NOVA brings you stories from the frontlines of science and engineering, answering the big questions of today and tomorrow, from how our ancestors lived, to whether parallel universes exist, to how technology will transform our lives.
Can a nuclear war be survived? Some members of the defense community say yes. NOVA explores the possibility.
Rate
s05e02Blueprints in the Bloodstream1978-01-1902:00⌄
No still
Blueprints in the Bloodstream
s05e02 ·
1978-01-19 ·
02:00
It has been known since the turn of the century that there are four human blood groups, based on different red cells and serum characteristics. NOVA looks at the more recent discovery that the different white cell types, as determined by a variety of different molecular markers on the cell surface, open up the possibility of the prevention of disease.
Rate
s05e03One Small Step (1)1978-01-2602:00⌄
No still
One Small Step (1)
s05e03 ·
1978-01-26 ·
02:00
Part one of a two-part series on the subject of man in space, NOVA examines the history of NASA—from the origin of the space race through the triumph of the Apollo programs. By tracing the history of three key programs—Mercury, Gemini, Apollo—we show how the basic challenges surrounding space flight were answered: rendezvous and docking, life support, weightlessness, space sickness, equipment reliability and so on.
Rate
s05e04The Final Frontier (2)1978-02-0202:00⌄
No still
The Final Frontier (2)
s05e04 ·
1978-02-02 ·
02:00
Second of the two-part series on space programs, NOVA looks ahead to the future, post-Apollo and the role that man in space will play, including the possibility of space colonization—huge orbiting space stations where people live and work in an earth atmosphere under artificial gravity.
Rate
s05e05BaMiki BaNdula: Children of the Forest1978-02-1602:00⌄
No still
BaMiki BaNdula: Children of the Forest
s05e05 ·
1978-02-16 ·
02:00
In the rain forests of Zaire, in the heart of Africa, live the Mbuti Pygmies. The Pygmy way of life has always been extraordinarily difficult to capture on film, though many have tried. NOVA presents a rare portrait of an elusive people, made by an independent filmmaker who lived with the Pygmies and won their trust.
Rate
s05e06Trial of Denton Cooley1978-02-2302:00⌄
No still
Trial of Denton Cooley
s05e06 ·
1978-02-23 ·
02:00
In a dramatic docudrama, NOVA reconstructs the controversial lawsuit raised against renowned heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley when one of his patients died after heart surgery, and examines the legal and moral issues this raises in the practice of modern medicine.
Rate
s05e07The Great Wine Revolution1978-03-0202:00⌄
No still
The Great Wine Revolution
s05e07 ·
1978-03-02 ·
02:00
A science-based revolution in the making of wine is underway. NOVA traces the secrets of the aging process and science's involvement with the predicting of mass production high-quality vintage wines.
Rate
s05e08The Case of the Ancient Astronauts1978-03-0902:00⌄
No still
The Case of the Ancient Astronauts
s05e08 ·
1978-03-09 ·
02:00
NOVA investigates the theories of von Daniken and others that the Earth has been visited by intelligent beings from outer space. Among claims examined are: that the building techniques used in the Great Pyramid of Cheops are so advanced that only an extraterrestrial intelligence could have built it; and that the engraved stones of Palenque in Mexico depict an ancient astronaut at the controls of a space rocket.
Rate
s05e09The Mind Machines1978-03-2302:00⌄
No still
The Mind Machines
s05e09 ·
1978-03-23 ·
02:00
Today's scientists may be creating their own successors. Work being done in Artificial Intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science, only suggest that in the not too distant future, machines will outpace their creators. NOVA examines the possibility.
Rate
s05e10Icarus' Children1978-03-3002:00⌄
No still
Icarus' Children
s05e10 ·
1978-03-30 ·
02:00
In the summer of 1977 Paul MacCready, a California scientist and businessman, won the coveted Kremer Prize. His achievement was to design and build an airplane which completed, unaided, a one-mile figure-eight course entirely under the power provided by the pilot himself. This is the story of those many failures and MacCready's success.
Rate
s05e11Still Waters1978-04-1302:00⌄
No still
Still Waters
s05e11 ·
1978-04-13 ·
02:00
NOVA shows a year in the life of a beaver pond and includes almost every life form that exists in, on, under, around and above the water, from the microscopic plant life of summer to the eagles feeding on carcasses of deer that collapsed on the winter ice.
Rate
s05e12Battle for the Acropolis1978-04-2002:00⌄
No still
Battle for the Acropolis
s05e12 ·
1978-04-20 ·
02:00
The fortified plateau above Athens known as the Acropolis is the site of some of the most remarkable architecture in the world: its marble structures built in the fifth century BC, including the renowned Parthenon, represent the artistic peak of classical Greek architecture. NOVA examines how the heavily polluted air of Athens produces acid rain which is dissolving the marble sculptures and columns; and how iron tiles used extensively in repair 40 years ago are now rusting, expanding and shattering the stone structures.
Rate
s05e13Road to Happiness1978-05-0401:00⌄
No still
Road to Happiness
s05e13 ·
1978-05-04 ·
01:00
Henry Ford, a great friend of Edison, was a film enthusiast who amassed some one and a half million feet of film during his lifetime. Deposited in the National Archives and known as the Ford Film Collection, it covers not only the Ford family and Ford Motor Company but also contains newsreels, and general films produced under Ford. Using the Collection, NOVA profiles Ford's life and times.
Rate
s05e14Light of the 21st Century1978-05-1101:00⌄
No still
Light of the 21st Century
s05e14 ·
1978-05-11 ·
01:00
When first invented 18 years ago, lasers were called "a solution looking for a problem;" nobody could think what to do with them. But in fact research scientists immediately began to exploit their pure colors and near-perfect focusing ability. Today lasers have grown into a billion-dollar business. They are used in construction, manufacturing, clothing, dentistry and medicine. And the future uses of lasers are likely to be of major significance as the means of achieving nuclear fusion and as a very high efficiency communications medium.
Rate
s05e15The Insect Alternative1978-05-2501:00⌄
No still
The Insect Alternative
s05e15 ·
1978-05-25 ·
01:00
In a world that each year loses up to 40 percent of its crops to insects, some form of pest control is desperately needed. But chemical pesticides have backfired. Pesticide-resistant insects frequently develop, and previously harmless insects have become devastating infestations. Farmers have found themselves trapped on a "pesticide treadmill"—the more they spray, the more they have to spray. NOVA examines several alternatives for pest control.
Rate
s05e16The Desert's Edge1978-06-0101:00⌄
No still
The Desert's Edge
s05e16 ·
1978-06-01 ·
01:00
For thousands of years people have managed to live in deserts all over the world. But in recent years, a growing population and the demands of the international market have put more stress on these poor and easily exhausted lands. NOVA examines the consequences and possible solutions to desertification.
Rate
s05e17The Tse Tse Trap1978-06-0801:00⌄
No still
The Tse Tse Trap
s05e17 ·
1978-06-08 ·
01:00
NOVA explores Bovine sleeping sickness. Spread by a fly, it is a deadly disease that poses a threat to Africa's cattle.
Rate
s05e18Memories from Eden1978-06-1501:00⌄
No still
Memories from Eden
s05e18 ·
1978-06-15 ·
01:00
Traditionally zoos were designed neither for people nor animals; barred cages taught people more about their separation from nature than about an animal and its habitat. But just as man has realized that he has all but destroyed much of the world's wilderness and its wildlife, he is realizing that the zoo may be the last refuge for wildlife. NOVA visits several United States zoos to examine a variety of activities of concern today: breeding, public education, creative new animal habitats, and the reintroduction of animals to their natural environment.
Rate
s05e19A Whisper from Space1978-06-2201:00⌄
No still
A Whisper from Space
s05e19 ·
1978-06-22 ·
01:00
In 1965, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, two radio astronomers at Bell Telephone Laboratories, discovered faint, but ever-present, microwave signals from space—the most ancient and most distant signals detected by man: the oldest "fossils" in the universe. NOVA explores the current surge of cosmological discovery that continues to aid scientists in the "cosmic archaeology" of digging into the history of the universe.
Rate
s05e21Alaska: The Closing Frontier1978-06-2401:00⌄
No still
Alaska: The Closing Frontier
s05e21 ·
1978-06-24 ·
01:00
No episode summary is available.
Rate
s05e20Alaska: The Closing Frontier1978-06-2901:00⌄
No still
Alaska: The Closing Frontier
s05e20 ·
1978-06-29 ·
01:00
Congress is currently considering a proposal that would double the size of America's national park system by designating a sizeable chunk of Alaska as off-limits to developers. NOVA explores the public debates on Alaska, such as the construction of the oil pipeline—a proposal that has sparked a bitter controversy between conservationists and developers.
Rate
Artwork unavailable
Quick look
Date unavailable · Time unavailable · Relative day unavailable
Episode title unavailable
Episode code unavailable
No episode summary is available.
Search shows
Type to search the catalogue.
Preferences
Settings
Account access
Create an account
Returning users: see What's new for account migration info.
