspiring journey of a landscape brought back from the dead.moreless
- 4/17/01Cracking the Code of Life is a 2-hour special from the PBS show NOVA. This science documentary, hosted by journalist Robert Krulwich, details the fierce competition to be the first to decode the human genome, the genetic code that defines human life. The discovery also led to profound changes in a wide range of human endeavors.moreless
- 10/29/02Galileo's Battle for the Heavens is a special two-hour event, which is episode four from season 30 of the popular PBS show NOVA. This episode originally aired on October 29, 2002 and focused on the life, triumphs and struggles of the father of modern science, Galileo. The episode features study of his family, experiments, observations, struggles with the church and his trial by the Inquisition.moreless
- 2/22/00Tour the crumbling public baths of Rome to learn intimate details of what life was really like for ancient Roman citizens, and in the process, discover the engineering feats that made these baths such an impressive achievement.
- 10/26/10The disappearance on June 1, 2009, of flight AF447, flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
- 2/8/00Discover how ancient Egyptians used nautical experience, ingenuity, and unwavering faith to raise massive 500-ton granite monoliths that have stood for thousands of years in tribute to their unparalleled early civilization.
- 11/11/03Orville and Wilbur Wright were remarkable inventors who designed and built their own wings, steering devices, engines, and wind tunnel. But just how did they construct such an impressive flying machine?
- 2/18/03Set foot inside an untouched society and get a remarkably rare glimpse of a Tibetan world’s dazzling sacred relics. Join the race to save the surviving masterpieces of an ancient Buddhist kingdom.
- 11/23/04Armed with high-tech equipment and ingeniously improvised devices, NOVA and archaeologist Richard Freund embark on a fascinating detective story that may rewrite Holy Land history.
- 11/22/05Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, turning once-inhabitable, vibrant neighborhoods into terrible swamps. The exact science behind what happened as well as a moment-to-moment breakdown of that horrendous day when the storm hit is examined. Eyewitness accounts of what happened are brought into play as well, giving incredible, heartbreaking insight into that fateful day.moreless
- 2/27/01The Cancer Warrior from the show NOVA is a 2001 documentary chronicling Dr. Judah Folkman's 40 year quest to understand and cure cancer. Discovering the secret of how cancer grows as a young surgical resident in 1960, Dr. Folkman's dedication to the pursuit of a cure earns him the title "Cancer Warrior." The episode originally aired on February 27, 2001.moreless
- 2/29/00Travel to 12th-century China as engineers, scientists and scholars help reveal the intricate mysteries behind the revolutionary strength and elegance of the Rainbow Bridge.
4/15/09The seven young doctors, now at different hospitals across the country, must adapt to little sleep and a bewildering workload.- 3/2/04Nova heads into battle with the medics, nurses, doctors, and military staff of the 10th and 21st CaSH units in Iraq to experience the heart-wrenching ethical decisions made on the front lines of an American Combat Support Hospital.
- 10/13/09From training to launch, NOVA presents the inside story of the mission and the extraordinary challenges faced by the rescue crew.
11/3/03Eleven dimensions, parallel universes, and a world made out of strings. It's not science fiction, it's string theory.- 3/29/09A provocative new theory about what killed off America's mammoths at the end of the last Ice Age.
- 8/21/01The collapse of the Maya civilization is shrouded in mystery, but perhaps an answer can be found with this exploration into its rise out of Central America's rain forests more than 2000 years ago. Follow archaeologists as they begin to decipher the complex Mayan heiroglyphic language, explore their ancient and sophisticated culture, and analyze Maya trade and agriculture.moreless
2/8/12Follow the story of twin girls joined at the head, as surgeons prepare to separate them.
11/18/03Volcano Above the Clouds follows a group of scientists as they explore Mt. Kilimanjaro. Studying the ecology and geology of the mountain, the team intends to find out why the ice on the mountain has been slowly disappearing and to make predictions about the potential consequences for the agriculture below.- 2/8/12This is the incredible story of Trishna and Krishna, twin girls born joined at the head. Abandoned shortly after birth at an orphanage in Bangladesh, they had little chance of survival until they were saved and taken to Australia by an aid worker. With exclusive access to this extraordinary human and medical drama, NOVA’s cameras were with Trishna and Krishna and their caregivers at each moment of their journey.moreless
- Augmenting human intelligence is a lot tougher than it looks, but scientists are edging closer with machines like “Watson,” an IBM computing system that is gearing up to compete on the game show JEOPARDY!
11/3/09Where did we come from? What makes us human? An explosion of recent discoveries sheds light on these questions, and NOVA's comprehensive, three-part special, "Becoming Human," examines what the latest scientific research reveals about our hominid relatives.
1/14/10Take a cross-country journey with Neil deGrasse Tyson to explore the rise and fall of America's favorite planet.- 11/7/12Easter Island has mystified the world ever since the first Europeans arrived in 1722. How and why did the ancient islanders build and move nearly 900 giant statues, and how did they transform a presumed paradise into a treeless wasteland, bringing ruin upon their island and themselves? NOVA explores controversial recent claims that challenge decades of previous thinking about the islanders.moreless
- 1/5/10An investigation into the sinking of the USS Arizona during World War II.
- 2/8/12This is the incredible story of Trishna and Krishna, twin girls born joined at the head. Abandoned shortly after birth at an orphanage in Bangladesh, they had little chance of survival, until they were saved and taken to Australia by an aid worker. After two years battling for life, the twins are ready for a series of delicate operations, which will prepare them for the ultimate challenge: a marathon separation surgery that will allow them to live truly separate lives. Since the beginning, surgeons knew there was no guarantee of survival for either of the girls -- but without surgery there was no hope at all. With exclusive access to this extraordinary human and medical drama, NOVA's cameras have been with Trishna and Krishna and their caregivers at each moment of their journey.moreless
- 11/14/12With inside access to the massive team of scientists and engineers responsible for the Curiosity rover's on-the-ground experiments, NOVA will be there for the exhilarating moments after Curiosity's landing on Mars —and for the spectacular discoveries sure to come.
- (Part 2 of 2) In a two-hour special, NOVA examines how a simple instrument, the telescope, has fundamentally changed our understanding of our place in the universe.
- In the spring of 2009, NASA sent a shuttle crew on a risky mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope for the last time. The astronaut servicing team must carry out the first ever in-space repairs of Hubble's defective instruments, a task that requires ingenious engineering fixes and the most intensive NASA spacewalk ever. NOVA presents the inside story of the mission and the extraordinary challenges faced by the rescue crew.moreless
- 10/17/12There is a startling gap between the glamorous television world of "CSI" and the gritty reality of the forensic crime lab. In Forensics on Trial, NOVA investigates how modern forensics can send innocent men and women to prison--and sometimes even to death row. NOVA will investigate today's shaky state of crime science as well as cutting-edge solutions that could help investigators put the real criminals behind bars.moreless
- (Part 1 of 2) In a two-hour special, NOVA examines how a simple instrument, the telescope, has fundamentally changed our understanding of our place in the universe.
- As the world warms, the threat from rising sea levels poses an alarming potential for disaster. Some models now project a one-meter sea level rise over the next century, which could displace millions of people, from Florida to Bangladesh, and require trillions of dollars' investment in coastal infrastructure. But these models don't reflect recent findings that glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica are melting at an ever faster rate. What explains this alarming acceleration, and just how can we figure out what's happening inside a gigantic wall of ice? In collaboration with National Geographic, NOVA follows the exploits of acclaimed photojournalist James Balog and a scientific team as they deploy time-lapse cameras in risky, remote locations in the Arctic, Alaska and the Alps. Their goal is to create a unique photo archive of melting glaciers that could provide a key to understanding their runaway behavior. They're grappling with blizzards, fickle technology and perilous climbs up craggy precipices to anchor cameras that must withstand sub-zero temperatures and winds up to 170 mph. In this high-action adventure, NOVA investigates the mystery of the mighty ice sheets that will affect the fate of coastlines around the world.moreless
- 11/18/12Inside the Megastorm takes viewers moment by moment through Hurricane Sandy, its impacts and the future of storm protection. Through first person accounts from those who survived, and from experts and scientists, Inside the Megastorm gives scientific context to a new breed of storms.
- 1/9/13Over 60,000 years ago, the first modern humans left their African homeland and entered Europe, then a bleak and inhospitable continent in the grip of the Ice Age. But when they arrived, they were not alone: the stocky, powerfully built Neanderthals had already been living there for hundreds of thousands of years. So what happened when the first modern humans encountered the Neanderthals? Did they make love or war?moreless
3/2/93This episode introduces DNA and describes what it is in full detail. Different stories reveal how DNA is used to bring justice in criminal cases. The episode explores everything from what DNA is to how it is sampled. The importance of DNA to the majority of criminal cases, especially murder and rape, is examined.moreless
11/14/06Family That Walks on All Fours is a 2006 episode from the science program NOVA. In rural Turkey, an isolated family of five sparks a debate between scientists, anthropologists and medical researchers about the cause of the family's using both their hands and feet to walk. The NOVA crew explores the differing theories on whether the family represents a genetic aberration or a medical mystery, and then meets the family.moreless
4/6/10A look at the history of the telescope and how it has changed our understanding of the universe.
4/13/10A look at the history of the telescope and how it has changed our understanding of the universe.- Every 48 years, the inhabitants of the remote Indian state of Mizoram suffer a horrendous ordeal known locally as mautam. An indigenous species of bamboo, blanketing 30 percent of Mizoram's 8,100 square miles, blooms once every half-century, spurring an explosion in the rat population which feeds off the bamboo's fruit. The rats run amok, destroying crops and precipitating a crippling famine throughout Mizoram. NOVA follows this gripping tale of nature's capacity to engender human suffering, and investigates the botanical mystery of why the bamboo flowers and why the rats attack with clockwork precision every half-century.moreless
- For 45 centuries, the Great Sphinx has cast its enigmatic gaze over Egypt's Giza plateau. The biggest and oldest statue in a land of colossal ancient monuments, its scale is staggering. How was it built, and who or what does it represent? NOVA's expert team of archaeologists carries out experiments that reveal the techniques and incredible labor that was invested in the carving of this gigantic sculpture.moreless
4/6/04Armed with high-tech equipment and ingeniously improvised devices, NOVA and archaeologist Richard Freund embark on a fascinating detective story that may rewrite Holy Land history.
11/3/87A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama from the show NOVA tells the story of the Panama Canal from its conception to its construction and final completion in 1914. It details the powers and politicians who negotiated its creation, the people who labored to build the canal, and the impact on the world once the canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.moreless
5/26/74Who were the people that built the first cities—complete with apartment blocks—in North America? They were the Anasazi Indians, who lived in the Southwest for some eight or nine thousand years—and who then, in about 1300 AD, abruptly abandoned their cities and apparently disappeared. NOVA traces the steps of this ancient sophisticated culture.moreless
2/20/96War Machines of Tomorrow explores how "smart weapon technology" is keeping soldiers out of harm's way and increasing the precision with which the U.S. military performs its operations. Since the Persian Gulf War, advances in science have allowed the military to increase the accuracy of its strikes despite weather conditions and avoid the threat of biological warfare. The show reveals the possibility that ground warfare may one day be obsolete.moreless
2/27/96Joe Morton narrates this exploration of one of America's most fascinating controversies. Hundreds of people insist they have been the victims of alien abductions, while many other people refuse to believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life. Guests include astronomer Carl Sagan, as well as first-hand accounts from those who have experienced unexplainable events.moreless
3/26/96Flood! From the show NOVA first aired on March 26, 1996. The Mississippi River flooded and swept away homes, buildings and bridges in 1993. It caused mass devastation and deaths.This episode chronicles the struggle of the Mississippi citizens as they work hard to rebuild their homes and their lives after the water devastated their towns.moreless
4/2/96Dr. Spock the Baby Doc from the show Nova on PBS takes an in-depth look at the life and career of Dr. Benjamin Spock. Dr. Spock, author of the best-selling book Baby and Child Care, revolutionized the way that parents raise their children. He encouraged mothers and fathers to treat their children as individuals and show them love and affection.moreless
11/12/96Top Gun Over Moscow from the show NOVA goes inside Russian fighter jets including the famous Migs and SUs. Russian pilots dazzle viewers with their aerobatic skills, while also discussing what it is like being a pilot in Russia. The episode also highlights key features of the Russian jets, including their design and firepower.moreless
11/19/96This episode takes a look into the world of sharks. The main focus is to inform viewers about the behavior of this animal, why sharks attack and how often this occurs. Viewers will learn facts and statistics about the great white and tiger sharks. Additionally, viewers will see close up shots of these majestic creatures.moreless
11/24/96Evolution and its relation to human development take a center stage when NOVA explores how people inherit their unique qualities, starting at conception. The episode begins inside the womb and segues to a comparison between humans and other complex animals that share the same genes. The episode ends with a look into how life may have first developed on Earth.moreless
11/25/96The second part of NOVA's series on microscopic material, "The Odyssey of Life: The Unknown World" focuses on bacteria and other organisms unable to be viewed by the naked eye. This episode takes us through the magnifying glass and shows us the organisms that help in decomposition and digestions, the germs that make us sick, and the minute creatures we interact with unknowingly every day.moreless
11/26/96High-powered microscopes take a center stage when NOVA explores the hidden worlds that exist beyond the naked eye. This episode takes a look at how things look one hundred times bigger, as cameras capture footage of scientist studying bacteria, human skin and other items under the lens of a microscope.
12/31/96Cracking the Ice Age from the PBS nature show NOVA explores the Earth's fluctuating pattern between warm and cold periods. This documentary offers details of these alternating environments, including ice-free and glacier heavy eras. Climate scientist Kirk Maasch offers explanations for how ice ages begin and how we are in the midst of one now.moreless
1/14/97Kaboom! from the show NOVA goes inside what makes a chemical reaction take place. NOVA uses high speed photography and computer reconstruction of chemical reactions to break them down in easy to understand language. The episode also details past history of chemical reactions and explosions gone wrong and what caused these events to happen.moreless
2/11/97Secrets of Lost Empires: Stonehenge is episode 14 of season 24 of the popular PBS show NOVA. This episode originally aired on February 11, 1997 and focused on Stonehenge. Narrated by Stacy Keach and featuring an attempt by 130 volunteers to replicate Stonehenge using only Stone Age tools in their efforts this episode raises and answering questions about the mystery of the landmarks original construction.moreless
2/11/97When the Inca disappeared, they took a lot of their technological secrets with them. Today's scientists try to recreate some of the architecture just as locals weave a magnificent bridge spanning a gorge in the old, Inca tradition. NOVA takes viewers to Machu Picchu and unravels some of the mysteries of Incan artifacts.moreless
2/12/97Obelisks, which often adorned the entrances to temples and pyramids, were a feat of ancient Egyptian technology. Mark Lehner and Roger Hopkins lead a team of experts in an expedition to create a replica of a 40-ton stone obelisk. Limited to using materials and technology available to ancient Egyptians, the team manages to successfully transport and raise the obelisk.moreless
10/8/96Lost City of Arabia from the show NOVA details the lost city of Ubar, and what led to its downfall nearly 2,000 years ago. An American expedition heads into the location where the city once stood to conduct an investigation in order to learn more about the city and why it fell.moreless
10/15/96Three Men and a Balloon follows the competition to become the first team to circle the globe via hot-air balloon. This 1996 episode from the PBS program NOVA looks at the challenges involved in the breakthrough effort, from designing the balloon, catastrophe training and requesting flight path clearance around the world.moreless
10/22/96Professional counterfeiters have been in operation for nearly as long as there has been currency. In the 1990s, the sudden prevalence of printers and color copiers gave counterfeiters even more aggressive and sophisticated tools. In reaction, the U.S. Treasury redesigned dollar bills, hoping to fight back against counterfeiters and create a new and improved currency.moreless
4/9/96The Yanomami, the last known hunter-gatherer tribe in existence, are a cultural and historic treasure. Their rituals are so foreign to modern people that many just don't understand them. NOVA documents the healing ceremonies, marriage rituals, death practices and even the rituals used to deal with their enemies as they continue the way of life they've kept for hundreds of years.moreless
4/16/96Nancy Linde directs this exploration of some of the destructive bombings that have rocked the United States over the years. With a bombing epidemic making many Americans feel unsafe in their homes, forensics experts and law enforcement agencies must use high-tech techniques to solve each case and bring the bombers to justice.moreless
2/19/80NOVA looks at the latest information on the possible causes and preventative measures involved in cardiovascular disease which affects more than 40 million Americans.
3/29/79Scientists discover that the human brain naturally produces powerful painkilling chemicals, and NOVA wants to know how this happens. This episode profiles why alternative medicine such as acupuncture and chiropractory psychologically cure pain by using endorphins transmitted from the brain. The episode also reports on placebos and its effect in treating psychological pain.moreless
3/3/74NOVA premieres on public television with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a nature film. Oxford Scientific Films Unit shows how it tackles such problems as filming a wood-wasp laying its egg inside trees, the hatching of a chick and the courtship rituals of the stickleback.
1/18/76What do singer Peggy Lee, New York Jets Quarterback Joe Namath and Congressman Richard Nolas have in common? They all practice a ritual called TM—Transcendental Meditation. NOVA examines the recent phenomenal success of the TM movement in America.
1/25/76The last fourteen years have been a revolution in our understanding of our place in the stars, the Solar System. Beginning in 1961 with a Russian spacecraft flying to Venus, quickening with the Apollo manned missions to the Moon, it came of age in the Spring of 1974, when there were six spacecrafts traveling simultaneously from the Earth to the planets. NOVA looks at the era of manned and unmanned exploration of the Solar System.moreless
2/1/76NOVA explores the mysterious ecosystem of the desert: a snowstorm; a lashing summer monsoon; and the emergence—in a pool created only minutes before—of a pair of adult spadefoot toads. Toads who had been waiting beneath the sand for a year for this brief and fortuitous moment to procreate the next generation...moreless
3/17/74NOVA explores the impact of whaling and the goods it produces for the industry, verses the grace and beatury of this intelligent mammal of the sea.
3/24/74Does life exist outside this planet? The Viking lander will set down on Mars in July 1976 to try to find out just that. NOVA explores how life started on Earth and examines the Viking Lander being built in its germ-free room before starting its long journey.
3/31/74How does a primitive nomadic tribe of the Amazon basin cope with the encroachment of Western settlers? NOVA looks at both sides of the story, revealing the misunderstandings between the two cultures.
4/7/74Medicine was transformed in the 19th century by the discovery of anesthesia; surgery, until then hasty, bloody and completely unable to deal with internal disorders, subsequently took its place in the front rank of medical practice. This NOVA docudrama depicts the pioneers of medicine.
4/14/74In 1054 AD, the Chinese recorded the explosion of a star so bright that it lit the sky for three weeks, even during the day. It was the explosion of a dying star that was bigger than our sun. NOVA explores this mysterious explosion that led to the discovery of Crab Nebula.moreless
4/21/74Birds migrate in search of perpetual summer, sometimes traveling as much as 20,000 miles every year. NOVA uses radar to track and identify migrating birds that travel at night, focusing on how they coose routes tat avoid bad weather and make the best of prevailing winds—information that can aid meteorologists.
4/28/74The advance of medicine depends inevitably on the testing of experimental procedures on human volunteers from either the healthy or the sick. Yet such procedures are often dangerous, and may not be of direct benefit to the subject. NOVA examines how individuals' interests are safeguarded, and asks, under what circumstances experiments should be conducted on children.moreless
5/5/74Washoe is a chimp more like a person: she talks with her hands. NOVA visits with Washoe and her teachers—Professor Allen Gardner and Dr. Trixie Gardner—to learn more about this unusual animal.
5/19/74Nuclear fusion offers the promises of an unlimited, clean source of energy. But achieving fusion has proved one of the most difficult and elusive goals of the physicist. NOVA tells the story of the twists and turns and the international competition along the road toward the achievement of fusion; and details the recent breakthroughs which seem at last to have brought it within reach.moreless
11/3/74NOVA travels to forests and marshes to discover why birds sing and finds surprising parallels with the acquisition of speech in humans.
11/10/74Many insects and some mammals use smell as a primary means of communication. NOVA explains how, for example, the entire economy of an ant's nest is organized by smell, and how some moths use smell for population control—an ability we is now beginning to understand.
11/17/74Smashing matter into ever smaller pieces in an attempt to find its fundamental building blocks has produced a confused nightmare of particles. NOVA looks at this on-again, off-again story—one of sciences's most mysterious—and, one of the most expensive, involving some of the biggest machines in the world.
11/24/74Most of us spend one-third of our lives in a state of which we understand remarkably little—some people sleep for only a few minutes a night, and function perfectly well, while others declare that eight hours isn't enough. NOVA explores traditional notions about how much sleep we need; looks at effects of the sleeping pill, and, perhaps the most baffling of all aspects of sleep—dreaming.moreless
12/1/74NOVA joins a team of U.S. Geological Survey scientists on a mission to find out just how San Francisco Bay works: its physics, its chemistry and its biology.
12/8/74Just why did Cro-Magnon man living in France's Dordogne Valley some 15,000 years ago take time out from the desperate business of survival to paint pictures in inaccessible corners of his cave dwellings? NOVA joins French and American archeologists as they piece together the lifestyle of these hunters of the last great Ice Age, and try to interpret the meaning of their cave art.moreless
12/15/74NOVA joins a group of English biologists living literally on a platform in the middle of the Red Sea, who for several years have been studying the crown-of-thorns starfish, notorious for the devastation it has wrought on the coral reefs of Australia and the Pacific.
1/12/75Have you ever sensed that your body reacts differently at different times of the day? NOVA examines the best and worsetimes for work, good times for sex drives and your body's most reactive time of day for alcohol consumption.
1/19/75Has the case against DDT been proven? A strange question, perhaps, to be asking one year after the US has banned the insecticide, but NOVA dares to ask. Tracing the history of DDT from its discovery through its banning in the States, NOVA asks whether America overreacted with its total ban of this once acclaimed "wonder" chemical.moreless
2/2/75NOVA profiles two very different scientists: Richard Feynman, a theoretical physicist, at the pinnacle of his career—a Nobel prizewinner; and Richard Lewontin, a biologist and highly regarded population geneticist from Harvard University.
2/16/75High in the Hoggar Mountains, in the exact center of the Sahara desert, lives Sidi Mohammed and his family: children, grandchildren, cousins and a few former slave women. Their environment, one of the most ungenerous on earth, provides them with almost nothing. NOVA examines the changing lifestyle of Sidi Mohammed.
3/9/75How likely is it that a terrorist group will steal plutonium intended for nuclear reactor fuel and put together a blackmail weapon of unprecedented power in the shape of a homemade atom bomb? That question is posed by Theodore Taylor, former A and H bomb designer at Los Alamos, in a recent book, The Curve of Binding Energy. NOVA investigates just how easy it would be to design a bomb using unclassified information.moreless
3/16/75Since the Industrial Revolution, bigger has been better. NOVA profiles E.F. Schumacher, the author of Small is Beautiful, who thinks that enough is enough; that the time has come for technology to return to a human scale, where the ability to create is returned from the machine to people.
3/30/75For over a thousand years the Mayan civilization grew and flourished in the rain forests of Central America. Discovered and finally destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors, it was lost again until explorers brought it to light in the 19th century. Eric Thompson, an archaeologist who has had a 45 year love affair with the Maya, takes NOVA on a pilgrimage through the Mayan world, visiting, on the way, all the great ruined cities he has known for half a century.moreless
4/6/75Fish is an excellent source of protein; it could help ease the growing international food shortage. But in 1972 the total world fish catch dropped. NOVA explores the possible reasons for this decline.
1/4/76Earthquakes and how scientists predict them take the center stage in this episode. NOVA heads to California to film geologists make disaster predictions. Producers also discuss how earthquakes happen, and the pros and cons of notifying the public in advance of a possible earthquake. With two successful predictions recorded, the episode ends with live footage of scientists trying to predict a third disaster.moreless
1/11/76NOVA takes viewers into the world of Joey Deacon, 54 years old and a spastic since birth. Joey has lived most of his life in institutions, unable to communicate with anyone until he met Ernie Roberts. The docudrama recreates Joey's story, with remarkable performances by two spastic actors portraying him as a boy and as a young man. Joey and Ernie themselves appear in the final sequences.moreless
2/8/76Every year, some 5,000 babies are born in the US with spina bifida, a congenital abnormality of the central nervous system. NOVA explores the mystery of what causes spina bifida and raises the issues of whether heroic measures should be taken to preserve the life of severely malformed babies.
2/15/76There's one place on earth where no one will ever catch a cold. And the freezing waters are so bitter there that a fish has been discovered to have developed its own anti-freeze. NOVA explores Antarctica—the coldest desert in the world.
3/7/76Each Sunday edition of the New York Times consumes 153 acres of trees. The paper packs, napkins, paper cups and packing used by McDonald's gobble up 315 square miles of trees every day. NOVA asks if, at this rate, trees can remain a renewable resource.
3/14/76NOVA joins chief archaeologist, Ivor Noel Hume, of Colonial Williamsburg, VA, for a fascinating glimpse of the lifestyles of the founders of this country, complete with detailed reconstructions of houses, stores, workshops, gardens, taverns and palaces.
3/21/76Today we take antibiotics for granted, and by doing so are steadily eroding their medical value. NOVA examines the problem of resistance to antibiotics in the bacteria they are designed to kill.
4/11/76Dr. Norman Shumway of Stanford University has performed more heart transplants than any other heart surgeon. NOVA explores those extraordinary days in 1968-69 when it appeared that everyone with a scalpel was doing heart transplants, and survival of patients was measured in days.
4/18/76NOVA explores life underground, from foxes and badgers through moles and worms down to the myriad of micro-organisms that make soil the most complex substrate for life on earth. Included in the film is extraordinary footage of a mole burrowing and of roots growing.
5/2/76NOVA shows the Netsilik eskimoes of Pelly Bay and their traditional way of life and what happens when Western civilization is imposed upon them.
5/9/76Benjamin is a healthy, normal baby, whom we meet at birth and whose first year of life provides the backbone of this revealing NOVA about early child development
5/23/76Margaret Sanger was responsible almost single-handedly for changing the whole attitude of the male-dominated medical profession towards "women's issues" and, above all, for gaining social and political acceptance for the concept of birth control. This NOVA docudrama reconstructs her life, told as flashbacks interspersed throughout an interview. Piper Laurie stars as Margaret Sanger.moreless
6/6/76As late as 1967, smallpox struck as many as 15 million people in 43 countries and killed an estimated two or three million. Experts now believe that the disease is on the verge of extinction. NOVA looks at the recent success of the World Health Organization's program to eradicate this disease, considered a triumph of western-styled medicine.moreless
6/13/76The "Jaws" phenomenon has given sharks a bad name. But is the shark really such a barbarian? NOVA looks at the lifestyle of this remarkable survivor from the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth.
6/20/76Recent scientific developments have made it possible to detect a wide variety of defects in unborn babies. NOVA focuses on the ethical question that must be considered: What defines a defect? Should defective babies be aborted, or should they be allowed to live?
1/12/77If you were a dinosaur scientist, what would you do with a pile of fossil bones? How would you even start to put the giant jigsaw puzzle together, never mind discover anything about how these dinosaurs lived? NOVA explores the incredible world of the dinosaur scientist.
1/19/77What is the price we are prepared to pay for coal? NOVA looks at the environmental and health safety issues raised by the government, industry, and the victims.
2/2/77NOVA explores the research on the 1976 drought in the western United States which led some solar scientists to discover the link between weather patterns and the 11 year sunspot mystery.
2/9/77NOVA follows the lives of three boys who have combined immuned deficiency—a disease that leaves its victims with no immune sytem.
3/2/77NOVA looks at blackbirds, their winter habit of nesting in the millions, and the destruction they do to crops.
3/9/77NOVA profiles chemist Russell Marker who made the birth control pill possible by discovering a synthetic substitute for the hormone progesterone.
3/16/77NOVA explores the history of genetic engineering and the possible risks and benefits of this area of research
3/23/77NOVA investigates the controversial theory of Harvard University biologist E.O. Wilson, that many aspects of human behavior are genetically determined.
3/30/77In the winter of 1976-77, 80 percent of the wolf population in Northwest Alaska was the target of aerial hunts. Although the area is roamed by the Western Arctic caribou herds—a natural predator of the wolf—the caribou population has been steadily decreasing in number. NOVA examines how the Dept. of Fish and Game is handling the the problem of wolf control.moreless
4/20/77Solar energy is increasingly popular as a home heating source. But only recently has it been seriously considered as a source of industrial power. NOVA looks at this new industrial approach, such as the use of a huge windmill in Ohio, giant machines that may generate electricity from the heat of the tropical seas or from the motion of waves, and an orbiting solar power station able to beam microwaves to earth.moreless
4/20/77NOVA explores the huge international illegal trade in animals, penetrates the thriving underworld of smugglers and assesses the effects on vanishing wildlife.
4/27/77NOVA traces 300 years of speculation, investigation and discovery that have centered on Mars—particularly the theory that the planet could support life. Questions raised by NASA's 1976 Viking mariner missions about how the vast canyons were formed are also explored.
5/11/77In part one of this two-part exploration of the diversity of world languages, NOVA examines how and why the bewildering confusion of languages came about.
5/18/77In part two of this two-part series on the diversity of language, NOVA explores how man has coped with the confusion of language and asks if the growing acceptance of English is the answer.
6/1/77NOVA profiles Linus Pauling—the only person to have received two unshared Nobel Prizes for his work in nuclear weapons.
6/22/77NOVA explores the different means by which hearing-impaired people have learned to penetrate the world of the hearing by visiting with Kitty O'Neil—a woman record-holding speed car racer; Frances Parsons, an advocate of hearing-impaired persons' rights; and workers at Silent Industries—a factory in Los Angeles founded by a deaf man.
6/29/77NOVA explores the delibitating diseases that are often caused by poverty and follows two paths to health care in Tanzania and the United States.
1/11/78Botany is a neglected science and plants are all around us, but unfamiliar. NOVA examines our state of knowledge of how plants work: growth hormones, responses to light and shade, photosynthesis, root mechanisms and twining responses.
1/4/78Can a nuclear war be survived? Some members of the defense community say yes. NOVA explores the possibility.
1/18/78It has been known since the turn of the century that there are four human blood groups, based on different red cells and serum characteristics. NOVA looks at the more recent discovery that the different white cell types, as determined by a variety of different molecular markers on the cell surface, open up the possibility of the prevention of disease.moreless
1/25/78NOVA explores the history of NASA with particular emphasis on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions.
2/1/78NOVA looks forward to post-Apollo space exploration and colonization.
2/15/78In the rain forests of Zaire, in the heart of Africa, live the Mbuti Pygmies. The Pygmy way of life has always been extraordinarily difficult to capture on film, though many have tried. NOVA presents a rare portrait of an elusive people, made by an independent filmmaker who lived with the Pygmies and won their trust.moreless
3/1/78A science-based revolution in the making of wine is underway. NOVA traces the secrets of the aging process and science's involvement with the predicting of mass production high-quality vintage wines.
3/22/78Today's scientists may be creating their own successors. Work being done in Artificial Intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science, only suggest that in the not too distant future, machines will outpace their creators. NOVA examines the possibility.
3/29/78A scientist from California wins the Kremer Prize, and NOVA wants to know why. This episode captures footage Paul MacCready and his self-powered airplane, which relies on human and solar energy. MacCready must complete a one-mile flight in order to get his new invention financed. The question is, "can he fly his plane with a storm on the horizon?"moreless
4/12/78Beavers are the focus in this episode as NOVA heads to an Oregon beaver pond to check out how the animals live. The episode begins with a microscopic a look of an Oregon river and segues to the wildlife living on the riverbanks. Other animals appearing in this episode include deer, eagles and spotted owls.moreless
4/19/78The fortified plateau above Athens known as the Acropolis is the site of some of the most remarkable architecture in the world: its marble structures built in the fifth century BC, including the renowned Parthenon, represent the artistic peak of classical Greek architecture. NOVA examines how the heavily polluted air of Athens produces acid rain which is dissolving the marble sculptures and columns; and how iron tiles used extensively in repair 40 years ago are now rusting, expanding and shattering the stone structures.moreless
5/3/78Henry Ford, a great friend of Edison, was a film enthusiast who amassed some one and a half million feet of film during his lifetime. Deposited in the National Archives and known as the Ford Film Collection, it covers not only the Ford family and Ford Motor Company but also contains newsreels, and general films produced under Ford. Using the Collection, NOVA profiles Ford's life and times.moreless
5/10/78When first invented 18 years ago, lasers were called "a solution looking for a problem;" nobody could think what to do with them. But in fact research scientists immediately began to exploit their pure colors and near-perfect focusing ability. Today lasers have grown into a billion-dollar business. They are used in construction, manufacturing, clothing, dentistry and medicine. And the future uses of lasers are likely to be of major significance as the means of achieving nuclear fusion and as a very high efficiency communications medium.moreless
5/24/78In a world that each year loses up to 40 percent of its crops to insects, some form of pest control is desperately needed. But chemical pesticides have backfired. Pesticide-resistant insects frequently develop, and previously harmless insects have become devastating infestations. Farmers have found themselves trapped on a "pesticide treadmill"—the more they spray, the more they have to spray. NOVA examines several alternatives for pest control.moreless
5/31/78For thousands of years people have managed to live in deserts all over the world. But in recent years, a growing population and the demands of the international market have put more stress on these poor and easily exhausted lands. NOVA examines the consequences and possible solutions to desertification.
6/7/78NOVA explores Bovine sleeping sickness. Spread by a fly, it is a deadly disease that poses a threat to Africa's cattle.
6/14/78NOVA travels to zoos across America, in this episode, taking a look at how zookeepers work behind the cages. Producers also take viewers back in time, showing them how not long ago; humans caged themselves from the outside world for protection. The episode ends with a spotlight on preserving endangered species and zoos breed are now breeding them in controlled environments.moreless
6/28/78NOVA heads to Alaska in this episode to cover the debate on closing of the frontier to developers and adding state land to America's national park system. Businessmen want to construct an oil pipeline and mine for minerals along the state's coastline. Producers cover the debate between liberals and conservatives on whether Alaskan land should be preserved.moreless
1/5/79The supertanker, Amoco Cadiz, and the oil spill that occurred after it ran aground in English Channel in the 70s take center stage in this episode. Using archive footage shot by NOVA producers after the accident, the piece focuses on the cleanup effort, and how the largest oil spill in history affected the French and English fishing industry.moreless
1/11/79The well-known nuclear physicist working in New Mexico's Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory came from a humble background, and NOVA brings his story to television. Doctor Frederick Young lived in the wild as a teenager and hunted for his food by using prehistoric weapons. He communicated with Indians, who took care of him when he became sick. Producers profile Dr. Young and show viewers how he became a famous scientist.moreless
1/18/79In 1945, B.F. Skinner shocked the world by putting his 13 month-old daughter, Deborah, into a "box." The box was actually a climate-controlled crib designed for comfort and protection, and the young psychologist was merely testing his theory that environment controls behavior. NOVA portrays the life of this famous behavioral psychologist now in his 70's and living quietly in Cambridge as Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Harvard University.moreless
2/1/79This episode goes underwater and into the Pacific Ocean to capture footage the vast minerals that lay on the ocean floor. Miners from across the world are on the lookout for magnesium, copper and other valuable minerals embedded in the floor of international waters. Producers take a look at the controversy surrounding the debate on who owns the right to mine the ocean.moreless
2/8/79Below the snow-capped peaks of the Peruvian Andes, the Q'eros Indians live a life patterned on that of their ancestors thousands of years ago. NOVA takes a look at the unchanging world of these isolated mountain people.
2/22/79Some day hydrogen may replace the gasoline that we are now using up so rapidly. NOVA looks at the potential of hydrogen as a zero-pollution fuel.
3/1/79Is nuclear fusion the solution to the energy crisis? NOVA examines the promise—and problems—of fusion as a future energy source.
3/8/79Health care is the third largest industry in the US. As a result of billions of dollars spent for medical education in the 1960s, there are now too many specialists and too few primary care physicians, especially in underserved areas. NOVA tells the story of one medical school in Israel that is training a new kind of family doctor.moreless
3/15/79NOVA brings you rare and unseen footage and interviews regarding one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein. Considered to be the father of modern day physics, he is most well known for his theory of relativity, but there was far more to this German scientist than E=mc2.moreless
10/2/79Is the chemical industry a boom to modern civilization, or a major threat to our health and that of future generations? NOVA examines how toxic heribicides, pesticides, and other chemicals may cause cancer, miscarriages and birth defects in humans.
10/9/79Sinister, sometimes even deadly, spiders have little popular appeal; yet their silken webs are among nature's loveliest creations. NOVA takes a close-look in slow motion, as spiders reveal a delicate grace and beauty, and an amazing array of lifestyles.
10/16/79NOVA views the history of sugar—from its scientific, religious and political history to its medical controversy.
10/30/79At the 1976 Olympics, East German athletes walked off with 40 of the coveted gold medals, though their country is only the size of New Jersey. NOVA investigates whether a drug responsible for their incredible success—or is American athletic training and commitment falling behind that of the Communist world?
11/6/79Thousands of amateur athletes are hurt every year, and many professional athletes suffer injuries that may mean the end of a career. NOVA looks at a new medical specialty—sports medicine—that promises to prevent and cure many sports related problems.
11/20/79Most of India lives by the same rhythm, the same tools, as in centuries past. But there is another India—with thriving commercial centers, spotless research laboratories and large-scale industry. NOVA looks at how the gap between these two extremes is shrinking because of a policy of "appropriate" technology that uses the resources of both to meet the greatest needs of all.moreless
12/4/79The Iron Bridge across the River Severn in Telford, England is two centuries old this year. It remains a monument to the Shropshire iron masters who built it, and a symbol of the Industrial Revolution that was born in the area where the bridge stands. NOVA traces the development of ironmaking and its far-reaching effects on society and the world economy.moreless
12/11/79Dr. Philip Morrison, Institute Professor and Professor of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presents this thoughtful and provocative commentary on the nature of civilization.
12/18/79For many people the idea of life without vision is as fearful as death. NOVA looks at five people struggling to save their threatened vision using drugs, surgery, counseling and determination.
1/15/80Aborigines in Australia, woodchucks in Pennsylvania, the Nobel Prize in Stockholm and the gay community in New York—what could possibily link such disparate elements? The answer is Hepatitis. NOVA examines this elusive disease, what causes it, how it is spread and how you get rid of it.
1/22/80NOVA profiles Dr. Edward Teller, the "Father of the Hydrogen Bomb," an acclaimed scientific genius and brilliant theoretician, and a man considered by some the most dangerous scientist in the United States.
2/5/80"Why is grass green, and why do giraffes have long necks?" Natural engineering and adaptation take center stage in this episode of NOVA. Producers how explore plants and animals have changed throughout the years and how they acquired their natural designs. The episode also profiles extinct animals and the reasons why they didn't survive over time.moreless
3/18/80Every year, millions of tourists converge on the Mediterranean's sunny coasts, lured by the prospect of bathing in clear, azure waters and basking in semi-tropical sun. But years of use and abuse have taken their toll on the once idyllic Mediterranean and the "world's biggest swimming pool" has become the world's biggest open sewer. NOVA explores the complex problems that plague the Mediterranean's future.moreless
3/4/80Umealit: The Whale Hunters is an episode of the PBS science television series Nova. In this episode, native Alaskan whale hunters try to preserve their ancient way of life in the face of criticism from conservationists. Can the Umealit survive if they're no longer able to hunt whales? Watch Umealit: The Whale Hunters, and find out.moreless
3/11/80Recent aircraft accidents have raised the question of just how safe modern commercial aviation really is. NOVA looks at some of the problems and experimental efforts underway to deal with them.
3/25/80During the sixties, a billionaire purchased three million acres of tropical rainforest in Brazil, and NOVA wants to know why. This episode profiles Daniel K. Ludwig and his Jari project on the Amazon basin. Ludwig wanted to corner the paper production market during the seventies, and he thought that Brazilian rainforest could help him accomplish the task. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out the way he planned.moreless
9/30/80This episode explores the diversities that exist between men and women. Starting from early childhood, NOVA profiles the human condition and the difference between the sexes. Producers also explore how sexism has impacted culture and society, ending the episode with a report on how human beings obtain their sexual identities.
10/19/93Psychics test the limits of human belief and scientific research. While some critics believe that psychics are working off sheer coincidence and luck, others are willing to believe that certain humans have a sixth sense. James Randi hosts this NOVA episode, going behind the scenes to ask serious questions about the validity of predicting the future.moreless
10/7/80Chinese scientists have uncovered some clues in their pursuit of a cure for esophageal cancer, an elusive and virulent form of cancer which claims a disproportionate number of lives in Lin Xian.
10/14/80One year in the intricate life of a coastal lagoon, in Pleasant Bay at Cape Cod, unfolds in this documentary of the fragile tidal ecosystem which supports the entire ocean.
10/28/80Explores the pros and cons of shale oil production in the Western Rocky Mountains.
11/4/80NOVA travels to London, Stockholm, Houston, San Francisco, and New Haven to examine interferon (IF) and the claims that it is a wonder drug and a cure for cancer.
1/27/81The Dead Sea, jointly owned by Israel and Jordan, is the lowest place on earth. NOVA sifts through the politics and explores the possibilities of both countries in utilizing the potential of this unique natural resource.
11/11/80Broadcast the day before Voyager 1 was expected to arrive at Saturn for the first ever close-up study of the ringed planet, this program documents Voyager's journey through the outer solar system.
11/18/80An exploration of the life and work of American inventor Thomas Alva Edison.
11/25/80Despite the ubiquity of water, much of it has become not only undrinkable, but deadly, as a result of pollution. NOVA explores the dwindling usefulness of this most precious of natural resources.
12/2/80A revealing look at the history of still and cine photography, from the very first images to that lastest camera technology which allows scientists access to moments in time previously unavailable providing remarkable new insights to the world around us.
12/9/80NOVA explores research into the mystery and extreme sensitivity of human touch.
12/23/80Scientists on the island of Rhum off the West coast of Scotland study the movements and behavior of the red deer.
12/30/80Actor and comedian Dudley Moore hosts an exploration of the concept of time.
1/6/81NOVA travels to Nigeria to understand the benefits of their dual health care system which utilizes traditional herbal medicine and western orthodox medicine.
1/20/81This program takes a close look at ancient rocks and meteorites to figure out how earth was formed, and when life began. Some of the topics covered include radioactive dating, geological continuity, plate tectonics, fossil magnetism, and magnetic field reversal.
2/17/81NOVA investigates the ever-increasing value of science in solving murder, from why it occurs, and how to prevent it, to the people whose job it is to deal with this crime. The work of police, forensic scientists, pathologists, medical examiners and psychiatrists are all explored.
3/3/81Follows the advances in technology which allow astronomers to look past the Milky Way to a universe composed of perhaps 100 billion galaxies. Discussed are the classification of galaxies, the discovery of the red-shift, supersensitive radio telescopes focused on distant quasars, and spectrographs which analyze the chemical composition of stars.
3/10/81NOVA explores the theory that the dinosaurs went extinct because a giant asteroid collided with earth, kicked up an enormous dust cloud that blocked sunlight for years and interrupted photosynthesis which disrupted the food chain, killing most animals.
8/25/81NOVA looks at the data sent back from Voyager I as it flew past Saturn in November 1980. Interviews with scientists and computer animations help to interpret this information about Saturn and its moons and rings.
2/24/81NOVA compares the American and British health care systems in an effort to understand the problems of delivering and paying for good health care. The good and bad of both systems are explored, along with other options like pre-paid health care.
9/27/81NOVA examines possible threats of modern computers on privacy rights. Discussed are nationwide databanks and the thieves who hack into them, telecomputers and smart cards, and the various uses and abuses of all this collected information about our daily lives.
3/17/81NOVA compares the athletic performances of humans with that of other animals. Strength, agility and speed are all looked at in this search for the olympians of the animal kingdom.
10/11/81A search for the secret of the Amati and Stradivarius violins of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and a look at the work of physicist Jack Fry who's using modern science to uncover this mystery.
10/12/99Time Travel is an episode of the PBS science television series Nova. In this episode, scientist Kip Thorne discusses Carl Sagan's book Contact and its depiction of time travel. Could wormholes be used as time machines, and if so, would time travelers be able to go back in time or only forward?moreless
10/4/81NOVA examines outdated fire codes and flammability-testing methods that may be part of the reason why more people die in fires in the U.S. than in any other industrialized country. Also looked at are inadequate sprinkler systems and smoke detectors, fires caused by cigarettes, towering infernos, arson, and the use of combustible plastics in furniture and building materials.moreless
10/1/02Scientists search for the origins of caves as they explore caves in New Mexico, Wyoming, and Mexico. This episode showcases a variety of lifeforms that are found only in caves, lifeforms that thrive in the harsh and sometimes extreme environment that reaches miles underground. The episode examines how life in caves may help researches determine how alien life can form or survive.moreless
1/4/00Tales from the Hive from the show Nova is a PBS television program that delves deep into the nature of bees and their function in the world. Segments from this documentary include the entire honey making process as well as the bees' natural protection instincts, as well as detailed footage of the bee's life cycle.moreless
10/18/81X-ray astronomy is helping scientists to better understand our universe, including neutron stars, exploding galaxies, black holes, quasars and the sun's corona.
10/25/81Using macrophotography, NOVA explores deadly locust swarms and their transformation from harmless grasshoppers. Also revealed are the latest attempts to get rid of this destructive force.
11/1/81A look at the current debate from science to religion, over Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
11/15/81Computers and lasers take focus in this episode of NOVA. Producers bring their cameras into the studios of some twentieth-century artists who used new technology to create their masterpieces. Film directors, special effect crews and modern-day artists take center stage, as the show presents their creations, which made them famous.
11/22/81Notes of a Biology Watcher aired on November 22, 1981. Featuring eminent biologist and scientific author, Dr. Lewis Thomas, the film presents an array of astonishing facts about the process of life. Thomas is a master of startling truths, with such snippets of wisdom as: all living creatures, including humans, harbor multitudes of prehistoric organisms in every cell of their bodies.moreless
11/29/81City Places, Human Spaces aired on November 29, 1981. William H. Whyte's extensive study of city parks and green spaces explains why some parks are lackluster while others seem inviting and pleasant. Whyte's ideas helped to convert some of New York's bleakest squares to active, lively plazas, and proved that cities of any size could transform dreary downtown spaces to welcoming havens.moreless
12/6/81Nova spotlights genetics in this episode, taking a look at identical twins and the scientific research surrounding their genetic codes. The episode starts with the lesson on how twins form during pregnancy, and segues to their birth and early childhood. Producers try to discover how two humans who look the same turn out to become very different individuals.moreless
1/10/82Salmon on the Run from Nova captures the annual spawning run of salmon with all the dangers and obstacles these fish face to reproduce. The impact of man through the advance of business and technology and how it is changing the fishing industry is a focus. The development of the salmon through adaptation to these external forces is featured.moreless
1/17/82Test-Tube Babies: A Daughter For Judy from the PBS show Nova premiered on January 17, 1982. The episode takes an in-depth, documentary look at the birth of the first test tube baby born in America. The program tracks the pregnancy from its inception, with a view of the medical procedures that were utilized to fertilize the egg, to Elizabeth Jordan Carr's birth on December 28, 1981.moreless
1/24/82A Field Guide to Roger Tory Peterson aired originally on January 24, 1982. This insightful biography of Peterson examines the man behind the wildly popular Field Guides series on birds. His expertise in ornithology and his beautifully accurate illustrations have made Peterson's field guides indispensable to serious birdwatchers and backyard observers alike.moreless
1/31/82In The Hunt for the Legion Killer episode of the television program NOVA, the show looks back to July 27, 1976 and explores the mysterious outbreak of Legionaires Disease at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. Thirty-four people lost their lives and more than 220 were afflicted when the lethal legionellosis bacteria was circulated throughout the convention via poorly maintained ventilation systems.moreless
2/7/82Originally airing in 1982, this episode documents the struggles and triumphs of Dick Boydell, a man with cerebral palsy. Since birth, Boydell has not been able to communicate effectively, limited to expressing only "yes" or "no." However, advanced technology may be able to let Boydell and others like him finally speak out.moreless
2/14/82Originally aired in 1982, this episode of NOVA looks at the history of television and predicts the trends and advances of the future. With the dawn of cable, the landscape of television becomes more exciting and more uncertain. New technology invites questions about how much influence networks should have over the shows that people want to see.moreless
2/28/82Life: Patent Pending, originally broadcast on February 28, 1982, documents the growing effects of genetic research and the ways its findings influence medicine and industry. It examines the impact on universities with genetic study programs, shows how scientists are creating new life forms, and discloses that some countries earmark more resources for genetic research than the United States does.moreless
3/7/82Palace of Delights, originally airing on Nova, won a Cine Golden Eagle Award. The episode visits the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California. The Exploratorium is a unique attraction which is part laboratory, part school, and part circus atmosphere. The episode documents the people running the Exploratorium, who is a collection of physicists and high school students.moreless
3/14/82Animal Impostors focuses on mimicry and camouflage in nature. Following snakes, butterflies, fish and turtles to see how they are able to fend off predators and fool their intended victims tells the story in natural settings. Mimicry and camouflage are shown as key features for deception in the animal kingdom to avoid being eaten, or in order to eat.moreless
3/28/82In the Aging: The Methuselah Syndrome episode of the television program NOVA, the hosts investigate the progress of human aging. Scientists speak to how and why humans age, while also predicting ways in which the aging process may be slowed and eventually even stopped due to advances in medical science.
10/12/82The Case of the UFOs is an episode from the PBS science television series Nova. In this episode, a panel of experts investigates UFO sightings to determine whether unidentified flying objects are man-made or extraterrestrial. Has Earth been visited by aliens, or is it all just a hoax? Watch the Case of the UFOs, and find out.moreless
10/19/82The Fragile Mountain from the show Nova is about the Himalayas, which are the highest mountain peaks in the world, and how they are crumbling. The documentary follows how humans are the victims of the crumbling, and how they are also the catalyst for this issue. The impact of global warming on these mountains is examined in this episode.moreless
11/9/82Here's Looking at You Kid aired originally in 1982. The focus of the Nova episode is on the fight and struggle of an 11 year old boy who suffered burns over 73% of his body. Nova won an Emmy Award in 1982 for this episode. This episode highlights the fact that 1/3 of the burn victims in this country are children.moreless
11/16/82Adventures of the Teenage Scientists is episode 4, from season 10 of the long-running PBS science series Nova. This episode originally aired on November, 16, 1982. This episode introduces the 1982 Westinghouse Science Talent Search winners with particular focus on their talents, interests and aspirations. The question of how the failing economy will affect the educational opportunities of our future scientists.moreless
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