Can scientists stomach hours of spider sex in order to understand their language?

Whether they make you fat, fart, or freak out, microbes play a central role in your life. Right beneath your nose—on your face, in your gut, and everywhere in between—trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi are so abundant in your body, they outnumber your human cells. But these aren’t just nasty hitch-hikers. Many are crucial to your survival.

Jack Gilbert studies the effects of the microbiome on the human body and mind.

The hunt for pollution in other planets’ atmospheres may determine whether or not we are alone in the universe.

Astrophysicist Jason Kalirai observes stars and searches for habitable planets in the hopes of finding life.

Meet Dr. André Fenton, the co-host of NOVA Wonders.

From singing whales and squeaking bats to thumping spiders and clicking dolphins, the world is filled with the exotic sounds of our fellow creatures. What are they saying? Can we decode their own communications? NOVA Wonders follows researchers around the globe who are deciphering an amazing array of clues that reveal how animals share information critical to their survival.

Meet Erich Jarvis, a scientist and salsa dancer studying vocal-learning in mice and songbirds.

NOVA Wonders takes viewers on a journey to the frontiers of science, where researchers are tackling some of the biggest questions about life and the cosmos. From the mysteries of astrophysics to the secrets of the body to the challenges of inventing technologies that could rival—and even surpass—the abilities of the human mind. These six hours reveal how far we’ve come in our search for answers.

Microbes colonize our skin, guts, and bodies—but we wouldn’t be ourselves without them.

Animal and human forms of communication may be much closer than we previously thought.

April Fool's! We weigh in on the serious science behind... whoopee cushions.

Stephen Hawking had a way of bringing the most cosmic ideas down to Earth.

When snowy owls land at Logan Airport, Norman Smith gives the birds a one-way flight out.

A multiverse could explain why our universe is fine-tuned for life.

A signal from the dawn of the universe may hold surprising clues about dark matter.

The one thing Katherine Hayhoe wishes we did about climate change.

Ecologist Stephen Pacala says a climate change conspiracy is impossible.

Disastrous hurricanes. Widespread droughts and wildfires. Withering heat. Extreme rainfall. It is hard not to conclude that something’s up with the weather, and many scientists agree. It’s the result of the weather machine itself—our climate—changing, becoming hotter and more erratic. In this 2-hour documentary, NOVA will cut through the confusion around climate change.