NOVA scienceNOW

Special Collection

From the award-winning producers of NOVA comes NOVA scienceNOW, the fast-paced, innovative, and entertaining science program featuring timely science and technology stories along with biographical profiles of intriguing science personalities on the cutting edge of their fields. The program is hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, well-known astrophysicist and author, described by TIME magazine as “the Carl Sagan of the 21st century”. Also check out The Secret Life of Scientists , NOVA’s web-exclusive series that highlights two science stars every month through a selection of short, punchy films where you see what happens when the lab coats come off.

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Bioengineering Body Parts

Bioengineering Body Parts

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists discuss their attempts to grow human body parts in a jar. OER Level

9-12

Video

Booming Sands

Booming Sands

This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, presents basic concepts of physics behind "booming" sand dunes. See how surface tension affects potential and kinetic energy and how it all works together to create sound. OER Level

6-12

Video

Brain Trauma

Brain Trauma

Find out how serious head concussions can be in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

6-12

Video

Can We Slow Aging?

Can We Slow Aging?

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists discuss a family of genes called FOXO that can significantly extend life span in worms—and in humans. OER Level

9-12

Video

Capturing Carbon

Capturing Carbon

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, a scientist, inspired by his daughter's science fair project, develops a synthetic "tree" to remove excess carbon dioxide from the air. OER Level

6-12

Video

Capturing Carbon: Where Do We Put It?

Capturing Carbon: Where Do We Put It?

In this interactive activity from NOVA scienceNOW, explore options for storing carbon dioxide in order to prevent further global warming.

6-12

Interactive

Deadly Letters: The Anthrax Mystery

Deadly Letters: The Anthrax Mystery

In this media rich lesson plan from NOVA scienceNOW, student teams investigate a fictional anthrax case by modeling DNA sequencing and tracking down the guilty lab.

9-12

Lesson Plan

Decision-Maker Bees and the Human Brain

Decision-Maker Bees and the Human Brain

Learn about the similarity between the pattern of communication within a bee colony and neural networks in the human brain, in this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

6-12

Video

Detecting Life on Other Planets

Detecting Life on Other Planets

In this video from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how scientists detect potential signs of life on distant planets. OER Level

6-12

Video

Epigenetics

Epigenetics

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how what you eat, drink, or smoke may affect the instructions your epigenomes send to your genes, and as a result, change how your DNA is expressed. OER Level

9-12

Video

Evolutionary Roots of Language

Evolutionary Roots of Language

This video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW looks at how language and tool-making may have coevolved. OER Level

6-12

Video

Exploring the Arctic Seafloor

Exploring the Arctic Seafloor

In this interactive activity adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn what some of the first imagery ever shot on the Arctic Ocean seabed tells us about life in extreme environments.

6-12

Interactive

Fastest Glacier

Fastest Glacier

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists in western Greenland explain how a glacier there is shrinking and moving faster due to increased melting. OER Level

6-12

Video

Food Is Fuel

Food Is Fuel

This video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW examines the energy and nutrient content of a cupcake and a rat. OER Level

6-12

Video

Franklin Chang-Díaz: Rocket Scientist

Franklin Chang-Díaz: Rocket Scientist

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW profiles Franklin Chang-Díaz, a scientist who is working on plasma-powered rockets and was NASA's first Latin American astronaut. OER Level

6-12

Video

Frozen Frogs

Frozen Frogs

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW shows how the common wood frog freezes solid every winter, an adaptation that allows the organism to survive the cold winter. OER Level

6-12

Video

Fuel Cells

Fuel Cells

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, hydrogen fuel cell cars promise pollution-free driving, but will we see them anytime soon?

6-12

Video

The Function of Sleep

The Function of Sleep

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, discover what researchers are learning about sleep by examining the dreams of rats. OER Level

6-12

Video

Genetically Engineering the Avian Flu

Genetically Engineering the Avian Flu

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about a radical biotechnology experiment aimed at figuring out how to stop the avian flu virus. OER Level

9-12

Video

Geneticist Pardis Sabeti

Geneticist Pardis Sabeti

In this video profile adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about geneticist and rock musician Pardis Sabeti, whose innovative insights into natural selection demonstrated how beneficial mutations spread quickly through a population. OER Level

6-12

Video

Hurricane Katrina: A Scientist's Response

Hurricane Katrina: A Scientist's Response

In this video segment from NOVA scienceNOW, local officials, including scientist Ivor Van Heerden, share their responses to Hurricane Katrina.

6-12

Video

Hurricane Katrina: Possible Causes

Hurricane Katrina: Possible Causes

This media-rich essay from NOVA scienceNow explores new research into hurricanes that may help explain Katrina's devastating impact and discusses the possibility that global warming played a role.

6-12

Document

Hurricane Katrina: Wetland Destruction

Hurricane Katrina: Wetland Destruction

Tour the wetlands south of New Orleans that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina in this video segment from NOVA scienceNOW.

6-12

Video

Hurricanes: New Orleans Under Threat

Hurricanes: New Orleans Under Threat

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW exposes how decades of development and geography combined to make the potential damage from a hurricane uniquely devastating in New Orleans, Louisiana. OER Level

6-12

Video

Hurricanes: New Tools for Predicting

Hurricanes: New Tools for Predicting

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW features new advances in predicting the intensity of hurricanes. OER Level

6-12

Video

Investigating Neanderthals

Investigating Neanderthals

This video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW looks at how head shapes of Neanderthals and modern humans differ. OER Level

6-12

Video

Island of Stability

Island of Stability

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, follow scientists in their quest to understand how stable elements are made and how to create the elusive element 114. OER Level

9-12

Video

Killer Microbe

Killer Microbe

Learn how biotechnology is used to analyze the evolution of a formerly harmless bacterium into a highly drug-resistant and lethal pathogen in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

9-12

Video

Longevity Genes

Longevity Genes

What is the secret to a long life? Hear from scientists using biotechnology to analyze relationships between specific genes and longevity in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

9-12

Video

Looking for Intelligence in the Brain

Looking for Intelligence in the Brain

Meet scientists who are using the latest imaging techniques to search for intelligence in the brain, in this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

9-12

Video

Luis von Ahn: Computer Scientist

Luis von Ahn: Computer Scientist

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW profiles Luis von Ahn, the computer scientist and award-winning college professor behind innovations to prevent e-mail spam and digitize rare books. OER Level

6-12

Video

Marathon Mouse

Marathon Mouse

In this lesson from NOVA scienceNOW, students explore how our bodies respond to exercise at the cellular level.

9-12

Lesson Plan

Mass Extinction

Mass Extinction

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about a chain of events, including ancient volcanoes, global warming, and deadly gases, which may have caused Earth's greatest mass extinction 250 million years ago. OER Level

6-12

Video

Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm

Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm

This NOVA scienceNOW video shows a quadriplegic move a robotic arm with her mind, an incredible feat in brain science. OER Level

6-12

Video

Mirror Neurons

Mirror Neurons

This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNow, introduces the latest research on a system of neurons that plays a part in how people relate to each other. OER Level

6-12

Video

A Nanotube Space Elevator

A Nanotube Space Elevator

In this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, find out about the discovery of a new building material, the carbon nanotube, whose physical properties could theoretically enable the creation of a 22,000-mile elevator to space. OER Level

6-12

Video

A New Theory of Lightning

A New Theory of Lightning

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, follow scientists as they test a new theory suggesting that lightning here on Earth is triggered by cosmic rays from far-away dying stars. OER Level

6-12

Video

Next-Generation Space Suits

Next-Generation Space Suits

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, MIT engineer Dava Newman is working to replace today's bulky, inflated space suits with a radical, sleek design that may one day allow astronauts to walk easily on Mars. OER Level

9-12

Video

Smart Sea Lions

Smart Sea Lions

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW explores whether animals and humans are more similar than we think. Meet Rio, a sea lion who demonstrates to researchers reasoning skills once thought limited to humans. OER Level

6-12

Video

Interfering with Fear

Interfering with Fear

Discover how cognitive psychologist Sian Beilock is working to overcome how we experience mental pressure and to maximize our brain’s performance, in this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

6-12

Video

Origins of the Solar System

Origins of the Solar System

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW examines the scientific debate over the events that triggered the birth of our solar system. OER Level

6-12

Video

Personal DNA Testing

Personal DNA Testing

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, take a behind-the-scenes look at the process of personal DNA testing, and hear more about the innovative Personal Genome Project. OER Level

9-12

Video

Picky Eaters

Picky Eaters

In this lesson from NOVA scienceNOW, students take a taste test as they explore the role of genetics in our sense of taste.

9-12

Lesson Plan

Profile: Ethiopian Anthropologist

Profile: Ethiopian Anthropologist

In this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, meet Ethiopian anthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged and find out why his work has made him a national hero and the leader of a new generation of African-born anthropologists. OER Level

9-12

Video

Revealing the Origins of Life

Revealing the Origins of Life

Learn how scientists explore the chemistry behind the first life on Earth and discover one way it may have arisen from simple chemicals and natural pathways, in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

9-12

Video

Risky Genetics

Risky Genetics

In this lesson from NOVA scienceNOW, students explore genetic testing for specific diseases, and consider the pros and cons of discovering a person's genotype for a particular disease.

9-12

Lesson Plan

RNAi Discovered

RNAi Discovered

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how RNAi, a mechanism that has evolved in cells to prevent viral infection, was discovered and how it works. OER Level

9-12

Video

RNAi Explained

RNAi Explained

Using scientific animations and illustrated metaphors, this interactive activity from NOVA scienceNOW explains RNAi and how it works.

9-12

Interactive

RNAi Therapy

RNAi Therapy

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about RNAi's potential to treat a wide range of genetic and infectious diseases. OER Level

9-12

Video

The Role of Genetics in Obesity

The Role of Genetics in Obesity

In this video segment from NOVA scienceNOW, meet researchers who are studying obesity and trying to understand the role that hormones and genetics can play in regulating appetite. OER Level

6-12

Video

Scientific Practices: Questions, Investigations, and Models

Scientific Practices: Questions, Investigations, and Models

In this lesson plan, students learn about three core practices—asking questions, planning and carrying out investigations, and modeling—that all scientists use in their work. These practices appear in the Next Generation Science Standards.

7-12

Lesson Plan

Secrets in the Salt

Secrets in the Salt

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW describes a team of scientists searching for evidence of ancient life within a salt deposit that formed 250 million years ago. OER Level

6-12

Video

Smart Bridges

Smart Bridges

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about engineering innovations that could help detect a bridge's structural weaknesses before they become dangerous. OER Level

6-12

Video

Smart Power Grid

Smart Power Grid

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW provides an overview of the existing United States power grid, and envisions a "smart" power grid that would prevent problems, such as blackouts, and reduce energy waste and pollution. OER Level

6-12

Video

Stem Cells Breakthrough

Stem Cells Breakthrough

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, follow the scientific process that led to a revolutionary method for creating stem cells without the use of human embryos. OER Level

9-12

Video

T. Rex Blood?

T. Rex Blood?

Learn about the surprising finding of preserved soft tissue in dinosaur fossils—including possible blood vessels and red blood cells—in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

6-12

Video

Talking Bacteria

Talking Bacteria

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, microbiologist Bonnie Bassler shares her discovery that bacteria coordinate group activity by communicating through chemical signals. OER Level

6-12

Video

Wearable Robots

Wearable Robots

Discover how wearable robots can help firefighters and paraplegics in this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. OER Level

5-12

Video

What Is a Planet?

What Is a Planet?

This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, presents the ongoing debate over the definition of a planet, including the status of Pluto. OER Level

3-12

Video

What Is a Supertaster?

What Is a Supertaster?

This video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW looks at why some people are more sensitive to tastes than other people. OER Level

6-12

Video

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