Step inside the breathtaking world of Gothic cathedrals – Chartres, Beauvais, and others scattered across Europe – colossal monuments of architectural ambition. Hewn from a staggering hundred million pounds of stone, some of these structure…

The film, a one-hour chronicle of the 2010 Chilean mine collapse, details the ordeal of the thirty-three trapped miners and the immense challenges faced by those working tirelessly to bring them home. Arriving at the San José mine in Chile …

The film explores the commonplace elevator, a fixture of modern life, and recounts a harrowing true story of prolonged entrapment.

"Dogs Decoded" explores the scientific basis of the profound connection between humans and dogs, delving into recent genetic discoveries that shed light on the animal's origins—with unexpected ramifications for the development of human soci…

A landmark of the late Stone Age, Stonehenge remains perhaps the most renowned and enigmatic artifact of prehistory. Each year, a million visitors journey to England to behold the celebrated circle of stones, yet the monument's purpose cont…

For centuries, countless treasure hunters have ventured forth in pursuit of King Solomon's mines, traversing scorching deserts and ascending the formidable mountains of Africa and the Levant, drawn by the biblical tales of opulent temples a…

A vast expanse of ice, nearly five miles thick, blankets much of Antarctica, a continent exceeding the size of the United States by half. Yet, the collapse of an Antarctic ice shelf the size of Manhattan within a single month in 2002 sent s…

The year 2010 witnessed a series of devastating earthquakes, resulting in one of the highest annual death tolls in recorded history. The earthquake in Haiti, the deadliest of these, claimed over 200,000 lives and reduced homes, hospitals, s…

What constitutes the world’s strongest material? Is it steel, Kevlar, carbon nanotubes, or something yet undiscovered? NOVA launches its four-part series, "Making Stuff," with an exploration of this very question – a quest for the substance…

What is the ultimate limit of miniaturization? Might we envision a future where microscopic robots undertake journeys within our own bodies, targeting and eliminating diseased cells? The remarkable advancements in the realm of the minuscule…

Do advances in materials science hold the key to a cleaner planet? In "Making Stuff: Cleaner," David Pogue delves into the burgeoning science and industry of clean energy, examining novel methods for its generation, storage, and distributio…

"Making Stuff: Smarter" explores materials engineered to react to their surroundings, exhibiting adaptive qualities and even a form of learning—like an aircraft wing adjusting its shape mid-flight. Scientists are increasingly drawing inspir…

Enhancing human intellect proves a far greater challenge than commonly imagined, and the vision of a figure like HAL from *2001: A Space Odyssey* remains firmly in the realm of fantasy. Yet, researchers are making progress with systems such…

On June 1, 2009, Air France Flight AF447, an Airbus A330 en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, vanished over the Atlantic, taking with it all 228 souls aboard. How could such a sophisticated aircraft, equipped with advanced electronic safe…

For eons, countless creatures have evolved the most intricate of biological and chemical weapons: venom. These complex substances can disrupt the brain's signals, paralyze muscles, rupture blood cells, and even initiate internal digestion. …

Japan confronts a catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude, the worst since the Second World War. The likely death toll climbs into the tens of thousands, alongside widespread destruction of homes and livelihoods, crippling shortages of essen…

Could new technologies avert global warming? In a bid to revitalize the economy and heal a damaged planet, the United States has poured tens of billions of dollars into clean energy initiatives. Are we poised for a transformative surge in g…

Consider testing your intellect against a dog, an octopus, a dolphin, or a parrot. You might reconsider after viewing the segments in this NOVA scienceNOW episode. Though we are unlikely to enroll pets in university courses, the remarkable …