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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4 Ways the Universe Could End
S52 - 5m 7s
If the universe as we know it started with the Big Bang, will it also have an end? And if it’s going to end someday - how? Discover the four main ideas about how the universe might end, and find out which one has the most evidence supporting it. With host Athena Brensberger, dive into our universe's very distant future in this episode of What the Physics?!
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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.
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Building Blocks of Life Discovered on Distant Asteroid
S52 - 6m 3s
In January 2025, scientists announced the discovery of organic molecules— the building blocks of life— in samples retrieved from a distant asteroid named Bennu. What can this discovery reveal about the secrets of life's origins? Or how common life may be elsewhere in the universe?
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What Went Wrong on the Dali Before the Baltimore Bridge Collapse
S52 E6 - 2m 57s
How did the massive container ship Dali drift into Baltimore’s Key Bridge, causing the deadly collapse? Just minutes before impact, the ship suffered two devastating blackouts, causing it to lose steering control and triggering disaster. Investigators piece together the chain of events that led to the catastrophic collapse.
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Baltimore Bridge Collapse Preview
S52 E6 - 30s
On March 26, 2024, the world collectively gasped as a massive container ship, the Dali, lost control and plowed into the landmark Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The busy four-lane bridge suffered a catastrophic collapse and crashed into the Patapsco River. How did a modern ship lose all power and propulsion? And why did the bridge fail so catastrophically?
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What Caused Baltimore’s Key Bridge to Collapse?
S52 E6 - 2m 57s
On March 26, 2024, a container ship lost power and veered off course, striking a critical support of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Engineers explain how a vulnerability in the bridge's design led to a devastating chain reaction, causing the bridge to collapse and blocking the busy Port of Baltimore for eleven weeks.
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This Asteroid Might Make Impact With Earth in 2032
S52 - 3m 33s
An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, possibly making impact in 2032. In the unlikely event that Asteroid 2024 YR does strike Earth, it would generate an explosion equal to nearly 8 million tons of TNT. That’s 500 times the power of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima during WWII. But there’s no cause for alarm: Space agencies estimate there’s about a 2% chance of impact.
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Pompeii's Secret Underworld Preview
S52 E5 - 30s
For over two centuries, archaeologists have hailed Pompeii as a sophisticated city at the heart of an advanced ancient civilization. But a series of new excavations is painting a much more complex picture of the city tragically buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.
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A Brutal Gladiator Fight in Ancient Pompeii
S52 E5 - 2m 37s
Gladiatorial games were a vital part of ancient Roman life, and in Pompeii, the amphitheater was a stage for both bloodsport and spectacle. But the violence wasn’t always contained to the arena. Discover how tensions between rival towns turned deadly, spilling blood in the streets as the games devolved into a citywide riot.
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This Pompeii Priest Had an Unexpected Rise to Power
S52 E5 - 2m 58s
In a recently discovered tomb in Pompeii, archeologists made a startling discovery: partially mummified remains. The custom in the Roman Empire was for the dead to be cremated, not buried. The unusual choice reveals a surprising history and one man’s unexpected rise to power. Discover who this mysterious person was, and why did he decided to forgo tradition when he died.
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How the Afterlife Shaped Ancient Egypt
S52 E4 - 1m 15s
Were ancient Egyptians obsessed with death? That common misconception hides the true relationship between life and death in ancient Egypt. Discover how they thought about death, why they invested so much in life after death, and how their belief in the afterlife shaped Egyptian culture.
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Egypt's Tombs of Amun Preview
S52 E4 - 30s
Follow archaeologists as they discover a long lost ancient cemetery in Egypt’s sacred desert. Treasures emerge unlike anything seen by the team, revealing details of a unique period, when women had extraordinary power.
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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