NOVA: Season 30

Season 30 overview

The opening episodes examine sudden disease, toxic caves, endangered archaeological treasures, and the conflict between new knowledge and established authority. Scientific discovery is repeatedly shown as risky and disruptive.

Key story beats

  1. Campus Meningitis Outbreak — Doctors confront a deadly form of meningitis that strikes young people unexpectedly.
  2. Investigating Cave Life — Strange life-forms in toxic caverns prompt scientists to reconsider how caves form.
  3. Rescuing Roman Mosaics — Experts attempt to save precious mosaics from an ancient city threatened by a reservoir.
  4. Galileo Faces Authority — A historical account follows a pioneering scientist whose discoveries challenge Church authorities.
  5. Volcano Field Disaster — A field expedition ends in disaster when scientists and hikers are killed near an active volcano.
  6. Predicting Eruptions — The disaster leads into a broader investigation of whether volcanic eruptions can be predicted.
  7. Venice Faces Submergence — Experts struggle to protect the canal city from disappearing beneath rising water.
  8. Orchid Expedition Resumes — An orchid collector returns to a politically unstable region after previously being held captive by guerrillas.
  9. Remote Aircraft Surveillance — Declassified footage shows ground operators directing unmanned aircraft during the air war in Afghanistan.
  10. Bomber Disappearance Reopened — A military bomber that vanished in fog decades earlier becomes the subject of a renewed investigation.
  11. Crash Site Evidence — A government team applies forensic techniques and physical evidence to explain the aircraft's disappearance.
  12. Living Fossil Discovery — The program examines a fish that has remained relatively unchanged since prehistoric times.
  13. Fighter Design Competition — Engineering teams compete to build the Joint Strike Fighter, making consequential design choices.
  14. Antarctic Mountain Expedition — Climbers, scientists, and filmmakers attempt to reach Antarctica's tallest peak under severe conditions.
  15. Polar Exploration Contrast — The modern expedition is contrasted with the historic race to reach the South Pole.

Seasons

Interactive Features

Episode Guide

Content sources

Plot analysis generated from content on Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related entry on Wikidata (Q3071768), public domain (CC0).