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Nova Season 47 Episodes
Season 47 Episode Guide
16 Episodes 2020 - 2020
Episode 1
Polar Extremes
Wed, Feb 5, 2020113 mins
In this two-hour special, renowned paleontologist Kirk Johnson takes us on an epic adventure through time at the polar extremes of our planet. Following a trail of strange fossils found in all the wrong places-beech trees in Antarctica, hippo-like mammals in the Arctic-Johnson uncovers the bizarre history of the poles, from miles-high ice sheets to warm polar forests teeming with life. What caused such dramatic changes at the ends of the Earth? And what can the past reveal about our planet's climate today-and in the future?
Episode 2
Dog Tales
Wed, Feb 12, 202053 mins
A look at dog domestication, how scientists test wolf intelligence and decode canine DNA, and what science says about a dog's love for humans.
Episode 3
Cat Tales
Wed, Feb 19, 202044 mins
The perplexing behaviors of cats have often raised the question of whether humans ever really domesticated felines.
Episode 4
Mysteries of Sleep
Wed, Feb 26, 202053 mins
Scientists study why animals and humans need to sleep, what happens to the brain during sleep, and the role sleep plays in memory, trauma, and emotion regulation.
Episode 5
Cuba's Cancer Hope
Wed, Apr 1, 2020
When the trade embargo left Cuba isolated from medical resources, Cuba was forced to get creative. Now they've developed lung cancer vaccines that show promise, some Americans are defying the embargo and traveling to Cuba for treatment.
Episode 6
The Truth About Fat
Wed, Apr 8, 2020
The mysteries of fat and its role in hormone production, hunger and pregnancy.
Episode 7
Decoding COVID-19
Wed, May 13, 202053 mins
Doctors strategize to stop the spread of COVID-19; researchers work toward finding treatments and vaccines; how the disease emerged, what it does to the human body, and how it became a pandemic.
Episode 8
Eagle Power
Wed, May 20, 2020
Up-close footage provides a look at the strength, eyesight and flying skills of an eagle, and reveals the danger and drama of chicks as they struggle to survive.
Episode 9
Human Nature
Wed, Sep 9, 2020100 mins
Scientists study the implications of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Inter-spaced Short Palindromic Repeats: a family of DNA sequences found in the genomes of organisms such as bacteria) and how they may change the human race's relationship with nature and what it means for human evolution.
Episode 10
The Secret Mind of Slime
Wed, Sep 16, 2020
New research on extremely primitive life forms called slime molds, which navigate through life without a brain, could reveal the fundamental rules underlying all decision making.
Episode 11
A to Z: The First Alphabet
Wed, Sep 23, 202052 mins
Researchers uncover the evolution of writing and the story of the alphabet, dating back to millennia, old carvings in an Egyptian turquoise mine.
Episode 12
A to Z: How Writing Changed the World
Wed, Sep 30, 202052 mins
How the development of writing played a vital role in shaping world history, from the invention of paper to the printed book.
Episode 13
Nature's Fear Factor
Wed, Oct 14, 202053 mins
Scientists reintroduce wild dogs to Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park to see if it helps restore balance to the entire ecosystem.
Episode 14
Touching the Asteroid
Wed, Oct 21, 202053 mins
Spacecraft OSIRIS-REx attempts to grab a piece of an asteroid to bring back to Earth so scientists can study it to learn about the planet's origins.
Episode 15
Can We Cool the Planet?
Wed, Oct 28, 2020
As global temperatures rise, scientists look to geoengineering solutions, from planting trees to sucking carbon out of the air, as a means to cool the planet.
Episode 16
Saving Notre Dame
Wed, Nov 25, 2020
Engineers race to rebuild the roof of the Notre Dame cathedral and secure the medieval structure within five years.
