Just 200 miles south of the equator, Kilimanjaro has both equatorial and arctic conditions. Here, five distinct climatic zones inhabit the slopes of this 19,340-foot peak. It is a botanist’s dream: Rain forests rise out of the savanna, giving way to moorlands and alpine meadows where rare giant high altitude plants thrive. Atop this peak, a young female geologist takes viewers back to the dawn of time and the splitting apart of the African continent. Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; closed captions; and video descriptions.
Languages: English
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Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine
The challenge of rebuilding the Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine. Discover how the Wright Brothers transformed themselves from bicycle mechanics to high-flying inventors who built a machine that changed the world during a mythical flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903, and see how they contrived to refine their incredible aircraft. Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; closed captions; and video descriptions.
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Hunt for the Supertwister
Little on this earth can withstand the violent fury of an F5 tornado. A churning vortex with winds over 300 miles an hour, these tornadoes create immense swaths of death and destruction in a matter of seconds. But today, experts are exploring the supertwister’s complex inner workings in bold new ways in the hopes of one day being able to accurately predict the occurrences of tornadoes. Armed with the latest high-tech mobile radar and computer technology as well as large amounts of courage, the world’s top scientists and meteorologists take part in some of the most dangerous fieldwork imaginable. Operating just miles from ferocious twisters, they gather data and create forecasting models that may someday save countless lives. Join these fearless stormchasers as they untwist mysteries and close in on a breakthrough that may solve the puzzle of how these killer storms spawn and where they are likely to strike. And venture into America’s “Tornado Alley” region from Texas to the Dakotas to witness some of the most shockingly intense tornado footage ever filmed.
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Dying to Be Thin
Dying To Be Thin introduces you to students, ballet dancers, fashion models and other young women who are seeking recovery or have conquered their disease. Plus, you’ll discover how leading eating disorder specialists are making dramatic advances in the diagnosis and treatment of these two devastating diseases. Go behind the scenes with NOVA for a courageous and candid look at America’s body obsession.
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Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama
A 30-year dream. A 50-mile shortcut. A timeless achievement. A 50-mile shortcut to the Pacific lying just north of the equator is one of the most extraordinary human achievements ever. The building of the Panama Canal was a massive feat of engineering and ingenuity that cost millions of dollars and thousands of lives. NOVA offers a unique opportunity to explore the mind-boggling undertaking through historic film footage, rare archival photographs and insightful narration from author David McCullough.
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Secrets of Lost Empires II: Medieval Siege
Discover how the fearsome, mechanized marvel known as the trebuchet catapulted warfare in different directions in Medieval Siege. Travel back to the Middle Ages and relive a fascinating turning point in warfare and medieval history.
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Welcome to Mars – DVD
On January 3, 2004, a tiny rover named Spirit crash-landed on the dusty surface of Mars and sent its first message home. The elation of the assembled scientists, as well as the behind-the-scenes engineering story leading up to the landing were captured by NOVA in its hugely popular documentary MARS Dead or Alive. That elation is the starting point for the highly anticipated sequel, Welcome to Mars, which follows the adventures of Spirit and Opportunity on the red planet. Once again, NOVA’s producers enjoyed unprecedented access to the mission scientists at JPL as they wrestled with the technical crises that soon beset the rovers. Welcome to Mars presents a compelling inside story of triumph and technical ingenuity, full of scientfic and human drama, with stunning fresh images from an alien world.
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A Science Odyssey
Join host Charles Osgood in this extraordinary chronicle of 20th-century scientific adventures. Viewers journey through 100 years of discovery, combining historical footage, interviews and animation. “Matters of Life and Death” includes the key topics of fighting disease, penicillin, insulin, surgery and organ transplants. (9:20 hrs. on 5 discs)
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Life and Death in the War Zone
NOVA follows the Army’s 10th Combat Support Hospital medical unit prior to (at their headquarters in Fort Carlson, Colorado), and following, the unit’s deployment to the Gulf region. Special DVD features include: a link to the NOVA web site; closed captions; and video descriptions.
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Saving the National Treasures – DVD
Every year, more than a million people visit the Rotunda at the National Archives in Washington to view the three most tangible symbols of democracy: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The parchments, faded from two centuries of wear, seem safe behind their green-tinted, bullet-proof glass. But the Archives’ curators, looking more closely, have detected flaking ink and other worrisome signs of decay. To head off the danger, the Archives has embarked on a five-year project to design and build new encasements for the charters — and a new Rotunda in which to view them. Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; closed captions; and video descriptions.