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Why does a widely used internet search engine deliver results that can be blatantly racist and sexist? Two leading information researchers investigate their discoveries of hidden biases in the search technology we rely on every day, involving pornographic images and ads implying criminal behavior triggered by simple search queries. Both researchers share common concerns about how everyday online searches can reinforce damaging stereotypes, and explore how technology can be made more equitable. (Premiered April 14, 2021)

Two leading researchers investigate racial bias built into widely used search engines.

Search Engine Breakdown

Women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the United States, and numbers are even lower for women of color. But there is a growing group of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists, exposing longstanding discrimination, and leading the way in making science more inclusive. A biologist, a chemist, and a geologist lead viewers on a journey through their own experiences in the sciences, ranging from outright harassment to years of subtle slights. Along the way, from cramped laboratories to spectacular field stations, scientific visionaries, including social scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists, provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all. (Premiered April 14, 2021)

Researchers expose longstanding discrimination against women in science.

Picture a Scientist

Is My Kid Behind? Real Talk About Milestones

After all, children develop differently. And whether you feel stress or pride toward your little one’s development and progress, milestones “are just a framework of moments that experts use to track how a child is developing, and how they’re developing skills,” host Alok Patel says. If your child is meeting milestones a little later than their peers, it’s no cause for alarm. Alok and co-host Bethany Van Delft illustrate how different children develop uniquely, and how your child’s growth may affect what they need from you, whether it be an adapted education or environment, or just patience. Although the milestone framework helps pediatricians and other healthcare providers track a child’s development, it may not best represent children with cerebral palsy or Down syndrome, or on the autism spectrum, for instance. A child with Down syndrome may walk at a later age and the milestone framework should reflect that, too. In the early stages of life, a baby’s brain grows rapidly. A baby’s environment and the type and level of interaction they experience often determine what they glean at this time. Typically, a baby’s vision and hearing are among the first things to develop. When it comes to language, babies babble as they begin to understand their world—and as their brains continue to grow, they develop problem-solving skills. As children become more comfortable with their surroundings, they’ll generally experience a gradual progression and hit their developmental milestones. A baby’s spontaneous smile will first progress into laughing. Then, smiling and laughing may lead to the development of facial expressions that convey more complex feelings about the baby’s surroundings. Similarly, a child’s motor skills may begin with the child hitting an object. This progresses into the child slowly raking their hand over the item and finally holding it with a precise pincer grasp. Children who are victims of abuse, malnutrition, or neglect can suffer developmental delays that affect them for years afterward. And this “is why it’s so important to shield kids from all these things,” says Patel. “In addition, we should support child brain development as much as we can in the early phases, and we’re identifying any red flags on those milestone charts.”

Hearing that “your child should be doing X by Y age” can make you worry—and can make many families whose children have special needs feel left out.

Coral reefs are not just beautiful, they are also home to over a quarter of all marine life and are crucial to human societies around the globe. But as the climate changes and oceanic heat waves become commonplace, corals are bleaching and reefs are dying off. Now, marine biologists from across the world are teaming up to counteract this catastrophe with a technique called assisted evolution. Follow scientists as they attempt to crossbreed heat-resistant corals, and even transplant corals’ algae, in a race to save the coral reefs from extinction. (Premiered April 21, 2021)

Scientists race to help corals adapt to warming oceans through assisted evolution.

Reef Rescue

In the United States, some 10% of people who wish to have children struggle with infertility. It’s especially common in the African American community, and fertility preservation can be difficult for transgender individuals as well. But why is this? And what can be done about it? NOVA explores barriers to fertility, from the social to the biological, and the state of assisted reproductive technologies. Follow the journeys of people navigating challenges from structural inequalities and racism to falling sperm counts, egg freezing, and IVF. (Premiering May 12 at 9 pm on PBS)

Meet people struggling with infertility and the challenges of assisted reproduction.

Fighting for Fertility

The cause of the infamous Hindenburg crash has baffled experts for over 80 years, with theories about the airship’s fire ranging from deliberate sabotage to a spark generated by the stormy conditions in which it landed. But new, never-before-seen amateur footage of the crash has surfaced, showing the airship’s final seconds from a fresh angle and in unrivaled clarity. Taking clues from the footage and other sources, NOVA leads a fresh investigation at a leading scientific lab with eye-opening experiments that point to a final solution of the mystery. (Premiering May 19 at 9 pm on PBS)

A revealing new investigation of one of history’s most iconic aviation disasters.

Hindenburg: The New Evidence

Can new emission-free electric planes replace our polluting airliners and revolutionize personal transportation in our cities? NOVA takes you for a ride in some impressive prototypes that are already in the air, from speedy single-seat planes that can take off like a helicopter but are half as noisy to  “self-flying” air taxis that already taking passengers on test flights in Chinese cities. But if electric airplanes are ever to advance beyond small, short-haul craft, significant hurdles of battery weight, energy storage and cooling remain to be overcome. How long will it be before the dream of super-quiet, super-efficient airliners becomes a reality? (Premiering May 26 at 9 pm on PBS)

Will electric planes replace polluting airliners and lead to flying taxis in our cities?

Great Electric Airplane Race

Five centuries ago, the Age of Exploration and Europe’s imperial colonization of far-off lands was launched by a revolution in ship design that made long-distance ocean voyages practical. But exactly how this momentous innovation happened eludes historians. Now, the excavation of a rare intact wreck discovered off the coast of Sweden offers vital new clues to a maritime mystery. (Premiering June 2 at 9 pm on PBS.)

As we excavate a 500-year-old wreck, learn the secrets behind history’s great ships.

Ship That Changed the World

Eagles dominate the skies. But what makes these predators so special? Researchers study one special bird—and stunning up-close footage reveals her exceptional strength, eyesight, and flying skills. With intimate access to a new bald eagle family, NOVA takes you into the nest to witness the drama of chicks struggling to survive. (Premiered May 20, 2020)

Follow eagles from the nest to the skies to see what makes these predators so remarkable.

Eagle Power

The advent of horse riding was a momentous step in human history. But when and how did our ancestors first learn to master these animals? In a spectacular adventure, NOVA unlocks the mystery on the vast, grassy plains of Kazakhstan, where wild horses still roam free, and nomadic herders follow their traditional way of life. Investigating clues from archaeology and genetics, researchers reveal vivid evidence of the very first horsemen. They also discover warriors who swept across Europe, and turn out to be the ancestors of millions today. (Premiered May 15, 2019)

The advent of horse riding changed the course of human history and the genetic makeup of humankind.

First Horse Warriors

When the U.S. trade embargo left Cuba isolated from medical resources, Cuban scientists were forced to get creative. Now they’ve developed lung cancer vaccines that show so much promise, some Americans are defying the embargo and traveling to Cuba for treatment. In an unprecedented move, Cuban researchers are working with U.S. partners to make the medicines more widely available. (Premiered April 1, 2020)

Can Cuba&#x27;s innovative lung cancer vaccines give new hope to patients across the world?

Cuba's Cancer Hope

A blinding flash of light streaked across the Russian sky, followed by a shuddering blast strong enough to damage buildings and send more than 1,000 people to the hospital. On the morning of February 15, 2013, a 7,000-ton asteroid crashed into the Earth&#x27;s atmosphere. According to NASA, the Siberian meteor exploded with the power of 30 Hiroshima bombs and was the largest object to burst in the atmosphere since the Tunguska event of 1908, which was also in Siberia and left few eyewitnesses or clues. This time, the event was captured by digital dashboard cameras, now common in Russian autos and trucks. Within days, NOVA crews joined impact scientists in Russia as they hunted for clues about the meteor&#x27;s origin and makeup. From their findings, it&#x27;s clear we came close to a far worse disaster, which NOVA sets in perspective by looking at greater explosions from the past, including Tunguska and the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. &quot;Meteor Strike&quot; asks: Is our solar system a deadly celestial shooting gallery with Earth in the crosshairs? And what are the chances that another, more massive asteroid is heading straight for us? (Premiered March 27, 2013)

A meteor burst into a fireball over Siberia. Can we spot the next deadly asteroid in time?

Meteor Strike

The asteroid that exploded over Siberia—injuring more than 1,000 and damaging buildings in six cities—was a shocking reminder that Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting range. From the width of a football field to the size of a small city, these space rocks have the potential to be killers. In a collision with Earth, they could set off deadly blast waves, raging fires and colossal tidal waves. But some audacious entrepreneurs look up at asteroids and see payday, not doomsday. Some asteroids are loaded with billions of dollars&#x27; worth of elements like iron, nickel, and platinum. NASA is planning an ambitious mission to return samples from a potentially hazardous asteroid, and would-be asteroid miners are dreaming up their own program to scout for potentially profitable asteroids. Will asteroids turn out to be our economic salvation—or instruments of extinction? (Premiered November 20, 2013)

Will future asteroids trigger massive extinctions—or be mined for precious minerals?

Asteroid: Doomsday or Payday?

On a summer’s night, there’s nothing more magic than watching the soft glow of fireflies switching on and off. Few other life forms on land can light up the night, but in the dark depths of the oceans, it’s a different story: nearly 90% of all species shine from within. Whether it’s to scare off predators, fish for prey, or lure a mate, the language of light is everywhere in the ocean depths, and scientists are finally starting to decode it. NOVA and National Geographic take a dazzling dive to this hidden undersea world where most creatures flash, sparkle, shimmer, or simply glow. Join deep sea scientists who investigate these stunning displays and discover surprising ways to harness nature’s light—from tracking cancer cells to detecting pollution, lighting up cities, and even illuminating the inner workings of our brains.

Deep in the ocean, animals that flash, sparkle, and glow use light to survive in the dark.

Creatures of Light

In central China, a vast underground mausoleum conceals a life-size terracotta army of cavalry, infantry, horses, chariots, weapons, administrators, acrobats, and musicians, all built to serve China&#x27;s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, in the afterlife. Lost and forgotten for over 2,200 years, this clay army, 8,000-strong, stands poised to help the First Emperor rule again beyond the grave. Now, a new archaeological campaign is probing the thousands of figures entombed in the mausoleum. With exclusive access to pioneering research, &quot;Emperor&#x27;s Ghost Army&quot; explores how the Emperor directed the manufacture of the tens of thousands of bronze weapons carried by the clay soldiers. NOVA tests the power of these weapons with high-action experiments and reports on revolutionary 3D computer modeling techniques that are providing new insights into how the clay figures were made, revealing in the process the secrets of one of archaeology&#x27;s greatest discoveries. (Premiered April 8, 2015)

Explore the buried clay warriors, chariots, and bronze weapons of China&#x27;s first emperor.

Emperor's Ghost Army

General - US & Territories

For animals in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, the normal balance of competition and predation was upended when a war wiped out the top predators. The remaining animals didn’t simply grow in numbers—they began behaving in unusual ways, veering outside their typical territories and feeding patterns. Could it be that it’s not just predators’ kills that keep other populations in check, but also the fear they inspire? NOVA joins a team of scientists as they reintroduce wild dogs to Gorongosa to find out if restoring the park’s “landscape of fear” can restore balance to an entire ecosystem. (Premiered October 14, 2020)

Can bringing predators—and fear—back into an ecosystem help restore its natural balance?

Nature's Fear Factor

Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs in a fiery global catastrophe. But we know little about how their successors, the mammals, recovered and took over the world. Now, hidden inside ordinary-looking rocks, an astonishing trove of fossils reveals a dramatic new picture of how rat-sized creatures ballooned in size and began to evolve into the vast array of species—from cheetahs to bats to whales to humans—that rule our planet today.

Amazing fossils reveal how mammals took over after an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.

Rise of the Mammals

Skyscrapers are gleaming symbols of prestige, and an ingenious way to save space in dense urban areas. But as buildings rise ever higher, what are the risks of these architectural behemoths? Do we truly know how they will hold up in earthquakes, fires, and other potential disasters? What have--or haven’t—we learned from past tragedies? (Premiering September 8 at 9 pm on PBS)

Can skyscrapers be made safer, more efficient, and livable in our rapidly growing cities?

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