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With an extraordinary new technology called CRISPR, we can now edit DNA—including human DNA. But how far should we go? Gene editing promises to eliminate certain genetic disorders like sickle cell disease. But the applications quickly raise ethical questions. Is it wrong to engineer soldiers to feel no pain, or to resurrect an extinct species? And is there harm in allowing parents to choose their child’s features, like eye color or height? The scientists who pioneered human genome studies and CRISPR grapple with these questions. (Premiered September 9, 2020)

We can now edit the human genome with a tool called CRISPR. But how far should we go?

Human Nature

Over the past 40 years, a handful of space probes has given us glimpses of Saturn. But NASA’s Cassini, which explored the gas giant’s realm for 13 years, delivered the most breathtaking new insights. NOVA takes you inside Cassini’s epic journey as it makes stunning discoveries: Saturn’s rings are younger than the dinosaurs and may be remnants of an ice moon. And geysers erupting ice and gas on the moon Enceladus show that it could have all the ingredients for life. But to protect it, the Cassini mission team makes a bittersweet decision. (Premiering August 7 at 9 pm on PBS)

NASA&#x27;s Cassini reveals the mysteries of Saturn&#x27;s rings—and new hope for life on one of its moons.

The Planets: Saturn

Diseases that were largely eradicated in the United States a generation ago—whooping cough, measles, mumps—are returning, in part because nervous parents are skipping their children&#x27;s shots. NOVA&#x27;s &quot;Vaccines—Calling the Shots&quot; takes viewers around the world to track epidemics, explore the science behind vaccinations, hear from parents wrestling with vaccine-related questions, and shed light on the risks of opting out.

Examine the science behind vaccinations, the return of preventable diseases, and the risks of opting out.

Vaccines—Calling the Shots

Take a spectacular trip to distant realms of our solar system to discover where secret forms of life may lie hidden. Combining the latest telescope images with dazzling animation, this program immerses audiences in the sights and sounds of alien worlds, while top astrobiologists explain how these places are changing how we think about the potential for life in our solar system. We used to think our neighboring planets and moons were fairly boring—mostly cold, dead rocks where life could never take hold. Today, however, the solar system looks wilder than we ever imagined.Powerful telescopes and unmanned space missions have revealed a wide range of dynamic environments—atmospheres thick with organic molecules, active volcanoes, and vast saltwater oceans. This ongoing revolution is forcing scientists to expand their ideas about what kinds of worlds could support life. If we do find primitive life-forms elsewhere in the solar system, it may well be that life is common in the universe—the rule, and not the exception.

Scientists are on the verge of answering one of the greatest questions in history: Are we alone?

Finding Life Beyond Earth

Dr. Percy Julian was a man of genius, devotion, and determination. The grandson of enslaved people from Alabama, Dr. Percy Julian met with every possible barrier in a deeply racist and segregated America. As one of the first Black chemists, he fought to make a place for himself in a profession and country divided by bigotry. At the height of his career, Dr. Julian had reached unparalleled levels of scientific and personal achievement, overcoming countless obstacles to become a world-class scientist, a self-made millionaire, and a civil rights pioneer.

Against all odds, African American chemist Percy Julian became one of the great scientists of the 20th century.

Forgotten Genius

When the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral erupted in flames in April of 2019, firefighters battled for nine grueling hours to save the historic landmark. Still, Paris came alarmingly close to losing more than 800 years of history. Now engineers are in a different race against time: to rebuild the roof and secure the medieval structure of Notre Dame. Underneath the charred scaffolding and vaulted ceilings of the cathedral, scientists study the components of Notre Dame’s iconic structure to puzzle out how best to repair it. (Premiered November 25, 2020)

Scientists and engineers fight to save Notre Dame Cathedral after the 2019 fire.

Saving Notre Dame

NOVA revolves around a simple premise: the world of science is exciting! For NOVA viewers, science means adventure and exploration--because from ants to aliens, this weekly documentary series probes the far reaches of earth, sea and stars.  NOVA proves that science is neither secret lore nor sacred ritual but rather, at its heart, a lifelong journey of discovery.

Yes, There's Really a Frozen Exoplanet named Hoth Hero

Exoplanets like OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, aka Hoth, seem to defy the logic of our solar system. So scientists needed to rethink the planetary rulebook.

No one predicted that planets like this were even possible.

Yes, There's Really a Frozen Exoplanet named Hoth

How Long Does Covid-19 Immunity Last? Hero

A person who has been vaccinated against COVID-19 will have a slightly different immune response to the coronavirus than someone who was previously infected, researchers say. How long does immunity last—and is it all about antibodies?

How your immune system is primed may impact your long-term immunity.

How Long Does Covid-19 Immunity Last?

Why is Researching Cannabis so Hard? Hero

Cannabis is labeled as a Schedule 1 drug—the same category as heroin and LSD—and, despite being legal in many states, is illegal on a federal level.

Here&#x27;s how approved research is conducted on cannabis.

Why is Researching Cannabis so Hard?

Gaze at Galaxies with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Hero

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has allowed scientists to peer deep into space and far back in time to understand the diversity of galaxies in our universe.

The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the universe.

Gaze at Galaxies with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope

Will the Universe's Stars Someday Disappear? Hero

The chance of a star being born today is much lower than it was in the universe&#x27;s past. Here&#x27;s why—and how astronomers predict the age of stars will someday come to an end.

The age of stars is not as enduring as it might seem.

Will the Universe's Stars Someday Disappear?

The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday Collide Hero

Astronomers estimate that in about 4.5 billion years, the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will collide. Here&#x27;s how it&#x27;ll happen.

The Milky Way as we know it today is not eternal.

The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday Collide

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

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Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance genius. Not only did he paint masterpieces of art, but he was an obsessive scientist and inventor, dreaming up complex machines centuries ahead of his time, including parachutes, armored tanks, hang gliders, and robots. On the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death, with the help of biographer Walter Isaacson, NOVA investigates the secrets of Leonardo’s success. How did his scientific curiosity, from dissections of cadavers to studies of optics, shape his genius and help him create perhaps the most famous painting of all time, the &quot;Mona Lisa&quot;? (Premiered November 13, 2019)

Discover the science behind Leonardo da Vinci&#x27;s masterpieces—and Mona Lisa&#x27;s iconic smile.

Decoding da Vinci

The 6 million-ton Great Pyramid of Giza is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. How did the Egyptians engineer the mighty pharaoh Khufu’s tomb so precisely, with none of today’s surveying and power tools? And who were the thousands of laborers who raised the stones? Were they slaves or volunteers, and how were they housed, fed, and organized? &quot;Decoding the Great Pyramid&quot; presents the latest evidence from groundbreaking archaeological research that has transformed our understanding of the ancient world’s most ambitious engineering project, revealing a “lost city&quot; and intimate details of the lives of the laborers and officials who toiled on the vast construction. Amazingly, French archaeologists recently found the logbook of a labor team that delivered limestone blocks to build the Great Pyramid, yielding crucial insights into the planning and logistics behind the operation. Beyond these construction secrets, &quot;Decoding the Great Pyramid&quot; traces how mobilizing the colossal labor and resources invested in the monument transformed ancient Egypt, uniting a nation behind the common goal of ensuring eternity for the pharaoh and continuing prosperity for everyone in this life and the next. (Premiered February 6, 2019)

New archeological evidence sheds light on the stunning engineering of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Decoding the Great Pyramid

The Forbidden City is the world’s biggest and most extravagant palace complex ever built. For five centuries, it was the power center of imperial China and survived wars, revolution, fires, and earthquakes. How did the Ming Emperor’s workforce construct its sprawling array of nearly 1,000 buildings and dozens of temples in a little over a decade? How were stupendous 250-ton marble blocks moved across many miles to reach the site? And how did fantastically intricate woodwork, all fastened without nails or glue, enable the palaces to survive hundreds of earthquakes, including recent ones that obliterated nearby modern structures? To find answers, NOVA joins a team of master craftsmen who build a scale model of a typical palace in a seismic lab, then subject it to simulated earthquakes to shake out the secrets of how the Forbidden City has withstood centuries of violent tremors. (Premiered October 18, 2017)

How has China’s magnificent Forbidden City withstood centuries of earthquakes?

Secrets of the Forbidden City

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?

High-Risk High-Rise

The hidden scientific secrets of butterflies reveal them to be more inventive and resilient than we ever imagined. Follow their extraordinary life cycle and migrations to tropical rainforests, windswept prairies, and even inside a chrysalis as it’s being spun. Discover how butterfly science is inspiring groundbreaking technology, including more efficient solar power cells, and bulletproof vests stronger than Kevlar.

Explore how the scientific secrets of butterflies are inspiring technological innovations.

Butterfly Blueprints

A team of intrepid paleontologists discovers that dinosaurs thrived in the unlikeliest of places—the cold and dark of winter in the Arctic Circle. How did they survive year-round and raise their young in frigid and dark winter conditions? A dinosaur expedition explores a remote, treacherous, and stormy terrain where the team knows that every bone they find there will likely be a first, adding up to a unique picture of a lost northern world.

Intrepid paleontologists discover that dinosaurs thrived in the Arctic’s cold and dark.

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Yes, There's Really a Frozen Exoplanet named Hoth

How Long Does Covid-19 Immunity Last?

Why is Researching Cannabis so Hard?

Gaze at Galaxies with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope

Will the Universe's Stars Someday Disappear?

The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday Collide

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Hero Area

Saving Notre Dame

Upcoming Schedule

Rise of the Mammals

Decoding da Vinci

Decoding the Great Pyramid

Episodes

NOVA Universe Revealed

Human Nature

The Planets: Saturn

Vaccines—Calling the Shots

Finding Life Beyond Earth

Forgotten Genius

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Shorts

Yes, There's Really a Frozen Exoplanet named Hoth

How Long Does Covid-19 Immunity Last?

Why is Researching Cannabis so Hard?

Gaze at Galaxies with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope

Will the Universe's Stars Someday Disappear?

The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday Collide