Why NASA is Back on Mars
This NASA rover landed on Mars, more than 130 million miles from Earth. It’s task? To continue the search for past life on the red planet.
Feast Your Eyes on the First-Ever Mars 2020 Mission Videos
Get a guided tour of the first Mars rover landing captured on video from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Ian Clark.
How Mask-Wearing Misinformation Became a Reality
NOVA Producer Alex Clark traces misinformation on mask-wearing from internet circles, to social media influencers, and back to the CDC in the NOVA Education video series.
Dream Hacking: Decisions, Addictions, and Sleep
Neuroscience is beginning to demystify such feelings. Our agency and decisions, it turns out, can be measurably influenced by events that evade the conscious part of our brains. We’ll see three groundbreaking experiments that illustrate that influences we are unaware of in our waking life, during dreamless sleep, or even in our dreams can impact our memory and behavior.
Growing Simple Cells with the Help of... Soap?
In the days of proto-life, less-stable membranes built out of simple molecules, like those in soap, may have been an advantage.
Beyond the Elements: Life Preview
Without the chemistry of photosynthesis, ozone, and a molecule called Rubisco, none of us would be here. So how did we get so lucky? To find out, host David Pogue investigates the surprising molecules that allowed life on Earth to begin, and ultimately thrive. Along the way, he finds out what we’re all made of—literally.
Meet the Enzyme Driving Photosynthesis
RUBISCO, which helps make photosynthesis happen, is the most plentiful enzyme on the planet. But it's not the most efficient. Can a team of researchers give it a boost?
Why Misinformation Matters
Learn the science behind misinformation–how it’s shared, why it's believed, and what we can do to address it.
Beyond the Elements: Indestructible Preview
Glass so strong you can jump on it, rubber so tough it protects a clay pot dropped from 50 feet, endless varieties of plastic. Scientists and engineers have created virtually indestructible versions of common materials by manipulating the chains of interlocking atoms that give them strength—but have they made them too tough? Host David Pogue explores the fantastic chemistry behind the everyday.
Plastics: Durable, Diverse, and Indestructible
Through a series of lab experiments, "Beyond the Elements" host David Pogue learns that there are tens of thousands of grades of plastics, each tailored for a specific purpose. What do we do with them when their job is finished?
Lingering Symptoms from COVID-19 are “Unprecedented”
The number of COVID long-haulers is unknown, but experts estimate that millions of Americans could be affected by lingering symptoms of the disease.
New COVID-19 Variants Spread More Easily
Discover how new coronavirus variants formed around the world, and whether personal protective equipment and the new vaccines will successfully work against them.
Why Hot Peppers Set Your Mouth on Fire
How does a chili pepper make your mouth feel like its on fire? When you eat peppers, capsaicin molecules fit into the heat pain receptors of your mouth, sending a false signal to your brain that's identical to the one it would receive if you ate something literally burning hot.
Beyond the Elements: Reactions Preview
Just about every solid, liquid, or gas in the world as we know it begins with reactions between individual atoms and molecules. Host David Pogue dives into the transformative world of chemical reactions, from the complex formula that produces cement to the single reaction that’s allowed farmers to feed a global population by the billions—a reaction that when reversed, unleashes high explosives.
What Gives Hot Peppers Their Heat?
When you eat peppers, the chemical capsaicin fits into the heat pain receptors in your mouth, sending a false signal that’s identical to the one your brain would receive if you ate something literally burning hot.
How Killer Snail Venom Plays a Key Role in Drug Development
Scientists explore how the powerful peptides found in marine cone snail venom can be used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes.
This University Monitors COVID-19 Through Saliva Testing
One out of 50 COVID-19 tests in the U.S. are processed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Here's how its researchers are tracking the spread of the coronavirus on campus, and how the University became a model of testing for other flagship universities.
The Biggest Space News Stories of 2020
The coronavirus pandemic may have been the biggest science news story of 2020, but it wasn't the only story. Learn more about three space developments of the year: the discovery of phosphine in Venus’s atmosphere, the collapse of Puerto Rico’s Arecibo’s Observatory, and OSIRIS-REx’s sampling of an asteroid’s surface.
Secrets in our DNA Preview
Some 30 million Americans have sent their DNA to be analyzed by companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA. But what happens once the sample is in the hands of testing companies, and how accurate are their results? NOVA explores the power of genetic data to reveal family connections, ancestry, and health risks—and even solve criminal cold cases.
Half Sisters Unite Thanks to DNA Testing
Half-sisters share their unlikely story of finding one another through genetic testing, and what they learned about their family history along the way.
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