NOVA: Season 44

Season 44 overview

The opening episodes range across terrorism, education, human migration, engineering, geology, and energy. They connect scientific inquiry with the ways people understand and use the world around them.

Key story beats

  1. Terrorism's Changing Strategies — The episode traces the evolution of terrorist strategies from 9/11 to crowd-sourced violence.
  2. Learning and Future Schools — The episode explores how the science of learning may change education for children.
  3. Humanity's Journey from Africa — The episode follows ancient ancestors out of Africa and across the planet.
  4. Building London's Super Tunnel — Engineers build a massive new railway deep beneath London's streets.
  5. How Gemstones Form — The episode examines how precious gemstones form and what gives each its distinctive allure.
  6. Metals and Civilization — The episode examines metals' properties and how mastery of them shaped civilization from the Stone Age to the modern technological world.
  7. Energy from Earth's Resources — The episode explores how Earth's resources power modern life and why cleaner alternatives are being sought.
  8. Tombs in the Himalayas — Scientists investigate cliffside tombs and artifacts to understand ancient settlement, adaptation, rituals, and beliefs in the Himalayas.
  9. The Fukushima Nuclear Crisis — Five years after the earthquake and tsunami-triggered meltdowns, scientists and engineers continue struggling to control the crisis and assess nuclear power's future.
  10. Searching for a Better Battery — The episode explores energy storage and its potential role in a greener future.
  11. Engineering an Ultimate Cruise Ship — Pioneering shipbuilders undertake a major feat of maritime engineering.
  12. Origami Inspires Engineering — Scientists and designers apply principles of folding found in nature to engineering, medicine, robotics, and space missions.
  13. Investigating Train Safety — The episode investigates deadly train accidents and technologies that may improve safety, including Japan's bullet trains and their stated perfect safety record.
  14. Searching for Vilna's Escape Tunnel — Archaeologists excavate the remains of Vilna's Great Synagogue and search for a tunnel dug by Jewish prisoners at a Nazi execution site.
  15. Containing Chernobyl's Reactor — Engineers race to build a massive dome over the crumbling reactor remains.

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).