Building Stuff: Reach It!
Born to explore, we’re constantly inventing new ways to go beyond our comfort zones. From deep sea subs to next-gen space habitats, see how engineers are building the tools humans need to go where we’ve never gone before.
Episodes
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Hunt for the Oldest DNA
S51 E4 - 53m 10s
For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. Follow the dramatic quest to recover DNA millions of years old and reveal a lost world from before the last Ice Age.
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Building the Eiffel Tower
S51 E3 - 53m 29s
Explore the revolutionary engineering behind Paris’s iconic landmark. Completed in 1889, the iron tower smashed the record for the tallest structure on Earth, ushering in a new age of global construction that reached for the skies.
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Easter Island Origins
S51 E2 - 53m 17s
The giant stone heads of Easter Island have inspired theories for centuries. Now, new research reveals intriguing evidence of the origins and inspirations of the ancient Rapanui people who created the iconic monoliths.
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When Whales Could Walk
S51 E1 - 53m 31s
A spectacular fossil graveyard reveals a 43-million-year-old whale that had four legs and could walk. Follow scientists as they search for new clues to how mammals moved from land into the sea to become the largest animals on Earth.
Extras + Features
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Solar System: Icy Worlds Preview
S51 E12 - 30s
Out in the solar system, ice can get bizarre. Visit strange, frozen worlds – from Uranus’s ultra-hot superionic ice, to glaciers of nitrogen ice on Pluto, to carbon dioxide snow on Mars – and discover why the ice here on Earth is so unique.
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This Moon May Have the Ingredients for Life
S51 E12 - 2m 14s
Europa is such a strong candidate for life that NASA launched a mission to explore the moon.
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This Tiny Moon Is a Volcanic Powerhouse
S51 E11 - 2m 45s
Jupiter’s small moon Io is the most volcanically active body in our solar system, with constant eruptions reshaping its surface daily.
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Solar System: Volcano Worlds Preview
S51 E11 - 30s
Around our solar system, violent eruptions are shaping distant worlds. Discover the explosive forces that helped create some of the most dynamic worlds in our cosmic neighborhood – and what makes the volcanoes right here on Earth so special.
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Enceladus: A Frozen Moon With Explosive Eruptions
S51 E11 - 1m 56s
Enceladus erupts over 660 pounds of water per second, with jets reaching up to 6,000 miles into space. These massive plumes far exceed the size of the moon itself.
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Could This Icy Moon’s Ocean Support Life?
S51 E11 - 1m 21s
Enceladus has jets rich in phosphates and likely hydrothermal vents in its ocean. With the key ingredients for life on its surface, the moon may serve as an incubator for life.
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How a Walnut-Shaped Moon Help Shape Saturn’s Rings
S51 E10 - 2m 35s
Shaped by gravitational forces over millions of years, Saturn's rings are incredibly complex. A tiny moon named Pan, just 17 miles wide, has notably influenced their structure by creating the Encke Gap.
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Why is Haumea Shaped Like an Egg?
S51 E10 - 2m 30s
Haumea is one of the fastest rotating large objects in our solar system. A single day on the dwarf planet is only about 4 Earth hours long.
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Solar System: Strange Worlds Preview
S51 E10 - 30s
From a dwarf planet that looks like a deflated football, to a tiny moon with cliffs taller than Mt. Everest, to the spectacular rings of Saturn, discover how the effects of gravity produce the amazing variety of weird worlds in our solar system.
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Venus: The Planet With Battery Acid Clouds
S51 E9 - 3m 27s
The surface of Venus is comparable to the bottom of Earth’s oceans with one major difference: Venus has the hottest planetary surface in the solar system.
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How the Martian Atmosphere Helped Nasa’s Rovers Restore Energy
S51 E9 - 2m 59s
NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers exceeded their expected lifespan on Mars. Unique Martian weather conditions may have played a role in restoring their energy levels.
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This Powerful Psychedelic May Help Treat Opioid Addiction
S51 - 3m 28s
There's growing evidence that ibogaine, a powerful psychedelic, may help treat opioid addiction, traumatic brain injuries, and even depression. But it can be dangerous too — including side effects like cardiac arrest and death.
Schedule
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Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Thursday
Nov 21
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Thursday
Nov 21
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Thursday
Nov 21
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Thursday
Nov 21
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Sunday
Nov 24
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Sunday
Nov 24
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Sunday
Nov 24
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Tuesday
Nov 26
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Wednesday
Nov 27
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Reach It!
Wednesday
Nov 27
1 Hour
Engineers design and build creative new ways to get around, from affordable deep-sea subs to flying taxis. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Change It!
Wednesday
Nov 27
1 Hour
From building new water filters to a robot that uses acoustics to revive coral reefs, engineers reshape the natural world and create new human-made environments that align with society's needs. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Change It!
Wednesday
Nov 27
1 Hour
From building new water filters to a robot that uses acoustics to revive coral reefs, engineers reshape the natural world and create new human-made environments that align with society's needs. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Change It!
Thursday
Nov 28
1 Hour
From building new water filters to a robot that uses acoustics to revive coral reefs, engineers reshape the natural world and create new human-made environments that align with society's needs. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Change It!
Thursday
Nov 28
1 Hour
From building new water filters to a robot that uses acoustics to revive coral reefs, engineers reshape the natural world and create new human-made environments that align with society's needs. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Change It!
Sunday
Dec 1
1 Hour
From building new water filters to a robot that uses acoustics to revive coral reefs, engineers reshape the natural world and create new human-made environments that align with society's needs. -
Image
NOVA
Building Stuff: Change It!
Sunday
Dec 1
1 Hour
From building new water filters to a robot that uses acoustics to revive coral reefs, engineers reshape the natural world and create new human-made environments that align with society's needs. -
Image
NOVA
The Planets: Jupiter
Tuesday
Dec 3
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped shape life on Earth as it brought comets laden with water and possibly the asteroid that put an end to the dinosaurs. -
Image
NOVA
The Planets: Jupiter
Wednesday
Dec 4
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped shape life on Earth as it brought comets laden with water and possibly the asteroid that put an end to the dinosaurs. -
Image
NOVA
The Planets: Jupiter
Wednesday
Dec 4
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped shape life on Earth as it brought comets laden with water and possibly the asteroid that put an end to the dinosaurs. -
Image
NOVA
The Planets: Jupiter
Wednesday
Dec 4
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped shape life on Earth as it brought comets laden with water and possibly the asteroid that put an end to the dinosaurs.
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