Ultimate Space Telescope
Follow the dramatic story of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – the most complex machine ever launched into space – in hopes of peering deeper back in time than ever before and answering some of astronomy’s biggest questions.
Episodes
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Ultimate Space Telescope
S49 E10 - 53m 33s
Follow the dramatic story of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – the most complex machine ever launched into space – in hopes of peering deeper back in time than ever before and answering some of astronomy’s biggest questions.
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Ice Age Footprints
S49 E9 - 53m 32s
Ancient footprints in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park reveal new evidence of Ice Age humans that walked the land alongside enormous ground sloths and mammoths—thousands of years earlier than archaeologists thought people were in the Americas.
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Why Ships Crash
S49 E8 - 53m 31s
When the colossal Ever Given container ship crashed in the Suez Canal in March 2021, international supply chains ground to a halt. How did it happen? Follow the investigation into one of the most expensive shipping disasters ever.
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Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day
S49 E7 - 53m 33s
The search continues for signs of what might have happened on the day the dinosaurs died. Scientists uncover remarkable evidence, including a near perfectly preserved dinosaur leg and what could be pieces of the asteroid itself.
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Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence
S49 E6 - 53m 33s
In North Dakota, scientists use new fossils to reconstruct what life might have been like just before an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. The site reveals remarkable evidence, including the unhatched egg of a pterosaur, a huge flying reptile.
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Determined: Fighting Alzheimer's
S49 E5 - 53m 28s
Follow three women at risk of developing Alzheimer’s as they join a groundbreaking study to try to prevent the disease – sharing their ups and downs, anxiously watching for symptoms, and hoping they can make a difference.
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Augmented
S49 E4 - 1h 25m
Follow the dramatic personal journey of Hugh Herr, a biophysicist working to create brain-controlled robotic limbs. At age 17, Herr’s legs were amputated after a climbing accident. Frustrated by the crude prosthetic limbs he was given, Herr set out to remedy their design, leading him to a career as an inventor of innovative prosthetic devices.
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Great Mammoth Mystery
S49 E3 - 53m 26s
Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique site in southern England where amateur fossil hunters uncovered giant mammoth bones and evidence of Neanderthals. A team of paleontologists and archaeologists soon discover that the site preserves rare evidence of the extinct beasts and early human inhabitants of Britain dating to over 200,000 years ago.
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Secrets in the Scat
S49 E2 - 53m 32s
Scott Burnett is “Scatman”—an Australian ecologist on the trail of the secrets of poop. By identifying and analyzing animal scat for DNA and hormones, he discovers essential details of their behavior, how they fit in the ecosystem, and even how to protect them.
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Arctic Sinkholes
S49 E1 - 53m 28s
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.
Extras + Features
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Predicting My MS Preview
S49 E101 - 38s
In 2005, filmmaker Jason DaSilva was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a rare type of MS that has no known cure and inflicts progressively debilitating symptoms. In this moving personal film, DaSilva looks back on the challenges he’s faced, delves into the science behind MS, and investigates the potential risk factors that may–or may not–have contributed to his rare diagnosis.
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Predicting My MS
S49 E101 - 30m 37s
In 2005, filmmaker Jason DaSilva was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a rare type of MS that has no known cure and inflicts progressively debilitating symptoms. In this moving personal film, DaSilva looks back on the challenges he’s faced, delves into the science behind MS, and investigates the potential risk factors that may–or may not–have contributed to his rare diagnosis.
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NASA Reacts to the James Webb Space Telescope Images
S49 E10 - 1m 55s
This team of space scientists, visual developers and science writers have been working together since early June processing the images of celestial objects, and the spectra of the atmosphere of an exoplanet, for release to the public, so the world can see what Webb can do. They are the only team members who’ve had the privilege of seeing the images.
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Why Distant Galaxies Look Red
S49 E10 - 3m 40s
The James Webb Space Telescope, a project 30 years in the making, launched in December 2021 and arrived at its destination point in January. The telescope will be able to see further into the infrared part of the spectrum than Hubble, and further back in time.
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Ultimate Space Telescope Preview
S49 E10 - 28s
Follow the dramatic story of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – the most complex machine ever launched into space – in hopes of peering deeper back in time than ever before and answering some of astronomy’s biggest questions.
-
How Scientists Created JWST's First Test Image
S49 E10 - 4m 50s
A month after its launch, the next step for the James Webb Space Telescope was to align all 18 of its mirrors. Aligning the 18 mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope took extreme precision and allowed it to take its first image—a star amongst many galaxies.
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Humans May Have Lived in North America Earlier Than Thought
S49 E9 - 4m 16s
Ancient human footprints in White Sands National Park reveal that humans first arrived in North America thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
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Ice Age Footprints Preview
S49 E9 - 30s
Ancient footprints in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park reveal new evidence of Ice Age humans that walked the land alongside enormous ground sloths and mammoths—thousands of years earlier than archaeologists thought people were in the Americas.
-
Why Ships Crash Preview
S49 E8 - 29s
When the colossal Ever Given container ship crashed in the Suez Canal in March 2021, international supply chains ground to a halt. How did it happen? Follow the investigation into one of the most expensive shipping disasters ever.
-
The Crash That Shut Down the Global Economy, Explained
S49 E8 - 3m 31s
How could one ship shut down the global economy? An investigator shows why the Ever Given crashed into the bank of the Suez Canal, while the Cosco Galaxy—which passed through the waterway on the same day—did not.
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New Fossil May Reveal Clues to Dinosaurs' Final Days
S49 E7 - 2m 44s
Watch scientists uncover what might be the first dinosaur fossil ever found from the day the dinosaurs died.
-
Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day
S49 E7 - 29s
The search continues for signs of what might have happened on the day the dinosaurs died. Scientists uncover remarkable evidence, including a near perfectly preserved dinosaur leg and what could be pieces of the asteroid itself.
Schedule
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Image
NOVA
NOVA Universe Revealed: Big Bang
Tuesday
Aug 16
1 Hour
New research and theories offer clues about the Big Bang and what may have existed before the universe's birth. -
Image
NOVA
Animal Espionage
Tuesday
Aug 16
1 Hour
Camera traps and drones offer an up-close look at animals without disturbing them, providing insight into the secret world of animals, including whales, tigers and giant armadillos. -
Image
NOVA
NOVA Universe Revealed: Big Bang
Wednesday
Aug 17
1 Hour
New research and theories offer clues about the Big Bang and what may have existed before the universe's birth. -
Image
NOVA
Animal Espionage
Wednesday
Aug 17
1 Hour
Camera traps and drones offer an up-close look at animals without disturbing them, providing insight into the secret world of animals, including whales, tigers and giant armadillos. -
Image
NOVA
NOVA Universe Revealed: Big Bang
Wednesday
Aug 17
1 Hour
New research and theories offer clues about the Big Bang and what may have existed before the universe's birth. -
Image
NOVA
Animal Espionage
Wednesday
Aug 17
1 Hour
Camera traps and drones offer an up-close look at animals without disturbing them, providing insight into the secret world of animals, including whales, tigers and giant armadillos. -
Image
NOVA
Eagle Power
Wednesday
Aug 17
1 Hour
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. -
Image
NOVA
Eagle Power
Thursday
Aug 18
1 Hour
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. -
Image
NOVA
Animal Espionage
Saturday
Aug 20
1 Hour
Camera traps and drones offer an up-close look at animals without disturbing them, providing insight into the secret world of animals, including whales, tigers and giant armadillos. -
Image
NOVA
Eagle Power
Sunday
Aug 21
1 Hour
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. -
Image
NOVA
Eagle Power
Tuesday
Aug 23
1 Hour
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. -
Image
NOVA
Rise of the Mammals
Tuesday
Aug 23
1 Hour
A new trove of fossils reveals how mammals took over after an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. -
Image
NOVA
Bat Superpowers
Tuesday
Aug 23
1 Hour
Understanding bats, their long life spans and why they are resistant to the very diseases they carry such as Ebola and MERS, as well as other diseases like cancer. -
Image
NOVA
Eagle Power
Wednesday
Aug 24
1 Hour
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. -
Image
NOVA
Rise of the Mammals
Wednesday
Aug 24
1 Hour
A new trove of fossils reveals how mammals took over after an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. -
Image
NOVA
Bat Superpowers
Wednesday
Aug 24
1 Hour
Understanding bats, their long life spans and why they are resistant to the very diseases they carry such as Ebola and MERS, as well as other diseases like cancer. -
Image
NOVA
Eagle Power
Wednesday
Aug 24
1 Hour
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. -
Image
NOVA
Rise of the Mammals
Wednesday
Aug 24
1 Hour
A new trove of fossils reveals how mammals took over after an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. -
Image
NOVA
Bat Superpowers
Wednesday
Aug 24
1 Hour
Understanding bats, their long life spans and why they are resistant to the very diseases they carry such as Ebola and MERS, as well as other diseases like cancer. -
Image
NOVA
Operation Lighthouse Rescue
Wednesday
Aug 24
1 Hour
Engineers work to save historic Gay Head Lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard, which is falling victim to the ocean's erosion of the island's cliffs.
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