Carlisle Companies

Viking

NOVA Science Trust Logo

NOVA airs Wednesday nights at 9PM on most PBS stations. See the national schedule or check local listings.

Canada

United States

Northern Mariana Islands

Puerto Rico

American Samoa

Guam

U.S. Virgin Islands

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

US, US Territories, Canada

US & Territories

On March 26, 2024, the world collectively gasped as a massive container ship, the Dali, lost control and plowed into the landmark Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The busy four-lane bridge suffered a catastrophic collapse and crashed into the Patapsco River. Six highway workers were killed, and the Port of Baltimore – a crucial link in the global shipping chain on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States – was blocked by thousands of tons of twisted steel and concrete. How did a modern ship lose all power and propulsion? And why did the bridge fail so catastrophically? Follow the high-stakes rescue and recovery, the efforts to reopen the port, and the investigations into what went wrong and how many other crucial bridges are at risk. (Premiered February 26, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)

Follow the investigation into the deadly container ship collision that closed the Port of Baltimore.

Baltimore Bridge Collapse

For over two centuries, archaeologists have hailed Pompeii as a sophisticated city at the heart of an advanced ancient civilization. But a series of new excavations is painting a much more complex picture of the city tragically buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. New archaeological finds – including 2,000-year-old lines of graffiti, human remains, and artifacts from ancient homes and businesses – are revealing a city of both staggering wealth and extreme poverty, dependent on slavery, and riven by political conflicts, violence, and riots. Before Vesuvius rumbled, the jewel of the ancient Roman Empire hid a very dark side. (Premiered February 19, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)

Archaeologists uncover new truths about Pompeii, a wealthy Roman playground with dark secrets.

Pompeii's Secret Underworld

On a remote hillside in modern-day Turkey sits Göbekli Tepe, the oldest temple on Earth. For centuries, archaeologists believed it was a religious center built by nomadic hunter-gatherers before the rise of civilization. But groundbreaking new evidence reveals that a sophisticated community of settled hunter-gatherers, not nomads, lived here year-round for centuries. This startling discovery could be the missing link in humanity's momentous transition from hunting to farming. Follow experts as they use new digs and shattered skulls to piece together a captivating story that could forever change our understanding of the roots of civilization. (Premieres February 25 at 9 pm on PBS)

Surprising evidence at the world’s oldest temple overturns our understanding of human history.

Stone Age Temple Mystery

General - US & Territories

Purple graphic of a brain sketch and neurons.

Is what you see real? Join neuroscientist Heather Berlin on a quest to understand how your brain shapes your reality, and why you can’t always trust what you perceive. In the first hour of this two-part series, learn what the latest research shows about how your brain processes and shapes the world around you, and discover the surprising tricks and shortcuts your brain takes to help you survive. (A two-part series. Part 1 premiered May 17, 2023)

Neuroscientists discover the tricks and shortcuts the brain takes to help us survive.

Your Brain: Perception Deception

Green graphic of a brain sketch and neurons.

Are you in control, or is your brain controlling you? Dive into the latest research on the subconscious with neuroscientist Heather Berlin. Sleepwalking, anesthesia, game theory, and more reveal surprising insights in this eye-opening journey to discover what’s really driving the decisions you make. (Episode 2 of a two-part series, premiered May 24, 2023)

Dive into the subconscious to see what’s really driving the decisions you make.

Your Brain: Who's in Control?

The United States has experimented with democracy for 250 years, but our system of government was once a radical idea, born in ancient Greece. Ravaged by civil war and tyranny 2,500 years ago, the city of Athens forged a revolutionary new system that gave power to the citizens. Witness the archaeological quest to unearth the ingenious tools and pivotal moments that shaped this unprecedented experiment in self-government. From mysterious fragments of ancient voting machines to mass graves and dramatic assassinations, discover the dark secrets and innovative solutions that defined the world's first direct democracy. What enduring lessons can this surprising historical journey offer us today? (Premiering April 15, 2026 at 9 pm on PBS)

Archaeologists investigate the dramatic origins of democracy in ancient Greece 2,500 years ago.

Athens: Birth of Democracy

A powerful downburst (“rain bomb”) releases a column of rain beneath a thunderstorm.

An invisible, unpredictable atmospheric force is wreaking havoc across the globe, sinking superyachts and bringing down planes. Follow scientists as they race to understand these catastrophic weather events, exploring how they form, what causes their devastating impacts, and how we might someday learn to predict them. From high-tech simulations and drone expeditions into thunderclouds to possible links with climate change, join investigators on the cutting edge of research to discover what's truly behind these terrifying "rain bombs" and how we can protect ourselves from their growing power. (Premiering April 22 at 9 pm on PBS)

A deadly—and growing—global weather phenomenon mystifies scientists.

Rain Bombs

How big is the universe? If it began with the Big Bang, will it also have an end? Is there life beyond our planet? Questions like these inspired the launch of Voyager I in 1977 and have driven innovative space research and exploration ever since. Trace ground-breaking discoveries that have transformed our picture of the universe, from an age when we knew of no planets beyond our solar system, to today, when we have evidence of thousands and estimate trillions more. And follow the teams trying to solve two of the biggest mysteries in cosmology today: What are dark matter and dark energy? (Premiered May 22 at 9 pm on PBS)

Explore big discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of the universe.

Decoding the Universe: Cosmos

When we look at the world at the tiniest scales in the subatomic realm, things get weird – very weird. Welcome to the quantum universe, where particles can spin in two directions at once, observing something changes it, and something on one side of the galaxy can instantly affect something on the other, as if the space between them didn’t exist. Buckle up for a wild ride through the discoveries that proved all of this to be true and paved the way for the digital technologies we enjoy today – and the powerful quantum sensors and computers of tomorrow. Premiered November 6, 2024 at 9 pm on PBSCorrection: The original version of this film had misplaced punctuation, which falsely implied that in 1974, Stephen Hawking was the first to predict black holes. The film, captions, and transcript have been amended to clarify that in 1974, Stephen Hawking first predicted the phenomenon now known as Hawking radiation, referred to in the film as the “Achilles’ heel” of black holes.

Dive into the universe at the tiniest – and weirdest – of scales.

Decoding the Universe: Quantum

A skeleton of a whale in a desert-like area.

In Egypt’s Sahara Desert, massive skeletons with strange skulls and gigantic teeth jut out from the sandy ground. This fossil graveyard, millions of years old, is known as the “Valley of the Whales.” Now, paleontologists have unearthed a whole new species of ancient whale dating to 43 million years ago, and this predator wasn’t just able to swim – it also had four legs and could walk. Follow scientists as they search for new clues to the winding evolutionary path of mammals that moved from the land into the sea to become the largest animals on Earth. (Premiered January 31, 2024 at 9 pm on PBS.)

Giant fossils uncovered in the Sahara Desert reveal new secrets of how whales evolved.

When Whales Could Walk

Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique site in southern England where amateur fossil hunters uncovered giant mammoth bones and evidence of Neanderthals. A team of paleontologists and archaeologists soon discover that the site preserves rare evidence of the extinct beasts and early human inhabitants of Britain dating to over 200,000 years ago. What skills did the early humans have to help them survive during the Ice Age? How did they hunt and protect themselves against formidable creatures such as mammoths? With hands-on experiments with replicas of Neanderthal-era spears and stone tools, the world of prehistoric Britain comes to life. (Premiered February 16, 2022)

Sir David Attenborough explores a site with traces of ancient mammoths and Neanderthals.

Schedule

Upcoming Episodes

Your Brain: Perception Deception

Your Brain: Who's in Control?

Athens: Birth of Democracy

Rain Bombs

Decoding the Universe: Cosmos

Decoding the Universe: Quantum

When Whales Could Walk

Great Mammoth Mystery

Recent Episodes

Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Pompeii's Secret Underworld

Stone Age Temple Mystery

Upcoming Episodes

Your Brain: Perception Deception

Your Brain: Who's in Control?

Athens: Birth of Democracy

Rain Bombs

Decoding the Universe: Cosmos

Decoding the Universe: Quantum

When Whales Could Walk

Great Mammoth Mystery

Recent Episodes

Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Pompeii's Secret Underworld

Stone Age Temple Mystery

Support Provided By