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NOVA Season 4 Episodes

20 Episodes 1977 - 1977

Episode 1

Hitler's Secret Weapon

Wed, Jan 5, 1977 60 mins

A report on the V-2 rocket, a weapon favored by Hitler, features captured footage of test flights and the recollections of scientist Wernher von Braun, who worked on the weapon. Also: how the V-2 was used to kill thousands in England and Belgium toward the end of World War II. Richard Kiley is the narrator of the program.

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Episode 2

The Hot-Blooded Dinosaurs

Wed, Jan 12, 1977 60 mins

"The Hot-Blooded Dinosaurs" examines new theories about the prehistoric creatures, including one that suggests they were more mammal-like than reptilian. Also studied is the claim that certain species evolved into birds.

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Episode 3

What Price Coal?

Wed, Jan 19, 1977 60 mins

"What Price Coal?" an examination of mine safety, claims that light penalties and a shortage of inspectors make it difficult to enforce many regulations of the 1969 Coal Mine Health and Safety Act. Also noted: the link between black-lung disease and coal dust; the industry's use of safety measures such as adequate mine lighting.

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Episode 4

The Sunspot Mystery

Wed, Feb 2, 1977 60 mins

"The Sunspot Mystery" examines the way storms on the sun may affect the earth's weather. Noting that sunspots seem to follow 11-year cycles, the report traces scientists' efforts to link these to droughts in the Midwest. One theory examined states that a lack of sunspot activity from 1645 to 1715 caused the earth to cool considerably.

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Episode 5

The Plastic Prison

Wed, Feb 9, 1977 60 mins

A 1977 report on a 5-year-old boy who has been afflicted since birth with a lack of resistance to disease and must live inside a protective plastic chamber. Included is a look at how bone marrow, which produces the immunity factors bodies need, can be transplanted.

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Episode 6

Incident at Brown's Ferry

Wed, Feb 23, 1977 60 mins

Examining the safety of nuclear reactors by focusing on a 1975 fire at Alabama's Brown's Ferry atomic power plant that caused extensive damage. The report explains what started the blaze and why it took more than seven hours to put it out. Richard Kiley is the narrator.

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Episode 7

Bye, Bye, Blackbird

Wed, Mar 2, 1977 60 mins

"Bye Bye Blackbird" focuses on the mass roosting of blackbirds throughout the South every winter. The program examines why the birds gather by the millions in states like Arkansas, Louisiana and Kentucky; their threat to crops; how bird droppings harbor diseases such as histoplasmosis; and ways used to control the creatures.

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Episode 8

The Pill for the People

Wed, Mar 9, 1977 60 mins

The history of the birth-control pill. Included: how research isolated the hormones estrogen and progesterone as keys to developing the pill; the role of birth-control pioneer Margaret Sanger and heiress Katherine McCormick; and the effects of the pill on world population.

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Episode 9

The Gene Engineers

Wed, Mar 16, 1977 60 mins

Recombinant DNA research is the subject of "The Gene Engineers." The process by which genes are transferred from one unrelated organism to another has sparked controversy among scientists and the public over the safety of the research. The report also looks at a Cambridge (Mass.) review board that studied local experimentation.

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Episode 10

The Human Animal

Wed, Mar 23, 1977 60 mins

"The Human Animal" examines a theory that human behavior patterns are influenced by genes. Sociobiologists have based this theory on observations of animals and insects. An example depicted is an ant colony, whose members are said to be genetically "programmed."

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Episode 11

The Wolf Equation

Wed, Mar 30, 1977 60 mins

Robert Redford narrates a study of wolves in the Alaskan Northwest. The report shows them working in packs to stalk caribou; and developing hunting skills at an early age. Also: conservationists' efforts to save wolves from slaughter by hunters.

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Episode 12

The Business of Extinction

Wed, Apr 20, 1977 60 mins

William Holden narrates this look at the international trade in animals. Monkeys, birds and reptiles are among the wildlife shipped through legal and illegal channels to the U.S., Japan and Europe. Also: how animals are smuggled.

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Episode 13

The Dawn of the Solar Age

Wed, Apr 20, 1977 60 mins

Focusing on efforts to harness the sun. The report examines prototypes of solar power plants that use mirrors and photocells to gather the sun's rays; and a proposed NASA project in which enormous mirrors would orbit the earth gathering energy for use in cities.

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Episode 14

The Red Planet

Wed, Apr 27, 1977 60 mins

A look at theories about life on Mars features panoramic photographs of the planet and studies of air and soil samples made by Viking landers. Also shown: the crafts' search for subsurface water deposits.

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Episode 15

Tongues of Men

Wed, May 11, 1977 60 mins

A two-part report on the diversity, and divisiveness, of language. Part 1 explores the languages of French Brittany, Belgium, Africa and Switzerland.

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Episode 16

Tongues of Men

Wed, May 18, 1977 60 mins

Variety and variation in language, from that of the artificial Esperanto (an invention of one man in the 19th Century) to the organic flexibility of English, the invention of millions over centuries. The conclusion of a two-part study.

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Episode 17

Linus Pauling: Cruscading Scientist

Wed, Jun 1, 1977 60 mins

Linus Pauling, who has won two Nobel Prizes, is profiled in "Linus Pauling: Crusading Scientist." He received the 1954 Chemistry prize for his discovery of atomic-bonding principles. But Pauling cherishes more his 1962 Peace Prize, awarded for his campaign against nuclear testing.

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Episode 18

Across the Silence Barrier

Wed, Jun 22, 1977 60 mins

A look at educational and cultural problems faced by deaf Americans, and ways the deaf communicate. Also: a look at the National Theatre of the Deaf.

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Episode 19

The New Healers

Wed, Jun 29, 1977 60 mins

"The New Healers" examines medical care for the poor. In Tanzania, health workers travel to remote areas to seek out patients. In Lee County, Ark., low-income residents go to a clinic that, in addition to medical treatment, provides home insulation.

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Episode 20

The Green Machine

Wed, Jan 11, 1978 60 mins

Time-lapse photography figures in this investigation of plant behavior. Included: the theories that plants can be coaxed to grow and can sense injury to other organisms; the process of photosynthesis; and evolution of vegetation. Ted O'Brien is the narrator of the program.

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