NOVA

Science and Nature Series / 24 Seasons

NOVA brings you stories from the frontlines of science and engineering, answering the big questions of today and tomorrow, from how our ancestors lived, to whether parallel universes exist, to how technology will transform our lives. Visit the official website to watch full-length documentaries, or explore our world through short-form video, on our digital publication NOVA Next.

53m 39s

What Happens to Your Checked Bag at the Airport?

2m 34s

Have you ever wondered what happens to your checked bag at an airport? At LaGuardia Airport, their new, state-of-the-art tracking system was designed to process 40 million bags a year— up to 6,000 bags every hour. Discover how this ingenious system works.

Building Stuff: Reach It! Preview

30s

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.

Creating a Robotic Double Dutch Machine

5m 8s

Double Dutch is a jump rope game that requires two people spinning ropes in opposite directions and at least one person to jump. Engineers Tahira Reid Smith and Sky Leilani are building a machine that would allow a single person to play whenever they wanted.

Building Stuff: Boost It! Preview

30s

How are leading innovators supercharging our natural abilities? From slingshots that can throw rockets into space to the latest in artificial sight, see how engineers are amplifying the human body’s powers.

Decoding the Universe: Quantum Preview

30s

When we look at the world at the tiniest scales, things get very weird. Take a wild ride through the quantum world, from the discoveries that reveal its strange rules to the amazing technologies it unlocks – with more powerful possibilities to come.

How Atomic Clocks Keep Perfect Time

2m 15s

Modern timekeeping relies on the accuracy of atomic clocks, which revolutionized timekeeping by using the quantum behavior of atoms to measure time. Discover how these incredibly precise clocks work, and how they ensure global synchronization in everything from GPS to scientific research.

The Most Baffling Idea in Physics, Explained

3m 33s

Quantum entanglement is one of the strangest and most fascinating phenomena in physics. Even Einstein didn’t believe it - he called it “spooky action at a distance” - but science has proven it true. Here’s a simple explanation of the most baffling concept in physics.

How Medieval Armorers Made Knights Bulletproof

2m 15s

A select few suits of armor were crafted with secret techniques that made them stronger than others, possibly even bulletproof. Historians and ballistics experts reconstructed the amor of an elite knight and tested its strength by shooting it with a musket.

How Do Hurricanes Form?

1m 2s

Scientists predict that our increasingly warmer atmosphere and oceans will feed these hurricanes — we may not see more of them that we used to, but the ones we do see are likely to get more and more intense.

Could Mars Have a Ring Around It One Day?

2m 16s

Phobos, one of Mars' moons, has an uncertain origin, but its surface grooves show that tidal forces are pulling it apart. In time, Mars' gravity will shatter it entirely, creating a ring of debris around the planet.

Solar System: Wandering Worlds Preview

30s

From meteorites that impact Earth, to a moon that orbits backwards, to an imposter lurking in the asteroid belt, a variety of strange, wandering worlds are rewriting what we know – and even how we think about – our solar system.

Solar System: Icy Worlds Preview

30s

Out in the solar system, ice can get bizarre. Visit strange, frozen worlds – from Uranus’s ultra-hot superionic ice, to glaciers of nitrogen ice on Pluto, to carbon dioxide snow on Mars – and discover why the ice here on Earth is so unique.

Solar System: Volcano Worlds Preview

30s

Around our solar system, violent eruptions are shaping distant worlds. Discover the explosive forces that helped create some of the most dynamic worlds in our cosmic neighborhood – and what makes the volcanoes right here on Earth so special.

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