NOVA

s17e01 The Hidden City 1989-10-04 01:00 ⌄

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The Hidden City

s17e01 · 1989-10-04 · 01:00

Exposing four essential public infrastructure systems that city dwellers depend on: electricity, water, sewage and sanitation. Filmed in New York City and hosted by Judd Hirsch.

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s17e02 The Controversial Dr. Koop 1989-10-11 01:00 ⌄

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The Controversial Dr. Koop

s17e02 · 1989-10-11 · 01:00

In this profile of former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, NOVA follows events as they unfold in a unique behind-the-scenes account of a man who speaks his mind on AIDS, smoking and abortion.

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s17e03 Design Wars! 1989-10-18 01:00 ⌄

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Design Wars!

s17e03 · 1989-10-18 · 01:00

Five architects compete for the approval of architecture-obsessed Chicagoan's in the contest to build the city's new public library. NOVA looks at the strengths and weakness of each of the surprisingly varied entries.

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s17e04 Echoes of War 1989-10-25 01:00 ⌄

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Echoes of War

s17e04 · 1989-10-25 · 01:00

The atomic bomb might have ended World War II, but radar was the quiet miracle that won battles. NOVA tells the little-known wartime history of radar.

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s17e05 Decoding the Book of Life 1989-11-01 02:00 ⌄

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Decoding the Book of Life

s17e05 · 1989-11-01 · 02:00

Biologists around the world gear up to decode the three-billion-letter genetic message that describes how humans are made. Ethicists warn that it may not be such a good idea.

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s17e06 Hurricane! 1989-11-08 02:00 ⌄

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Hurricane!

s17e06 · 1989-11-08 · 02:00

NOVA studies hurricanes—the lurking giants waiting to destroy many coastal areas—by flying straight into one. Scientists hope that such close-up studies will supply the data to make better predictions.

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s17e07 Will Venice Survive Its Rescue 1989-11-15 02:00 ⌄

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Will Venice Survive Its Rescue

s17e07 · 1989-11-15 · 02:00

Increasingly awash in high water, the romantic city of Venice is counting on high-tech floodgates to save it from drowning. Environmentalists worry that the gates may destroy the fragile lagoon that surrounds the city.

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s17e08 What Is Music 1989-11-22 02:00 ⌄

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What Is Music

s17e08 · 1989-11-22 · 02:00

NOVA explores the science of musical sound—from what makes a classic violin to how the human brain perceives music. Bells, trumpets, human voices and computers all perform.

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s17e09 Yellowstone's Burning Question 1989-12-06 02:00 ⌄

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Yellowstone's Burning Question

s17e09 · 1989-12-06 · 02:00

The 1988 Yellowstone fire may have been one of the worst in human memory, but nature has had eons of experience with such events. NOVA accompanies scientists who are studying the surprisingly rapid recovery from the blaze. Narrated by Peter Thomas.

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s17e10 The Schoolboys Who Cracked the Soviet Secret 1989-12-13 02:00 ⌄

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The Schoolboys Who Cracked the Soviet Secret

s17e10 · 1989-12-13 · 02:00

NOVA re-enacts a classic case of classroom detection when English schoolboys track down a secret Soviet launch site.

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s17e11 Poison in the Rockies 1990-01-10 02:00 ⌄

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Poison in the Rockies

s17e11 · 1990-01-10 · 02:00

NOVA reports on the 100-year-old legacy of pollution from mining that poisons the once-pristine waters of the Rocky Mountain states. Acid Rain and economic development also contribute to stress on the West's scarce water supply.

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s17e12 Race for the Top 1990-01-24 02:00 ⌄

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Race for the Top

s17e12 · 1990-01-24 · 02:00

Using some of the largest machines ever built, American and European physicists race to discover one of the most fundamental and most elusive objects in nature—the top quark.

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s17e13 Disguises of War 1990-02-07 02:00 ⌄

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Disguises of War

s17e13 · 1990-02-07 · 02:00

NOVA takes the wraps off the art of deception in war—from simple camouflage to the expensive, radar-evading technology embodied in the Stealth bomber.

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s17e14 The Bomb's Lethal Legacy 1990-02-14 02:00 ⌄

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The Bomb's Lethal Legacy

s17e14 · 1990-02-14 · 02:00

NOVA examines an alarming nuclear waste problem at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington state, where 45 years of mismanagement in the nuclear weapons industry will cost billions to correct.

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s17e15 The Big Spill 1990-02-28 02:00 ⌄

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The Big Spill

s17e15 · 1990-02-28 · 02:00

Covering last year's Exxon Valdez oil spill from an unexplored angle, NOVA focuses on how technology failed in preventing, containing and cleaning up the Alaskan disaster.

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s17e16 The Genius That Was China: Rise of the Dragon 1990-03-16 02:00 ⌄

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The Genius That Was China: Rise of the Dragon

s17e16 · 1990-03-16 · 02:00

China in the 13th century was the richest, most powerful, most technologically advanced civilization on earth. NOVA looks at how China achieved what it did, and what in Chinese politics, culture and economy kept it from doing more.

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s17e17 The Genius That Was China: Empires in Collision 1990-03-21 02:00 ⌄

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The Genius That Was China: Empires in Collision

s17e17 · 1990-03-21 · 02:00

NOVA examines the extraordinary transformation that propelled Europe outward into the world from the 15th to 18th centuries, while China remained the insular middle kingdom.

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s17e18 The Genius That Was China: The Threat from Japan 1990-03-28 02:00 ⌄

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The Genius That Was China: The Threat from Japan

s17e18 · 1990-03-28 · 02:00

East and West came into direct conflict over trade and power in the 19th century. The West won. NOVA explores how Japan was later able to master Western methods, while China was not.

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s17e19 The Genius That Was China: Will the Dragon Rise Again? 1990-04-04 01:00 ⌄

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The Genius That Was China: Will the Dragon Rise Again?

s17e19 · 1990-04-04 · 01:00

NOVA covers China's long road to economic and technological equality with the West, punctuated by frequent setbacks such as the 1989 massacre of pro-democratic demonstrations in Beijing.

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