NOVA reveals the amazing technologies that make drones so powerful. From cameras that can capture every detail of an entire city at a glance, to swarming robots that can make decisions on their own, to giant air frames that can stay aloft for days on end, drones are changing our relationship to war, surveillance and each other. Discover the cutting-edge technologies that are propelling us toward a new chapter in aviation history.
Grade levels: Adult
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NOVA: Ancient Computers
An unpromising lump of metal found in a 2,000-year-old shipwreck turns out to be an extraordinary treasure: the world’s first computer. NOVA follows the ingenious detective work that painstakingly discovered the truth about the ancient Greek device: it was an astonishingly sophisticated astronomical calculator and eclipse predictor, unrivaled until the era of modern science and believed to be from the workshop of Archimedes.
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NOVA: Building Pharaoh’s Chariot
Around 3,600 years ago, reliefs in Egyptian tombs and temples depict pharaohs and warriors proudly riding into battle on horse-drawn chariots. Some historians claim that the chariot launched a technological and strategic revolution, and was the secret weapon behind Egypt’s greatest era of conquest known as the New Kingdom. But was the Egyptian chariot really a revolutionary design? How decisive a role did it play in the bloody battles of the ancient world? In Building Pharaoh’s Chariot, a team of archaeologists, engineers, woodworkers, and horse trainers join forces to build and test two highly accurate replicas of Egyptian royal chariots. They discover astonishingly advanced features, including spoked wheels, springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars, and even a convex shaped rear mirror, leading one of them to compare the level of design to the engineering standards of 1930’s-era Buicks! By driving the pair of replicas to their limits in the desert outside Cairo, NOVA’s experts test the claim that the chariot marks a crucial turning point in ancient military history.
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NOVA: Who Killed Lindbergh’s Baby
In the aftermath of his 1927 solo transatlantic flight, Colonel Charles Augustus Lindbergh-Lucky Lindy-became the most famous human being on earth. But on the evening of March 1, 1932 Lucky Lindy’s luck ran out. Bold kidnappers snatched his baby son, Charlie, from the family home near Hopewell, New Jersey while everyone in the house was awake. Negotiations with the kidnappers stretched out for weeks, but little Charlie never came back. His body was discovered not five miles from Hopewell. A German immigrant, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, was executed for the crime. But was he really guilty? And could there be other kidnappers that were never caught?
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Earth from Space
Earth From Space is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. Produced in extensive consultation with NASA scientists, NOVA takes data from earth-observing satellites and transforms it into dazzling visual sequences, each one exposing the intricate and surprising web of forces that sustains life on earth. Witness how dust blown from the Sahara fertilizes the Amazon; how a vast submarine “waterfall” off Antarctica helps drive ocean currents around the world; and how the sun’s heating up of the southern Atlantic gives birth to a colossally powerful hurricane. From the microscopic world of water molecules vaporizing over the ocean to the magnetic field that is bigger than Earth itself, Earth From Space reveals the astonishing beauty and complexity of our dynamic planet.
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Mind of a Rampage Killer
What makes a person walk into a theater, church, or classroom and open fire? What combination of circumstances compels a human being to commit the most inhuman of crimes? As the nation tries to comprehend the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, NOVA correspondent Miles O’Brien investigates theories that many rampage killers are driven most of all by the wish to die, not the urge to kill. Could suicide-and the desire to go out in a media-fueled blaze of glory-be their main motivation? How much can science tell us about a brain at risk for violence? Most important, can we recognize dangerous minds in time to stop the next Newtown?
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Longest Hatred
“They are the other. They are not us.” Throughout time, words such as these have been used to justify and vilify. This stunning documentary takes an unsparing look at the ways such words have shaped the experience of Jewish people, from the first century to the present. In part one, “From the Cross to the Swastika,” traces an image that begins with the earliest writing of Christianity. In part two, “Enemies of the People,” shows how anti-Semitic sentiment has accompanied a growing nationalism in Europe in recent decades. Part three, Between Moses and Muhammed, takes a humanistic look at relations between Arabs and Israelis, once linked by pseudo-science under the degrading label ”Semite,” and now enmeshed in one of the world’s most violent conflicts. (2.5 hrs. on 2 cassettes)
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Sister Wendy in Conversation with Bill Moyers Book
A 96-page companion book to the video Sister Wendy in Conversation with Bill Moyers, contains the complete transcript of the three-hour conversation between Sister Wendy and Bill Moyers–including additional dialogue not in the video.
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NOVA scienceNOW: What are Animals Thinking?
Have you ever wondered what’s going on inside your pet’s mind? In What Are Animals Thinking? find out how a beehive resembles a human brain and whether your dog is really feeling guilty when it gives you that famous “guilty look.”
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The Churchills
An astounding portrait of one of history’s most important families. They overcame doubters with powerful persuasion. They overthrew enemies with ruthless determination. They overjoyed the public with courageous leadership. The Churchills–regally descended from the first Duke of Marlborough–blended aristocratic privilege with ceaseless ambition to ultimately bring glory to their nation and their name. Special DVD features include: a link to the American Experience Web site; closed captions; and video descriptions. (2.5 hrs on 1 disc)