Back to: NOVA

S51E16
Building Stuff: Reach It!
November 20, 2024
Born to explore, we’re constantly inventing new ways to go beyond our comfort zones. From deep sea subs to next-gen space habitats, see how engineers are building the tools humans need to go where we’ve never gone before.
TV Schedule
2025 Season
Secrets of the Forest
S52E8
Follow scientists in a quest to understand how complex forest ecosystems can help cool our...
Revolutionary War Weapons
S52E7
Explore key military technologies in the American colonies’ fight for freedom.
Baltimore Bridge Collapse
S52E6
Follow the investigation into the deadly container ship collision that closed the Port of Baltimore....
Pompeii's Secret Underworld
S52E5
Archaeologists uncover new truths about Pompeii, a wealthy Roman playground with dark secrets....
Egypt's Tombs of Amun
S52E4
A long-lost ancient cemetery opens the door to a unique period in Egyptian history.
Dino Birds Preview
S52E3
Fossils reveal how birds survived the killer asteroid and became today’s only living dinosaurs....
Extreme Airport Engineering
S52E2
Follow the race to build a world-class airport on the site of one of America’s busiest flying...
2024 Season
Lost Tombs of Notre Dame
S51E18
Mysterious bodies are found under one of the world’s most famous cathedrals.
Building Stuff: Change It!
S51E17
From electric flight to artificial noses, engineers are finding new ways to preserve our planet....
Building Stuff: Boost It!
S51E15
Is engineering humanity’s superpower? See how we can amplify our natural abilities in amazing...
Decoding the Universe: Quantum
S51E14
Dive into the universe at the tiniest – and weirdest – of scales.
Solar System: Wandering Worlds
S51E13
Meet the surprising, oddball worlds moving around our solar system.
Solar System: Icy Worlds
S51E12
Visit strange, frozen worlds to discover the bizarre ice that forms beyond Earth.
Solar System: Volcano Worlds
S51E11
Discover the powerful volcanic eruptions that have shaped worlds across our solar system.
Solar System: Strange Worlds
S51E10
What are the weirdest worlds in our solar system, and how did they come to be?
Solar System: Storm Worlds
S51E9
Discover the dramatic forces creating spectacular weather on neighboring planets and moons....
Decoding the Universe: Cosmos
S51E8
Explore big discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of the universe.
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
S51E4
Follow the quest to recover DNA millions of years old for the very first time.
Building the Eiffel Tower
S51E3
Explore the engineering behind Paris’s iconic landmark, the tallest structure of its time....
Easter Island Origins
S51E2
New evidence reveals the real story of Easter Island and the builders of its stone heads.
When Whales Could Walk
S51E1
Giant fossils uncovered in the Sahara Desert reveal new secrets of how whales evolved.
More Episodes
Sands of Time
September 13, 2024
Using photo archives and ancestral knowledge, witness coastal erosion in Bristol Bay, Alaska....
Keepers of the Coastline
September 13, 2024
In Northern California, Marine science is guided by Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation’s community and...
Tides of Tradition
September 13, 2024
Following a local Unangax̂ hunter, hear the realities of food access in the changing Arctic....
Standing the Heat
September 13, 2024
Reintroducing the hogan, an earthen Navajo structure that stays cool in the summers without...
Megadroughts and Indigenous Voices
September 13, 2024
The Southwest is in a megadrought, but Native Americans have survived them before.
Harvesting the Future
September 13, 2024
Ak-chin farming makes desert agriculture possible, and now, those practices help communities...
Sea Change: Survival in the Gulf of Maine
August 7, 2024
Meet the people leading new efforts to shape the future of the Gulf of Maine and our oceans....
Sea Change: Peril in the Gulf of Maine
July 31, 2024
Explore Cashes Ledge - part of the Gulf of Maine that helps power the Gulf’s more than 3,000...
Sea Change: Bounty in the Gulf of Maine
July 24, 2024
Discover the lasting impact of how international trade forever changed the Gulf of Maine’s...
Cat Tales
S47E3
Goddess, demon, house pet? What does science say about the human relationship with cats?
Dog Tales
S47E2
Follow the epic journey of dog domestication and see what science says about dogs’ love....
Making North America: Human
S42E22
How has the land shaped our lives, from the arrival of the first Americans to today?