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.

Watch Latest: S51 E18

53m 40s

Lost Tombs of Notre Dame

S51 E18 / 53m 40s

After the Notre Dame fire in 2019, two mysterious coffins were found buried beneath its floor. Where did they come from and who was inside? Follow scientists and historians as they investigate what their stories reveal about this iconic cathedral.

Building Stuff: Change It!

S51 E17 / 53m 40s / TV-G

Humans have been altering Earth’s environment for thousands of years. And now, from electric planes to artificial noses, engineers are inventing new ways to preserve our planet.

Building Stuff: Reach It!

S51 E16 / 53m 40s / TV-G

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.

Building Stuff: Boost It!

S51 E15 / 53m 40s / TV-G

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.

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Decoding the Universe: Quantum

S51 E14 / 53m 40s

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.

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Solar System: Wandering Worlds

S51 E13 / 53m 34s

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.

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Solar System: Icy Worlds

S51 E12 / 53m 34s

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.

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Solar System: Volcano Worlds

S51 E11 / 53m 34s

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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Solar System: Strange Worlds

S51 E10 / 53m 34s

From a dwarf planet that looks like a deflated football, to a tiny moon with cliffs taller than Mt. Everest, to the spectacular rings of Saturn, discover how the effects of gravity produce the amazing variety of weird worlds in our solar system.

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Solar System: Storm Worlds

S51 E9 / 53m 34s

Out in the solar system, the weather gets wacky – with globe-spanning dust storms, monsoons of liquid methane, and lightning 10 times stronger than here on Earth. Discover the forces driving the dramatic weather on neighboring planets and moons.

Decoding the Universe: Cosmos

S51 E8 / 53m 38s

How big is the universe? Will it ever end? Why is so much of it made of mysterious dark matter and energy? See how mind-bending discoveries over the past 50 years have revolutionized our understanding of the universe.

Secrets in Your Data

S51 E7 / 53m 40s

Whether you’re on social media or surfing the web, you’re probably sharing more personal data than you realize. Find out where your data is going, who’s selling it, and how you – and a new kind of web – could put control back in your hands.

Great American Eclipse

S51 E6 / 53m 34s

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 eclipse until 2044, and scientists scramble to unlock the secrets of our Sun.

A.I. Revolution

S51 E5 / 53m 30s

A.I. tools like ChatGPT seem to think, speak, and create like humans. But what are they really doing? From cancer cures to Terminator-style takeovers, leading experts explore what A.I. can – and can’t – do today, and what lies ahead.

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Hunt for the Oldest DNA

S51 E4 / 53m 10s

For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. Follow the dramatic quest to recover DNA millions of years old and reveal a lost world from before the last Ice Age.

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Building the Eiffel Tower

S51 E3 / 53m 29s

Explore the revolutionary engineering behind Paris’s iconic landmark. Completed in 1889, 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.

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Easter Island Origins

S51 E2 / 53m 17s / TV-PG

The giant stone heads of Easter Island have inspired theories for centuries. Now, new research reveals intriguing evidence of the origins and inspirations of the ancient Rapanui people who created the iconic monoliths.

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When Whales Could Walk

S51 E1 / 53m 31s

A spectacular fossil graveyard reveals a 43-million-year-old whale that had four legs and could walk. Follow scientists as they search for new clues to how mammals moved from land into the sea to become the largest animals on Earth.

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