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Nova Season 14 Episodes
Season 14 Episode Guide
21 Episodes 1987 - 1987
Episode 1
Countdown to the Invisible Universe
Tue, Jan 20, 1987
NOVA scans the universe with the infrared eye of IRAS-the Infrared Astronomical Satellite-and discovers never-before-seen comets, stars, galaxies and other celestial wonders and enigmas.
Episode 2
Children of Eve
Tue, Jan 27, 1987
NOVA examines a controversial theory that traces our ancestry to a small group of women living in Africa 300,000 years ago.
Episode 3
Why Planes Crash
Tue, Feb 3, 1987
Commercial airplanes have become much more reliable, but since 1975 the fatality rate has stopped falling and has leveled off. From 60 to 80 percent of all plane crashes are now blamed on cockpit (pilot) error. This NOVA episode examines the causes and possible solutions for flight crew miscommunication and procedural errors. One factor may be the 'macho' or 'go-it-alone' attitudes of pilots originally trained to fly single-seat military fighter jets. Another factor is "automation complacency", where a highly-automated cockpit environment leads to reduced piloting skills and a false sense of security. One promising program being developed by aviation psychologists is Cockpit Resource Management (CRM), which trains crew members to work and communicate as a team. To illustrate the deadly results of human-factors failures, three recent airline crashes are reviewed in detail: the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash into the 14th Street Potomac River Bridge; the 1972 Eastern Flight 401 crash into the Florida Everglades; and the 1985 Delta Flight 191 crash near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Episode 4
Orangutans of the Rainforest
Tue, Feb 10, 198753 mins
NOVA cameras travel to Borneo, one of the last habitats of the wild orangutans, where scientists study the endangered ape. Who is observing whom? It is not always clear.
Episode 5
Freud Under Analysis
Tue, Feb 17, 1987
Discusses Freud's methods of analysis, free association, transference, seduction theory and other causes of neuroses such as sexuality. Also covers discussions on Freud's self analysis.
Episode 6
The Hole in the Sky
Tue, Feb 24, 1987
NOVA travels to Antarctica with an emergency scientific expedition to study a baffling "hole" in the Earth's protective ozone layer.
Episode 7
Confessions of a Weaponeer
Tue, Mar 3, 1987
A very revealing interview of President Eisenhower's former science adviser George Kistiakowski by America's national scientist & author Carl Sagan.
Episode 8
Great Moments from NOVA
Tue, Mar 10, 1987
NOVA presents two hours of the best from its 14 seasons of exciting science coverage. A "talking" chimp, an exploding volcano and a sight-and-sound space video are but a few of the memorable segments. Richard Kiley hosts.
Episode 9
Will the World Starve?
Tue, Mar 24, 1987
All over the world, farmers are taking more from the soil than they return. NOVA reports on the soil crisis in world agriculture-a plight that has already resulted in massive starvation.
Episode 10
The Desert Doesn't Bloom Here Anymore
Tue, Mar 31, 1987
In rich and poor countries alike, once-productive farms are turning to desert because of mismanagement of water resources. NOVA examines the causes and cures of desertification.
Episode 11
Rocky Road to Jupiter
Tue, Apr 7, 1987
In a case study of the strengths and weaknesses of the United States space program, NOVA chronicles the ambitious and long-delayed Galileo mission to Jupiter-still on the ground long after its planned May 1986 launch.
Episode 12
Death of a Star
Tue, Oct 6, 1987
A star blows itself apart in a nearby galaxy, and astronomers scramble to study the rare event. NOVA covers a fast-breaking science story as it is happening.
Episode 13
Spy Machines
Tue, Oct 13, 1987
On the 25th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, NOVA investigates the spy planes and satellites that played a critical role in history and influence arms control today.
Episode 14
The Hidden Power of Plants
Tue, Oct 20, 1987
Plants produce some of the world's most potent chemicals in the fight against disease. NOVA follows the urgent efforts to track down new medicines in nature.
Episode 15
Japan's American Genius
Tue, Oct 27, 1987
Is Detroit inventor Stanford Ovshinsky the new Thomas Edison? Japanese industries are betting that the genius behind amorphous materials-a simpler and less expensive alternative to silicon-is onto something big.
Episode 16
A Man, a Plan, a Canal, Panama
Tue, Nov 3, 1987
The Panama Canal opened in 1914 after a 30-year effort that dwarfed the building of the pyramids. Historian David McCullough navigates through the canal and tells the story of the human drama behind the engineering feat.
Episode 17
Volcano!
Tue, Nov 10, 1987
Millions live in the shadows of nature's ticking time-bombs-volcanoes. NOVA accompanies scientists who are developing new techniques to predict when volcanoes will erupt and how violently.
Episode 18
How Good Is Soviet Science?
Tue, Nov 17, 1987
NOVA takes a behind-the-scenes look at science and technology in the USSR, where the government is trying novel approaches in an effort to catch up with the West.
Episode 19
Ancient Treasures from the Deep
Tue, Dec 1, 1987
NOVA joins underwater archaeologists as they explore the oldest shipwreck ever excavated, a richly-laden merchant vessel dating from the time of King Tut.
Episode 20
Riddle of the Joints
Tue, Dec 8, 1987
A trail of evidence leading from a medieval abbey to a small town in Connecticut sheds new light on rheumatoid arthritis, a crippling inflammation of the joints with no known cause or cure.
Episode 21
Secrets of the Lost Red Paint People
Tue, Dec 15, 1987
NOVA follows archaeologists as they unearth clues, some 7,000 years old, about an unknown, mysterious and advanced sea-faring people who lived along the North Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada.