NOVA: Season 41

Season 41 overview

The season begins with engineering at Ground Zero and an investigation of Superstorm Sandy. It frames technology as a response to destruction and uncertainty.

Key story beats

  1. One World Trade Center Rises — The season opens by examining the construction of One World Trade Center, rising 104 stories and 1,776 feet from the former Twin Towers site.
  2. Memorial Museum Construction — The program goes underground to examine construction of the National September 11 Memorial Museum.
  3. Sandy Aftermath Investigated — The season revisits the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy, which killed hundreds and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage.
  4. Storm Causes Examined — The investigation considers whether Sandy was a rare combination of weather systems or part of a broader pattern involving climate change and rising seas.
  5. Limits of Speed — The program investigates physical limits on speed through electric cars, a racing sailboat, and bicycles designed to break speed records.
  6. Biology Inspires Invention — Scientists and engineers use biological ideas to develop robotic animals, unusual fabrics, and other technologies.
  7. Viruses Build Batteries — The episode examines how microbes and viruses may be used in future materials and battery technologies.
  8. Cold Saves Lives — Cold-based science is presented as a possible tool for treating severe trauma and developing new technologies.
  9. Matter Begins Levitation — The program explores unusual properties of matter at ultracold temperatures, including phenomena connected to levitation.
  10. Technology for Survival — Researchers develop technologies intended to reduce danger from disasters, terrorism, and deadly disease.
  11. Modern JFK Forensics — The investigation asks how state-of-the-art forensic methods might be applied to the assassination of John F. Kennedy today.
  12. Evidence Handling Examined — Contemporary cases are used to examine how evidence mishandling and human error can affect investigations.
  13. Mysteries at Space Edge — The program explores auroras, meteors, and brief flashes called sprites at the boundary between Earth and space.
  14. Sprites Captured — Sprites, discovered in 1989, are presented as difficult-to-capture atmospheric phenomena.
  15. Asteroid Impact Threat — The Siberian asteroid explosion is used to illustrate the destructive potential of near-Earth space rocks.

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).