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Gleaming symbols of prestige, skyscrapers are an ingenious way to save space in dense urban areas. But even as we devise ways to defend them against fires, wind, and earthquakes, can we also make them more livable, interactive, and eco-friendly?

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

High-Risk High-Rise

When San Francisco's Millennium Tower unexpectedly sunk 16 inches, residents worried the building would topple over. Here's how a structural engineer and his team figured out the cause and suggested a potential fix.

How can skyscrapers be built safely without a foundation on bedrock?

Stopping the Millennium Tower from Sinking Further

Even if a building appears to be undamaged after an earthquake, it could have used up some of its initial earthquake resisting capability.

Factors such as inadequate construction materials can make tall buildings vulnerable.

When Earthquake Damage is Invisible

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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?

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

Tech & Engineering

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.

NOVA’s most popular science documentaries of 2022

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?

High-Risk High-Rise

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Saving Notre Dame

Why Bridges Collapse

Ultimate Cruise Ship

High-Risk High-Rise

Operation Bridge Rescue

Stopping the Millennium Tower from Sinking Further

When Earthquake Damage is Invisible

Operation Lighthouse Rescue

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Funded By

Explore More

Saving Notre Dame

Why Bridges Collapse

Ultimate Cruise Ship

High-Risk High-Rise

Operation Bridge Rescue

Stopping the Millennium Tower from Sinking Further

When Earthquake Damage is Invisible

Operation Lighthouse Rescue