Name: Bat Superpowers
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Nova

Laboratories around the world are mobilizing to find the answers because just how this stealthy nocturnal animal functions remains largely a mystery.

Viruses circulate so well within bat colonies — could they hold secrets to better health?

Why are Bats Tolerant of the Diseases They Carry?

Bats have been implicated in deadly epidemics such as COVID-19 and Ebola, yet scientists are discovering evidence that they may hold a key to a longer and healthier life. From caves in Thailand and Texas to labs around the globe, NOVA meets the scientists who are decoding the superpowers of the bat.

Could the source of the deadliest viruses hold the secret to a healthier and longer life?

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Bat Superpowers

The heartbeats of some species of flying bat can reach 1,066 beats per minute. Could this level of activity — unrivaled by any other mammal — help explain bat super immunity?

Bats are really effective at dumping heat to keep their body temperatures fairly normal.

Unique Adaptations may Explain Bats' Resistance to Viruses

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Bats have been implicated in deadly epidemics such as COVID-19 and Ebola, yet scientists are discovering evidence that they may hold a key to a longer and healthier life. From caves in Thailand and Texas to labs around the globe, NOVA meets the scientists who are decoding the superpowers of the bat. (Premiered September 15, 2021)

Could the source of the deadliest viruses hold the secret to a healthier and longer life?

Nature

Colossal explosions shake a remote corner of the Siberian tundra, leaving behind massive craters. In Alaska, a huge lake erupts with bubbles of inflammable gas. Scientists are discovering that these mystifying phenomena add up to a ticking time bomb, as long-frozen permafrost melts and releases vast amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. What are the implications of these dramatic developments in the Arctic? Scientists and local communities alike are struggling to grasp the scale of the methane threat and what it means for our climate future. (Premiered February 2, 2022)

In the Arctic, enormous releases of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, threaten the climate.

Arctic Sinkholes

The top half of Jupiter in blue and green against a night sky

A composite image of Jupiter using images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Judy Schmidt.

Explore the cosmos, delve into ancient history, and follow an extreme rescue with NOVA’s most-watched documentaries released in 2022.

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Four bright orange loops brand off of a dark blue blob

A transmission electron micrograph of HIV-1 virus particles (orange) replicating from the plasma membrane of an infected H9 T cell. Credit: NIAID, Flickr

Scientists have cured a handful of people of HIV by piggybacking on treatments they received for blood cancer. But does that bring a widespread cure any closer?

Bat Superpowers

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Bat Superpowers

Unique Adaptations may Explain Bats' Resistance to Viruses

Vampire bats form lasting bonds of ‘friendship,’ just like us

Why Bats Share Blood

Why are Bats Tolerant of the Diseases They Carry?

To predict the next infectious disease outbreak, ask a computer

Researchers use migratory bats to track Ebola

Bat-Inspired Tech Could Help Blind People See with Sound

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Explore More

Bat Superpowers

Unique Adaptations may Explain Bats' Resistance to Viruses

Vampire bats form lasting bonds of ‘friendship,’ just like us

Why Bats Share Blood

Why are Bats Tolerant of the Diseases They Carry?

To predict the next infectious disease outbreak, ask a computer

Researchers use migratory bats to track Ebola

Bat-Inspired Tech Could Help Blind People See with Sound