PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA programs demystify science and technology, and highlight the people involved in scientific pursuits.

 

Wednesday, February 6 at 9:00 p.m.
Building Pharaoh's Chariot
Some historians claim that the Egyptian chariot launched a technological and strategic revolution and was the secret weapon behind Egypt’s greatest era of conquest known as the New Kingdom. But was the chariot really a revolutionary design? How decisive was its role in the bloody battles of the ancient world? A team of archaeologists, engineers, woodworkers and horse trainers builds and tests two accurate replicas of Egyptian royal chariots. Driving them to their limits in the desert outside Cairo, NOVA’s experts test the claim that the chariot marks a crucial turning point in ancient military history.

 

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Wednesday, February 13 at 9:00 p.m.
Earth from Space
This groundbreaking special reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of Earth. Produced in consultation with NASA scientists, “Earth From Space” takes data from earth-observing satellites and transforms them into dazzling visual sequences, each one exposing the intricate web of forces that sustain life on earth. See the astonishing beauty and complexity of our dynamic planet: how dust blown from the Sahara fertilizes the Amazon; how a vast submarine “waterfall” off Antarctica helps drive ocean currents around the world; and how the sun’s heating of the southern Atlantic gives birth to a colossally powerful hurricane.

 

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Wednesday, February 20 at 9:00 p.m.
Mind of a Rampage Killer
What makes a person walk into a theater or a church or a classroom full of students and open fire? What combination of circumstances compels a human being to commit the most inhuman of crimes? Can science in any way help us understand these horrific events and provide clues as to how to prevent them in the future? As the nation tries to understand the tragic events at Newtown, NOVA correspondent Miles O'Brien separates fact from fiction, investigating new theories that the most destructive rampage killers are driven most of all, not by the urge to kill, but the wish to die. Could suicide--and the desire to go out in a media-fueled blaze of glory--be the main motivation? Most importantly, can we recognize dangerous minds in time--and stop the next Newtown?

 

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Wednesday, February 27 at 9:00 p.m.
Japan's Killer Quake
The March 11, 2011, earthquake in Japan was the world’s fourth-largest earthquake since record keeping began in 1900 and the worst ever to shake Japan. The seismic shock wave released more than 4,000 times the energy of the largest nuclear test ever conducted; it shifted the earth’s axis by six inches and shortened the day by a few millionths of a second. The tsunami slammed Japan’s coast with 30-feet-high waves that traveled six miles inland, obliterating entire towns in a matter of minutes. “Japan’s Killer Quake” combines authoritative on-the-spot reporting, personal stories of tragedy and survival, compelling eyewitness videos, explanatory graphics and exclusive helicopter footage for a unique look at the science behind the catastrophe.

 

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