Science shows it’s a small world after all—and nature’s networks follow a similar pattern.

Diseases that were largely eradicated in the United States a generation ago—whooping cough, measles, mumps—are returning, in part because nervous parents are skipping their children's shots. NOVA takes viewers around the world to track epidemics, explore the science behind vaccinations, hear from parents wrestling with vaccine-related questions, and shed light on the risks of opting out.

Diseases that were largely eradicated in the United States a generation ago—whooping cough, measles, mumps—are returning, in part because nervous parents are skipping their children's shots. NOVA takes viewers around the world to track epidemics, explore the science behind vaccinations, hear from parents wrestling with vaccine-related questions, and shed light on the risks of opting out.

Three physicists untie a 150-year-old tangle of a puzzle.

A city-wide competition shaped the career of the architect behind Florence’s famous dome.

Did a lethal plague kill thousands in ancient Rome? Centuries-old DNA may hold the answer.

A chance discover during a game of rugby led Dutch POWs to an ingenious WWII jailbreak.

The Allies used silent wooden gliders to get behind enemy lines before the D-Day landings.

A crack team rebuilds a glider that POWs hoped to catapult off the top of Colditz Castle. Airing May 14, 2014 at 9 pm on PBS

Marine biologist Patrick Rice is using rare earth elements to repel sharks.

In World War I, the Germans used cow guts to construct their deadly Zeppelins.

A "cosmic fingerprint" reveals the universe’s beginning and gravity's microscopic secrets.

Explore the social lives of some of the smartest animals on the planet. Airing April 23, 2014 at 9 pm on PBS

What would life on a red dwarf planet look like?

How do dogs, sharks, dolphins, or birds experience the world? Airing April 16, 2014 at 9 pm on PBS

By studying bogs, scientists can uncover thousands of years of Earth’s history.

Birds that craft tools and pick locks are rewriting the rules of animal intelligence. Airing April 9, 2014 at 9 pm on PBS

Why do some dogs have short fur, others long tails, and still others wrinkly faces? Many dogs were bred to perform a specific tasks--from hunting vermin to wrangling bulls--and their physical characteristics were chosen to help them do their jobs.

How do birds manage to fly through narrow spaces without constantly bumping into trees or buildings? It turns out that they use a trick of the eye called optic flow. Understanding what optic flow is and how birds use it could help us build a safer world for our feathered friends.

In recent years, an unusual spate of deadly shark attacks has gripped Australia, resulting in five deaths in ten months. At the same time, great white sharks have begun appearing in growing numbers off the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, not far from the waters where Steven Spielberg filmed the ultimate shark fright film, Jaws.