NOVA is a pioneering American science documentary series produced by WGBH Boston for PBS, debuting on March 3, 1974. Its goal from the outset has been to make the frontiers of science accessible, engaging, and accurate for general audiences, featuring major discoveries, scientific controversies, and technological achievements around the globe.
NOVA’s mission is to demystify complex scientific concepts, spark curiosity, and promote critical thinking by presenting authoritative and visually dynamic storytelling led by scientists and journalists.
Over 50+ seasons, NOVA has covered topics ranging from space exploration, physics, origins of life, earth sciences, archaeology, medicine, engineering, and artificial intelligence.
NOVA’s reputation for trust, storytelling, and visual innovation has secured its place as the longest-running, most-watched prime-time science series on American television and a global model for science communication.
This SDG would look at 2 top NOVA episodes every week.
Below are the 24 Nova episodes to be covered, 2 each week in the order below
Week 1
1. Decoding the Great Pyramid
Season 46 Episode 4
Stunning new archaeological evidence provides clues about the Egyptians who built the Great Pyramid of Giza--and how they did it. Join researchers as they delve into the logbook of a work crew and discover how the massive project transformed Egypt
2. Stone Age Temple Mystery (2026)
Season 53, Episode 6
The T‑pillar temple sites in southeastern Turkey and their builders.
Week 2 -
3. Your Brain: Perception Deception
Season 50, Episode 9, 2023
Explores the intersection of perception and consciousness, including illusions, altered states, and how brain activity is measured to determine consciousness.
4. Your Brain: Who’s in Control?
Season 50, Episode 10, 2023
Focuses explicitly on consciousness, unconscious processes, and agency—delving into how the brain’s subconscious shapes decision-making, the changes that occur under anesthesia, and what distinguishes conscious from unconscious brain states.
Week 3
5 -6. Doctors' Diaries 2 hours,
April 6 and 13, 2009, Season 36 (Still on Passport)
In 1987, NOVA's cameras began rolling to chronicle the lives of seven young, bright medical students embarking on the longest and most rigorous endeavor in higher education: the years-long journey to become a doctor. From their first days at Harvard Medical School to the present day, none of them could have predicted what it would take, personally and professionally. In "Doctors' Diaries," a two-hour special, NOVA returns to find out what sorts of doctors—and people—the seven young students have become. The program is the latest installment in the longest-running U.S. documentary of its kind.
Week 4
7. Decoding the Universe: Cosmos, 2024
Season 51, Episode 8
When we look at the world at the tiniest scales in the subatomic realm, things get weird – very weird. Welcome to the quantum universe, where particles can spin in two directions at once, observing something changes it, and something on one side of the galaxy can instantly affect something on the other, as if the space between them didn’t exist. Buckle up for a wild ride through the discoveries that proved all of this to be true and paved the way for the digital technologies we enjoy today – and the powerful quantum sensors and computers of tomorrow.
8. Decoding the Universe: Quantum, 2024
Season 51, Episode 14
When we look at the world at the tiniest scales in the subatomic realm, things get weird – very weird. Welcome to the quantum universe, where particles can spin in two directions at once, observing something changes it, and something on one side of the galaxy can instantly affect something on the other, as if the space between them didn’t exist. Buckle up for a wild ride through the discoveries that proved all of this to be true and paved the way for the digital technologies we enjoy today – and the powerful quantum sensors and computers of tomorrow.
Week 5
9-10 Galileo's Battle for the Heavens, 10/28/2002, 3 hours
Season 29, Episode 12
YouTube Link - https://youtu.be/PEcSkKIoEtc?si=Pegy_3LdKNrnhXL6
Or in 12 parts if you search for it on YouTube using the title.
In this two-hour special, NOVA celebrates the story of the father of modern science and his struggle to get Church authorities to accept the truth of his astonishing discoveries. The program is based on Dava Sobel's bestselling book, Galileo's Daughter, which reveals a new side to the famously stubborn scientist—that his closest confidante was his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, a cloistered nun.
Week 6, Hour 1 – week 6 is good for 2 discussion leaders
11. The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time (2)
November 8, 2011, Season 38, Episode 17
Ask physicists what time actually is, and the answer might shock you: they have no idea. The deep sense we have of time passing from present to past may be an illusion. How can our understanding of something so familiar be so wrong? In search of answers, Brian Greene takes us on the ultimate time-traveling adventure.
Week 6 Hour 2, Weeks 7 and 8
Human Origins
5 Episodes, Season 52, 2025, Episodes 12-16
12-16. As new research continues to reveal that apes are smarter than previously thought, NOVA explores just what separates humans from the great ape.
Week 9 – good for 2 Discussion leaders
17. The Proof
October 28, 1997, Season 24
Available at Daily Motion:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9khde2
Narrates the incredible journey of mathematician Andrew Wiles as he solves Fermat's Last Theorem more than 300 years after it was posited, this episode captures the drama and dedication intrinsic to great scientific breakthroughs. It’s a celebration of intellectual perseverance and mathematical beauty. Season: 24,
18. Two Dog Episodes
Dogs Decoded, November 8, 2010
Season 37 - Episode 14, 30 minutes
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/5rOIRSHoc7k?si=agLLNAnThc0xfDJL
"Dogs Decoded" reveals the science behind the remarkable bond between humans and their dogs and investigates new discoveries in genetics that are illuminating the origin of dogs—with surprising implications for the evolution of human culture. Other research is proving what dog lovers have suspected all along: Dogs have an uncanny ability to read and respond to human emotions. Humans, in turn, respond to dogs with the same hormone responsible for bonding mothers to their babies. How did this incredible relationship between humans and dogs come to be? And how can dogs, so closely related to fearsome wild wolves, behave so differenly.
Plus
Can Dogs Talk
Season 53, Episode 3, 60 minutes
Week 10
19-20. NOT NOVA
The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition (2000, dir. George Butler)
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/qvo28NUtwM0?si=ZnEUVovYlL79R8TV
Feature-length documentary based on Caroline Alexander’s book, blending Hurley’s footage, stills, and modern location filming; narrated by Liam Neeson and often cited as the definitive modern treatment of the saga.
OR
NOVA VERSION
Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance
March 26, 2002, Season 29, Episode 6, 2 hours.
dailymotion.com link: https://dai.ly/x9fv3ce
This episode recounts the harrowing 1914 Antarctic expedition of Ernest Shackleton and his crew, emphasizing their remarkable survival against impossible odds after the ship was trapped and sank in 1915. It's an inspiring tale of human resilience and ingenuity, showcasing the extreme challenges of early polar exploration
Week 11 – good for 2 Discussion leaders
21. Secrets in Your Data, May 15, 2024
Season 51, Episode 7
Whether you’re on social media or surfing the web, you’re probably sharing more personal data than you realize. That can pose a risk to your privacy – even your safety. But at the same time, big datasets could lead to huge advances in fields like medicine. Host Alok Patel leads a quest to understand what happens to all the data we’re shedding and explores the latest efforts to maximize benefits – without compromising personal privacy.
22. Descent Into The Ice
Season 31, Episode 4 - Aired 2/9/2004
Available at YouTube
https://youtu.be/4QnxA7nn_8Y?si=sUxlaHLcL4jWt1Y
And Daily Motion
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ztx1p
A team of "glacionauts" verntures into a labyrinth of unexplored and hazardous glacier caves on France's Mt. Blanc.
Week 12 – Good for 2 Discussion leaders
23. Making Stuff Stronger
January 18, 2011, Season 39
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/NzmPkt4oV7Y?si=0xqd4cH422K7wWES
What is the strongest material in the world? Is it steel, Kevlar, carbon nanotubes, or something entirely new? NOVA kicks off the four-part series "Making Stuff" with a quest for the world's strongest substances. Host David Pogue takes a look at what defines strength, examining everything from steel cables to mollusks to a toucan's beak. Pogue travels from the deck of a U.S. naval aircraft carrier to a demolition derby to the country's top research labs to check in with experts who are re-engineering what nature has given us to create the next generation of strong stuff.
24. Star Chasers of Senegal
February 28, 2023, Season: 50, Episode 2
With an expert astronomer as a guide, this episode delves into Senegal's rich astronomical heritage, revealing a scientific tradition that spans thousands of years. This is a thought-provoking exploration of how ancient and modern astronomical practices converge, showcasing the cultural significance of stargazing in the West African nation..
Nova episodes as above. Shackleton documentary as above