Great American Eclipse
NOVA - S51 - E6
Explore the spectacular cosmic phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. In April 2024, the Moon’s shadow is sweeping from Texas to Maine, as the U.S. witnesses its last total solar eclipse until 2044. This extraordinary astronomical event is plunging locations in the path of totality into darkness for more than four minutes – nearly twice as long as the last American eclipse in 2017. Learn how to watch an eclipse safely and follow scientists as they work to unlock secrets of our Sun – from why its atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface, to what causes solar storms and how we might one day predict them.
NOVA: Season 51 - 14 Episode s
51x1 - When Whales Could Walk
January 31, 2024
In Egypt’s Sahara Desert, massive skeletons with strange skulls and gigantic teeth jut out from the sandy ground. This fossil graveyard, millions of years old, is known as the “Valley of the Whales.” Now, paleontologists have unearthed a whole new species of ancient whale dating to 43 million years ago, and this predator wasn’t just able to swim – it also had four legs and could walk. Follow scientists as they search for new clues to the winding evolutionary path of mammals that moved from the land into the sea to become the largest animals on Earth.
51x2 - Easter Island Origins
February 7, 2024
How were the giant stone heads of Rapa Nui–also known as Easter Island–carved and raised, and why? Since Europeans arrived on this remote Pacific island over 300 years ago, controversy has swirled around the iconic ancient statues and the history of the people who created them. Now, a new generation of researchers is overturning old theories, revealing the rich history, innovation, and resilience of the Rapanui people, and uncovering intriguing new evidence about where they–and their practice of monumental stone building–came from.
51x3 - Building The Eiffel Tower
February 14, 2024
Explore the revolutionary engineering behind Paris’s iconic landmark. Completed in just over two years for the 1889 World’s Fair, the iron tower smashed the record for the tallest structure on Earth, ushering in a new age of global construction that reached for the skies. How did the engineers do it? Follow the innovations, successes, and failures that made one of the most famous buildings on the planet possible.
51x4 - Hunt for the Oldest DNA
February 21, 2024
For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. But life’s genetic blueprint is incredibly fragile, and researchers have struggled to find DNA in fossils that could survive millions of years. Then, one maverick scientist had the controversial idea to look for DNA not in fossils or frozen ancient tissue – but in dirt. Join the hunt as scientists decipher the oldest DNA ever found, and reveal for the first time the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in a warm, lush Arctic.
51x5 - A.I. Revolution
March 27, 2024
Can we harness the power of artificial intelligence to solve the world’s most challenging problems without creating an uncontrollable force that ultimately destroys us? ChatGPT and other new A.I. tools can now answer complex questions, write essays, and generate realistic-looking images in a matter of seconds. They can even pass a lawyer’s bar exam. Should we celebrate? Or worry? Or both? Correspondent Miles O’Brien investigates how researchers are trying to transform the world using A.I., hunting for big solutions in fields from medicine to climate change.
51x6 - Great American Eclipse
April 3, 2024
Explore the spectacular cosmic phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. In April 2024, the Moon’s shadow is sweeping from Texas to Maine, as the U.S. witnesses its last total solar eclipse until 2044. This extraordinary astronomical event is plunging locations in the path of totality into darkness for more than four minutes – nearly twice as long as the last American eclipse in 2017. Learn how to watch an eclipse safely and follow scientists as they work to unlock secrets of our Sun – from why its atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface, to what causes solar storms and how we might one day predict them.
51x7 - Secrets in Your Data
May 15, 2024
Whether you’re on social media or surfing the web, you’re probably sharing more personal data than you realize. That can pose a risk to your privacy – even your safety. But at the same time, big datasets could lead to huge advances in fields like medicine. Host Alok Patel leads a quest to understand what happens to all the data we’re shedding and explores the latest efforts to maximize benefits – without compromising personal privacy.
51x8 - Decoding the Universe: Cosmos
May 22, 2024
How big is the universe? If it began with the Big Bang, will it also have an end? Is there life beyond our planet? Questions like these inspired the launch of Voyager I in 1977 and have driven innovative space research and exploration ever since. Trace ground-breaking discoveries that have transformed our picture of the universe, from an age when we knew of no planets beyond our solar system, to today, when we have evidence of thousands and estimate trillions more. And follow the teams trying to solve two of the biggest mysteries in cosmology today: What are dark matter and dark energy?
51x9 - Star Chasers of Senegal
March 27, 2024
51x11 - Secrets of the Forbidden City
April 3, 2024
51x12 - Ancient Maya Metropolis
April 10, 2024
51x13 - Making North America: Origins
April 17, 2024
51x14 - Making North America: Life
April 24, 2024
51x15 - Making North America: Human
May 1, 2024
NOVA: All seasons
S0: Specials
6 Episode s
S1: Season 1
13 Episode s
S2: Season 2
17 Episode s
S3: Season 3
20 Episode s
S4: Season 4
19 Episode s
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21 Episode s
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19 Episode s
S7: Season 7
20 Episode s
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20 Episode s
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19 Episode s
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21 Episode s
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20 Episode s
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20 Episode s
S13: Season 13
21 Episode s
S14: Season 14
21 Episode s
S15: Season 15
22 Episode s
S16: Season 16
20 Episode s
S17: Season 17
20 Episode s
S18: Season 18
19 Episode s
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20 Episode s
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20 Episode s
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20 Episode s
S22: Season 22
13 Episode s
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19 Episode s
S24: Season 24
21 Episode s
S25: Season 25
20 Episode s
S26: Season 26
19 Episode s
S27: Season 27
21 Episode s
S28: Season 28
17 Episode s
S29: Season 29
17 Episode s
S30: Season 30
16 Episode s
S31: Season 31
18 Episode s
S32: Season 32
18 Episode s
S33: Season 33
20 Episode s
S34: Season 34
15 Episode s
S35: Season 35
17 Episode s
S36: Season 36
17 Episode s
S37: Season 37
18 Episode s
S38: Season 38
18 Episode s
S39: Season 39
19 Episode s
S40: Season 40
20 Episode s
S41: Season 41
22 Episode s
S42: Season 42
22 Episode s
S43: Season 43
22 Episode s
S44: Season 44
28 Episode s
S45: Season 45
23 Episode s
S46: Season 46
23 Episode s
S47: Season 47
16 Episode s
S48: Season 48
25 Episode s
S49: Season 49
19 Episode s
S50: Season 50
18 Episode s
S51: Season 51
14 Episode s