Interview: De-Extinction, Dire Wolves, and Jurassic Park with Beth Shapiro
Can we bring extinct species back to life? Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro claims we just did. As Chief Science Officer at Colossal, her team made headlines in spring 2025 with the announcement of the de-extinction of the dire wolf. She takes us behind the headlines to explain how this is no “Jurassic Park” fantasy.
Episodes
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Operation Space Station: Science and Survival
S52 E20 - 53m 41s
Witness life-or-death decisions 250 miles above Earth, as astronauts and Mission Control work together to survive moments of high danger on board humanity’s remarkable orbiting laboratory, the International Space Station.
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Operation Space Station: High-Risk Build
S52 E19 - 53m 40s
From ammonia leaks to Space Shuttle disasters to a spacewalk gone terribly wrong, astronauts and Mission Control insiders relive the most terrifying moments during construction of the International Space Station.
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Superfloods
S52 E18 - 53m 28s
Recent deadly flash floods have wreaked havoc in the US and beyond. Explore why dangerous floods are on the rise and what can be done to protect more lives when they strike.
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Ancient Desert Death Trap
S52 E17 - 53m 21s
Deep in the Arabian Desert lie thousands of enigmatic stone megastructures whose true form is visible only from the sky. Follow archaeologists as they decipher the mysterious remnants of a Stone Age culture and discover their true purpose.
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Human: Building Empires
S52 E16 - 53m 32s
Discover how Homo sapiens transformed from nomads to empire builders. Witness the innovations – from animal domestication to writing – that revolutionized ancient life and shaped our modern world.
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Human: Into the Americas
S52 E15 - 53m 25s
Follow ancient humans’ perilous journey into the Americas, where a frigid Ice Age landscape, mammoths, and other fearsome beasts tested their resilience.
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Human: Neanderthal Encounters
S52 E14 - 53m 27s
For 400,000 years, Neanderthals thrived across frigid, Ice Age Europe. What happened when Homo sapiens arrived, and how did these encounters change our species – including our DNA – in ways still with us today?
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Human: Journeys
S52 E13 - 53m 25s
Follow Homo Sapiens as they venture across the world, farther than any other human species. See how they invented new tools to thrive in challenging environments – and meet the mysterious hobbit-like humans they may have encountered along the way.
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Human: Origins
S52 E12 - 53m 32s
Where did humans come from, and what makes us unique? Discover the remarkable origins of Homo sapiens, and the crucial moments of innovation, communication, and ritual that set us on our path.
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Ultimate Crash Test: Impact
S52 E11 - 53m 27s
Car safety experts just pulled off a first-of-its-kind remote controlled multi-vehicle pile up. Now investigators are put to the test as they analyze the data and look for insights into driver behavior and vehicle design.
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Ultimate Crash Test: Countdown
S52 E10 - 53m 29s
What really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup? A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a high speed crash to gain new insights on car safety. But how can they create and study a complex collision without putting any lives in danger?
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Critical Condition: Health in Black America
S52 E9 - 1h 36m
Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to suffer from chronic diseases than Whites. Why? From false beliefs that permeate modern medicine to life experiences that can damage human cells, uncover the underlying causes of racial health disparities.
Extras + Features
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This Giant Telescope Will Reveal The Universe in Unbelievable Detail
S52 - 5m 59s
Equipped with an 8.4-meter mirror and a 3.2-billion-pixel camera—the largest digital camera ever built for astronomy—the Rubin Observatory is poised to revolutionize how we see the cosmos. In just 10 hours of test observations, the telescope detected over 2,100 new asteroids.
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The Science of Scratch-Offs: What Your Brain Can’t Resist
S52 - 6m 39s
Scratch-off tickets are big money for state-run lotteries. Is it the promise of winning big that keeps players in the game? Or is there something else happening in the brain?
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Ultimate Crash Test: Impact Preview
S52 E11 - 30s
Car safety experts just pulled off a first-of-its-kind remote controlled multi-vehicle pile up. Now investigators are put to the test as they analyze the data and look for insights into driver behavior and vehicle design.
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Ultimate Crash Test: Countdown Preview
S52 E10 - 30s
What really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup? A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a high speed crash to gain new insights on car safety. But how can they create and study a complex collision without putting any lives in danger?
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Critical Condition: Health in Black America Preview
S52 E9 - 30s
Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to suffer from chronic diseases than Whites. Why? From false beliefs that permeate modern medicine to life experiences that can damage human cells, uncover the underlying causes of racial health disparities.
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These Smart Glasses Know Who You Are, and Much More
S52 - 4m 18s
The facial recognition glasses can pull personal information, like and phone number and even home address from existing online databases.
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Secrets of the Forest Preview
S52 E8 - 30s
Can forests help cool the planet? Follow scientists through spectacular landscapes as they study complex networks of trees, fungi, and creatures large and small – all in a quest to tackle the twin threats of climate change and species extinction.
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Why Just Planting Trees Won’t Save the Planet
S52 E8 - 3m 4s
A paper published in 2019, estimated that there is enough land on Earth to support an extra trillion trees to capture carbon. But in the rush to grow trees, people ignored the supporting environment that exists in a forest. Discover why biodiversity matters in forests.
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How Deadly Was the Musket?
S52 E7 - 4m 57s
At Fort Ticonderoga, a centuries-old weapon is put through a modern test. Using ballistic gel, a slow-motion camera and a chronograph, experts investigate the true power of the British “Brown Bess” musket.
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The World’s First Combat Submarine
S52 E7 - 10m 49s
During the American Revolution, an American inventor developed an underwater vessel that could destroy British ships by attaching a bomb to the hull of a ship. These are some of its unique features.
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Revolutionary War Weapons Preview
S52 E7 - 30s
How did a ragtag army defeat the most powerful army in the world to win American independence? Discover the key military technologies that helped propel the colonies to victory, from the Brown Bess musket to the world’s first military submarine.
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Do Aliens Exist? This Famous Equation Offers a Clue
S52 - 5m 4s
It’s an age-old question: Do aliens exist? And what are the odds we’ll make contact? A famous mathematical equation, known as the Drake Equation, helps scientists estimate the odds of finding intelligent alien civilizations, but new discoveries and unknown factors could change everything.
Schedule
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Image
NOVA
Ice Age Footprints
Wednesday
Dec 10
1 Hour
A look at what thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park might reveal about the peopling of the Americas. -
Image
NOVA
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Wednesday
Dec 10
1 Hour
Scientists discover the oldest DNA ever found and reveal the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in the Arctic. -
Image
NOVA
Ice Age Footprints
Thursday
Dec 11
1 Hour
A look at what thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park might reveal about the peopling of the Americas. -
Image
NOVA
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Thursday
Dec 11
1 Hour
Scientists discover the oldest DNA ever found and reveal the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in the Arctic. -
Image
NOVA
Ice Age Footprints
Thursday
Dec 11
1 Hour
A look at what thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park might reveal about the peopling of the Americas. -
Image
NOVA
Ice Age Footprints
Saturday
Dec 13
1 Hour
A look at what thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park might reveal about the peopling of the Americas. -
Image
NOVA
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Saturday
Dec 13
1 Hour
Scientists discover the oldest DNA ever found and reveal the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in the Arctic. -
Image
NOVA
Ice Age Footprints
Sunday
Dec 14
1 Hour
A look at what thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park might reveal about the peopling of the Americas. -
Image
NOVA
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Sunday
Dec 14
1 Hour
Scientists discover the oldest DNA ever found and reveal the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in the Arctic. -
Image
NOVA
Ice Age Footprints
Tuesday
Dec 16
1 Hour
A look at what thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park might reveal about the peopling of the Americas. -
Image
NOVA
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Tuesday
Dec 16
1 Hour
Scientists discover the oldest DNA ever found and reveal the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in the Arctic. -
Image
NOVA
Ice Age Footprints
Wednesday
Dec 17
1 Hour
A look at what thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park might reveal about the peopling of the Americas. -
Image
NOVA
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Wednesday
Dec 17
1 Hour
Scientists discover the oldest DNA ever found and reveal the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in the Arctic. -
Image
NOVA
Ice Age Footprints
Wednesday
Dec 17
1 Hour
A look at what thousands of prehistoric footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park might reveal about the peopling of the Americas. -
Image
NOVA
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Wednesday
Dec 17
1 Hour
Scientists discover the oldest DNA ever found and reveal the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in the Arctic. -
Image
NOVA
Polar Extremes
Wednesday
Dec 17
2 Hours
Paleontologist Kirk Johnson explores the polar extremes of the planet, including miles-high ice sheets and warm polar forests brimming with life. -
Image
NOVA
Polar Extremes
Wednesday
Dec 17
2 Hours
Paleontologist Kirk Johnson explores the polar extremes of the planet, including miles-high ice sheets and warm polar forests brimming with life. -
Image
NOVA
Polar Extremes
Thursday
Dec 18
2 Hours
Paleontologist Kirk Johnson explores the polar extremes of the planet, including miles-high ice sheets and warm polar forests brimming with life. -
Image
NOVA
Polar Extremes
Thursday
Dec 18
2 Hours
Paleontologist Kirk Johnson explores the polar extremes of the planet, including miles-high ice sheets and warm polar forests brimming with life. -
Image
NOVA
Polar Extremes
Thursday
Dec 18
2 Hours
Paleontologist Kirk Johnson explores the polar extremes of the planet, including miles-high ice sheets and warm polar forests brimming with life.
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