Name: Can We Make Life?
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Nova

NOVA Wonders

From singing whales and squeaking bats to thumping spiders and clicking dolphins, the world is filled with the exotic sounds of our fellow creatures. What are they saying? Can we decode their own communications? NOVA Wonders follows researchers around the globe who are deciphering an amazing array of clues that reveal how animals share information critical to their survival.

Can we crack the code of animal communication?

NOVA Wonders What Are Animals Saying?

Meet Dr. Talithia Williams, host of NOVA Wonders.

Meet Talithia Williams

What are Animals Saying? Preview

Animal and human forms of communication may be much closer than we previously thought.

The Law all Languages Obey

Law all Languages Obey

Meet Dr. Rana el Kaliouby, the co-host of NOVA Wonders.

Meet Rana el Kaliouby

NOVA Wonders takes viewers on a journey to the frontiers of science, where researchers are tackling some of the biggest questions about life and the cosmos. From the mysteries of astrophysics to the secrets of the body to the challenges of inventing technologies that could rival—and even surpass—the abilities of the human mind. These six hours reveal how far we’ve come in our search for answers.

A 6-part series exploring the biggest questions on the frontiers of science.

NOVA Wonders Series Preview

Meet Erich Jarvis, a scientist and salsa dancer studying vocal-learning in mice and songbirds.

Meet Erich Jarvis, a scientist studying vocal-learning in mice and songbirds.

Profile: Erich Jarvis

Chimps have their own rich world of communication.

What are Chimps Saying?

Can scientists stomach hours of spider sex in order to understand their language?

The Secrets of Spider Seduction

Secrets of Spider Seduction

Meet Dr. André Fenton, the co-host of NOVA Wonders.

Meet André Fenton

the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

The John Templeton Foundation

The National Science Foundation

From singing whales and squeaking bats to thumping spiders and clicking dolphins, the world is filled with the exotic sounds of our fellow creatures. What are they saying? While we believe language sets us apart, some animals demonstrate they can learn our language—like Chaser the dog, who recognizes hundreds of words, and Kanzi the bonobo, who appears to have a sophisticated understanding of spoken English. But can we decode their own communications? NOVA Wonders follows researchers around the globe who are deciphering an amazing array of clues that reveal how animals share information critical to their survival. Will we one day be able to write the bat dictionary or decode the hidden sign language of chimps? And what can these findings tell us about the roots of our own language?

Can we crack the code of animal communication?

What Are Animals Saying?

Nature

Whether they make you fat, fart, or freak out, microbes play a central role in your life. Right beneath your nose—on your face, in your gut, and everywhere in between—trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi are so abundant in your body, they outnumber your human cells. But these aren’t just nasty hitch-hikers. Many are crucial to your survival.

Discover how a world of microbes living in and on you can make you sick.

What's Living in You? Preview

NOVA Wonders What's Living in You?

"I felt an almost father-child relationship with this organism," the entomologist says.

Researcher Raises Botflies Under Skin

Microbes colonize our skin, guts, and bodies—but we wouldn’t be ourselves without them.

Six Microbes Living in You

Jack Gilbert studies the effects of the microbiome on the human body and mind.

Profile: Jack Gilbert

Toxoplasma, a parasite found in cat waste, takes over the brain.

Can Cat Poop Make You Crazy?

Whether they make you fat, fart, or freak out, microbes play a central role in your life. Right beneath your nose—on your face, in your gut, and everywhere in between—trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi are so abundant in your body, they outnumber your human cells. But these aren’t just nasty hitch-hikers. Many are crucial to your survival. Evidence suggests that a diverse microbiome can keep you healthy and, conversely, a damaged one could kill you. NOVA Wonders peers into this microscopic world to discover the fascinating, bizarre, and downright surprising secrets of the human microbiome, including the world’s largest stool bank, which transforms raw stool into life-saving poop pills.

Discover how a world of microbes living in and on you can make you sick-and keep you healthy.

University of California, Davis

Affectiva

New York University

Indiana University Hospital

University of Chicago

OpenBiome

University of California, San Diego

Indiana Amish Community

Caltech

Patient, Indiana University Hospital

National Institutes of Health

California Academy of Sciences

Harvey Mudd College

Discover how a world of microbes living in and on you can make you sick-and keep you healthy.

What's Living in You?

Body & Brain

The search for extraterrestrial life is an age-old quest. But recent breakthroughs make today an era unlike any in the history of astronomy. From the exhilarating probing of our own solar system and the Kepler mission’s astounding discovery of thousands of extrasolar planets, to the next-generation telescopes under development, the prospects for finding life beyond Earth have never been stronger.

Hunt for clues in the universes to answer one of humanity’s biggest questions.

Are We Alone? Preview

The hunt for pollution in other planets’ atmospheres may determine whether or not we are alone in the universe.

The hunt for pollution in other planets’ atmospheres may determine whether we are alone.

Can We Use Pollution to Find Aliens?

Astrophysicist Jason Kalirai observes stars and searches for habitable planets in the hopes of finding life.

Astrophysicist Jason Kalirai observes stars and searches for habitable planets.

Profile: Jason Kalirai

Tabby’s star flickers erratically and no one knows why—could it be an alien megastructure?

The Mystery of Tabby’s Star

Mystery of Tabby’s Star

NOVA Wonders Are We Alone?

The search for extraterrestrial life is an age-old quest. But recent breakthroughs make today an era like no other in the history of astronomy. From the exhilarating probing of our own solar system and the Kepler mission’s astounding discovery of thousands of extrasolar planets, to the next-generation telescopes under development, the prospects for finding life beyond Earth have never been stronger. Still, daunting hurdles remain. How can we study anything light years away, let alone a little planet? In the vast universe, where should we even start to look? Is our failure to hear any other voices in the galaxy a sign that we are special? NOVA Wonders joins leading explorers now searching the galaxy for life and intelligence on other planets—and asks, if we do find other life in the universe…what would that mean?

Hunt for clues in the universe to answer one of humanity's biggest questions: Are we alone?

NASA Ames Research Center

Louisiana State University

Cfa | Harvard & Smithsonian

Arizona State University

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Space Telescope Science Institute

CfA | Harvard & Smithsonian

SETI Institute

Stone Aerospace

Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence

NASA Senior Astrobiologist

Hunt for clues in the universe to answer one of humanity's biggest questions: Are we alone?

Are We Alone?

Space & Flight

Artificially intelligent machines are taking over. They’re influencing our everyday lives in profound and often invisible ways. They can read handwriting, interpret emotions, play games, and even act as personal assistants. They are in our phones, our cars, our doctors’ offices, our banks, our web searches…the list goes on and is rapidly growing ever longer.

How does today’s artificial intelligence actually work—and is it truly intelligent?

Can We Build a Brain? Preview

How does today's artificial intelligence actually work-and is it truly intelligent?

NOVA Wonders Can We Build a Brain?

Dr. Roberto Novoa of Stanford Medical School used a database of nearly 130,000 images from the internet to train a deep learning algorithm to identify skin cancers as accurately as his fellow dermatologists.

A deep learning system has learned to accurately identify skin cancers in photographs.

Using Artificial Intelligence to Diagnose Melanoma

Meet the Robots at Amazon

Neural nets have revolutionized the AI industry for years. But what exactly are they?

What is a Neural Net?

Rana el Kaliouby is on a mission to humanize technology with artificial emotional intelligence.

Rana el Kaliouby wants to humanize technology with artificial emotional intelligence.

Profile: Rana el Kaliouby

Artificially intelligent machines are taking over. They’re influencing our everyday lives in profound and often invisible ways. They can read handwriting, interpret emotions, play games, and even act as personal assistants. They are in our phones, our cars, our doctors’ offices, our banks, our web searches…the list goes on and is rapidly growing ever longer. But how does today’s A.I. actually work—and is it truly intelligent? And for that matter, what is intelligence? The world’s brightest computer programmers are trying to build brighter machines by reverse-engineering the brain and by inventing completely new kinds of computers, with exponentially greater speed and processing power. NOVA Wonders looks at how far we’ve come and where machines are headed as their software becomes ever more…cerebral. How close are we from a world in which computers take over—from diagnosing cancer to driving our cars to targeting weapons? If we place more and more of our lives under the control of these artificial brains, what are we putting at risk?

DeepMind

Microsoft

Google

Harvard University

University of Washington

Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence

Ford Motor Company

University of Toronto

Stanford University

Facebook

The New York Times

Argo AI

New America Foundation

How does today’s artificial intelligence actually work—and is it truly intelligent?

Can We Build a Brain?

"It's alive!" Since Dr. Frankenstein spoke those famous words, we've been alternately enthralled and terrified by the idea of creating life in the lab. Now, a revolution in genetic engineering and thrilling innovations in synthetic biology are bringing that dream—or nightmare, as the case may be—closer to reality. New tools allow researchers to use cells to create their own DNA.

A revolution in gene editing technology enables scientists to create and edit DNA.

NOVA Wonders Can We Make Life?

Kevin Esvelt is on a mission to eradicate Lyme disease on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

Kevin Esvelt's on a mission to eradicate Lyme disease on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

Profile: Kevin Esvelt

A revolution in gene editing enables scientists to create and edit DNA like never before.

Can We Make Life? Preview

CRISPR makes gene editing faster, cheaper, and easier than ever before. Here's how.

How does CRISPR work?

CAR-T Gene Therapy is a new treatment for some forms of Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Can Gene Therapy Cure Cancer?

Mixing mammoth and elephant genes could be the key to saving the Arctic.

Bringing Back Woolly Mammoths

"It's alive!" Since Dr. Frankenstein spoke those famous words, we've been alternately enthralled and terrified by the idea of creating life in the lab. Now, a revolution in genetic engineering and thrilling innovations in synthetic biology are bringing that dream—or nightmare, as the case may be—closer to reality. New tools allow researchers to use cells to create their own DNA and edit it into existing genomes with more ease and less cost than ever before. Along with renewed hopes for treating some genetic diseases, there's serious talk of using the newest technologies to bring long-extinct animals back from the dead – like the team hoping to resurrect the woolly mammoth. Science fiction is quickly becoming science fact. Another daring genetic experiment to bioengineer animals could prevent Lyme disease. But the power to make life comes with deep ethical questions. What are the potential rewards—and dangers—of tinkering with nature? NOVA Wonders explores the benefits and the burden of risk surrounding the controversial new technology.

New York University School of Medicine

Harvard Medical School

Nantucket Resident

Center for Genetics and Society

Boston Children's Hospital

MIT Media Lab

Nantucket Physician

Oregon Health and Science University

Wilson Center

University of California, Santa Cruz

Tufts University

A revolution in gene editing enables scientists to create and edit DNA like never before.

Can We Make Life?

The universe is hiding something. In fact, it is hiding a lot. Everything we experience on Earth, the stars and galaxies we see in the cosmos—all the “normal” matter and energy that we understand—make up only 5% of the known universe. Find out how scientists are discovering new secrets about the history of the universe, and why they’re predicting a shocking future.

Peer into the universe’s deep unknowns to explore the mysteries of dark matter and energy.

What's the Universe Made Of? Preview

Peer into the deep unknowns of the universe to explore its mysteries.

NOVA Wonders What's the Universe Made Of?

What kind of clues led to the discovery of Dark Matter and its place in the universe?

How Scientists Discovered Dark Matter

Theoretical Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan has loved atlases and maps since she was a little girl.

Astrophysicist Priya Natarajan has loved atlases and maps since she was a little girl.

Profile: Priya Natarajan

Dark energy is spreading the universe apart—what’s it mean for astronomy in the future?

How the Universe Will End

Physics rarely yields finite answers, but that doesn’t deter scientists.

Physics Is a Never-Ending Puzzle

The universe is hiding something. In fact, it is hiding a lot. Everything we experience on Earth, the stars and galaxies we see in the cosmos—all the “normal” matter and energy that we understand—make up only 5% of the known universe. The other 95% is made up of two mysterious components: “dark matter” and “dark energy.” We can’t see them, but we know they’re there. And what’s more—these two shadowy ingredients are locked in an epic battle to control the very fate of the universe. Now, scientists are trying to shed light on the so-called “dark sector” as the latest generation of detectors rev up, and powerful telescopes peer deeper into space than ever before to observe how it behaves. Will the discoveries help reveal how galaxies formed? In the series finale, NOVA Wonders journeys to the stars and back to investigate what we know—and don’t know. Find out how scientists are discovering new secrets about the history of the universe, and why they’re predicting a shocking future.

SNOLAB

University of California, Berkeley

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

University of Michigan

Dark Energy Survey Collaboration

SNOLAB, Laurentian University

Fermilab

Yale University

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

University of California, Riverside

Peer into the universe’s deep unknowns to explore the mysteries of dark matter and energy.

What's the Universe Made Of?

NOVA Wonders takes viewers on a journey to the frontiers of science, where researchers are tackling some of the biggest questions about life and the cosmos. From the mysteries of astrophysics to the secrets of the body to the challenges of inventing technologies that could rival—and even surpass—the abilities of the human mind, these six hours reveal how far we’ve come in our search for answers, how we managed to get here, and how scientists hope to push our understanding of the universe even further. Along the way, we meet the remarkable people who are transforming our world and our future.

A 6-part series exploring the biggest questions on the frontiers of science.

Tech & Engineering

Koch Foundation

NOVA Science Trust Logo

US & Territories

United States

Northern Mariana Islands

Puerto Rico

American Samoa

Guam

U.S. Virgin Islands

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

NOVA investigates the story of cannabis from the criminalization that has disproportionately harmed communities of color to the latest medical understanding of the plant. What risks does cannabis pose to the developing brain? How much do we know about its potential medical benefits? As cannabis becomes socially accepted, scientists are exploring its long-term health consequences. (Premiered September 29, 2021)Check out a previously recorded panel discussion and audience Q&amp;A featuring experts and producers from "The Cannabis Question" <a href="https://youtu.be/nSTT5RZ_hxA">here</a>.

As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA explores its little-known risks and benefits.

The Cannabis Question

A 2006 composite image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Telescope shows the chaos of baby stars in the Orion nebula some 1,500 light-years away. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI

With the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble era is gradually drawing to a close. Here are some highlights from the countless wonders Hubble has shown us during its 31 years in space.

10 spectacular Hubble Space Telescope images

A statue of Zheng He at the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Java, Indonesia. Image Credit: Budianto Santosa, Shutterstock

In the 1400s, Zheng He sailed thousands of miles around Asia and Africa in ships the size of soccer fields, spreading Chinese innovations like compasses and gunpowder in the process.

NOVA Wonders Can We Make Life?

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Can We Build a Brain?

What's the Universe Made Of?

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How CRISPR is Spreading Through the Animal Kingdom

Can Gene Therapy Cure Cancer?

Bringing Back Woolly Mammoths

How Does CRISPR Work?

Profile: Kevin Esvelt

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Credits

Participants

More Ways to Watch

Support Provided By

Can We Build a Brain?

What's the Universe Made Of?

Explore More

How CRISPR is Spreading Through the Animal Kingdom

Can Gene Therapy Cure Cancer?

Bringing Back Woolly Mammoths

How Does CRISPR Work?

Profile: Kevin Esvelt