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.
RESOURCE | GRADE LEVEL | MEDIA TYPE |
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Bioengineering Body PartsIn this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists discuss their attempts to grow human body parts in a jar. |
9-12 |
Video |
Booming SandsThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Brain TraumaFind out how serious head concussions can be in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. |
6-12 |
Video |
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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Capturing CarbonIn 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
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 MysteryIn 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 BrainLearn 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Detecting Life on Other PlanetsIn this video from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how scientists detect potential signs of life on distant planets. |
6-12 |
Video |
EpigeneticsIn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Evolutionary Roots of LanguageThis video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW looks at how language and tool-making may have coevolved. |
6-12 |
Video |
Exploring the Arctic SeafloorIn 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 GlacierIn 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Food Is FuelThis video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW examines the energy and nutrient content of a cupcake and a rat. |
6-12 |
Video |
Franklin Chang-Díaz: Rocket ScientistThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Frozen FrogsThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Fuel CellsIn 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 SleepIn this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, discover what researchers are learning about sleep by examining the dreams of rats. |
6-12 |
Video |
Genetically Engineering the Avian FluIn this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about a radical biotechnology experiment aimed at figuring out how to stop the avian flu virus. |
9-12 |
Video |
Geneticist Pardis SabetiIn 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Hurricane Katrina: A Scientist's ResponseIn 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 CausesThis 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 DestructionTour 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 ThreatThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Hurricanes: New Tools for PredictingThis video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW features new advances in predicting the intensity of hurricanes. |
6-12 |
Video |
Investigating NeanderthalsThis video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW looks at how head shapes of Neanderthals and modern humans differ. |
6-12 |
Video |
Island of StabilityIn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Killer MicrobeLearn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Longevity GenesWhat 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Looking for Intelligence in the BrainMeet scientists who are using the latest imaging techniques to search for intelligence in the brain, in this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. |
9-12 |
Video |
Luis von Ahn: Computer ScientistThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Marathon MouseIn this lesson from NOVA scienceNOW, students explore how our bodies respond to exercise at the cellular level. |
9-12 |
Lesson Plan |
Mass ExtinctionIn 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Mind-Controlled Robotic ArmThis NOVA scienceNOW video shows a quadriplegic move a robotic arm with her mind, an incredible feat in brain science. |
6-12 |
Video |
Mirror NeuronsThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
A Nanotube Space ElevatorIn 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
A New Theory of LightningIn 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Next-Generation Space SuitsIn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Smart Sea LionsThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Interfering with FearDiscover 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Origins of the Solar SystemThis video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW examines the scientific debate over the events that triggered the birth of our solar system. |
6-12 |
Video |
Personal DNA TestingIn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Picky EatersIn 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 AnthropologistIn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Revealing the Origins of LifeLearn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
Risky GeneticsIn 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 DiscoveredIn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
RNAi ExplainedUsing scientific animations and illustrated metaphors, this interactive activity from NOVA scienceNOW explains RNAi and how it works. |
9-12 |
Interactive |
RNAi TherapyIn this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about RNAi's potential to treat a wide range of genetic and infectious diseases. |
9-12 |
Video |
The Role of Genetics in ObesityIn 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Scientific Practices: Questions, Investigations, and ModelsIn 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 SaltThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Smart BridgesIn this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about engineering innovations that could help detect a bridge's structural weaknesses before they become dangerous. |
6-12 |
Video |
Smart Power GridThis 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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Stem Cells BreakthroughIn 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. |
9-12 |
Video |
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. |
6-12 |
Video |
Talking BacteriaIn this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, microbiologist Bonnie Bassler shares her discovery that bacteria coordinate group activity by communicating through chemical signals. |
6-12 |
Video |
Wearable RobotsDiscover how wearable robots can help firefighters and paraplegics in this video adapted from NOVA scienceNOW. |
5-12 |
Video |
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. |
3-12 |
Video |
What Is a Supertaster?This video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW looks at why some people are more sensitive to tastes than other people. |
6-12 |
Video |