Within the depths of a South African cave, a remarkable find offers compelling insights into the origins of humanity.

NOVA unveils a significant advance in the Arctic's most enduring enigma. In 1845, the renowned British explorer Sir John Franklin embarked on a quest to map the elusive Northwest Passage, leading a company of 128 men aboard two sturdy, well…

Historians and boatwrights, collaborating as a team, delve into the enduring enigma of the Noah's Ark flood legend. Driven by curiosity, they embark on a project to reconstruct a compelling, primordial vessel – a tantalizing precursor to th…

Nova delves into the scientific and technological foundations of cyber warfare, questioning whether humanity has already entered a perilous new era of armed conflict.

NOVA collaborates with a team of foremost Egyptologists, utilizing cutting-edge medical imaging to examine the mummified remains of Egyptian animals without disturbing their preserved forms. The findings yield illuminating, frequently unexp…

This is the grand, three-billion-year narrative of North America's formation. Journey from the ancient palms that once graced Alaska to cataclysmic eruptions that threatened to split the heart of the Midwest, and uncover the immense forces …

What sparked the first stirrings of life on this ancient land? What drew such magnificent dinosaurs as the Tyrannosaurus rex to North America? And how did a vast ocean, teeming with colossal marine reptiles, once blanket the plains of Kansa…

The story of North America since the first humans arrived is one of profound change. Abundant natural resources—gold, oil, and many others—have allowed people to reshape the landscape in ways rivaling the geological forces that formed it. Y…

On November 25th, 1915, Albert Einstein unveiled his most profound achievement: the theory of general relativity. This work fundamentally reshaped our comprehension of the universe's laws and the entirety of cosmic history, extending back t…

Throughout World War I, the Allied and German forces relentlessly sought to overcome the grim deadlock of trench warfare. In the winter of 1916, Allied engineers conceived a daring surprise: a massive quantity of explosives – over a million…

Four and a half billion years ago, the Earth was a volatile and hostile world—a maelstrom of meteorite strikes, volcanic eruptions spewing poisonous fumes, and lightning illuminating a thin, scorching atmosphere. Then, in a process that has…

Fragile and translucent, krill are fundamental to the Antarctic ecosystem. Yet, their numbers are plummeting, a decline that continues to perplex scientists. A primary hypothesis suggests that krill’s life cycle is governed by an internal r…

The earth shuddered violently in Nepal on April 25, 2015. A powerful earthquake tore through the Himalayas, obliterating villages and claiming thousands of lives. *NOVA* presents the harrowing accounts of those who lived closest to the quak…

On a summer night, there is a certain enchantment in watching the gentle flicker of fireflies. Few creatures on land possess this ability to illuminate the darkness, yet in the ocean's depths, a remarkable spectacle unfolds: nearly ninety p…

Memory is the essential thread weaving through the fabric of our minds. Without it, we would be trapped in each moment, unable to draw upon past experiences to shape what’s to come. From a first love to the familiar place of our keys, memor…

Stalked, attacked, and abandoned to perish, Otzi the Iceman met his end over five millennia ago. Europe's oldest known natural mummy, he was preserved with astonishing fidelity in glacial ice, offering scientists, historians, and archaeolog…

Robots are increasingly commonplace, powering factory lines and brewing our morning coffee. Yet, humanoid robots – machines designed with human-like abilities – have remained largely confined to the realm of science fiction. That is changin…

Delve into the enduring mystery of the Vikings and their remarkable voyages to the New World.

More than forty million people across the globe are afflicted by Alzheimer's disease, a devastating condition that erodes the very core of the mind. Follow scientists as they strive to unravel the complex origins of this tragic illness, and…

Newly established wildlife corridors offer a promising path forward for species teetering on the brink of extinction. These carefully planned pathways through human-dominated landscapes provide vital connections between fragmented habitats,…

A race against the relentless sea is underway as engineers strive to safeguard the Gay Head Lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard from the advancing erosion.

Engineers and historians of World War II examine the formidable array of "superguns" that Hitler envisioned.