Are sharks developing a taste for human flesh? A rash of shark attacks off Hawaii spurs a team of researchers to track the predators’ elusive movements-and the scientists discover some surprising truths about the way sharks kill.
Producers: WGBH
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Cracking the Code of Life
ABC Nightline correspondent Robert Krulwich lends a lighthearted touch to genetic science in this provocative two-hour NOVA special that takes you inside the amazing, complex and contentious race to decode the human genome. The Human Genome Project was born in 1990, when an international consortium of labs set out to sequence all 3 billion letters of our DNA. Armed with this powerful information, medical pioneers are in the midst of astonishing breakthroughs that will change medicine as we know it. Will you get cancer, arthritis, or Alzheimer’s? The answer lies in your genetic code–but the question is: Do you want to know? And will these new discoveries eventually lead to cures?
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Apollo 13 – Journey to the Moon, Mars and Back
Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back tells the gripping, true story of the catastrophic flight of the Apollo 13 and the heroic struggle to bring the astronauts back alive. With first-hand accounts from the pilots, their families, and the people of mission control, it documents a thrilling struggle against time and all odds and serves as a reminder that, in the words of James Lovell, “We do not realize what we have on Earth until we leave it.” To the Moon: The mission was impossible. The odds were astronomical. The results were spectacular. NOVA shares the fascinating inside story behind “one giant leap for mankind.” MARS Dead or Alive: Go inside NASA’s risky field trip to the red planet in this tense and dramatic behind-the-scenes chronicle of the $820 million Mars Exploration Rover (MER) project. (258 min on 3 discs.)
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Hurricane!
Witness nature’s fury as hurricanes Camille and Gilbert crash onto the Gulf coast. Join Hugh Willoughby on a data-gathering flight made into the eye of Hurricane Gilbert in September 1988. NOVA obtained spectacular footage of the storm’s center–a canyon of clear blue sky surrounded by a wall of clouds 10 miles high. As Bob Sheets, director of the National Hurricane Center says, “Even if we could issue the perfect forecast, it does no good unless you motivate people to take the right action.”
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Runaway Universe
Runaway Universe presents the dramatic quest to unlock the secrets of the stars as two rival astronomy teams search for exploding stars, map gigantic cosmic patterns of galaxies, and grapple with the ultimate question: what is the fate of the universe? With the use of stunning three-dimensional cosmic simulations captured with revolutionary high-definition technology, NOVA presents the first attempt to explore the riddle of “dark energy”–the mysterious repulsive force that some scientists believe counteracts gravity.
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Death of a Star
Supernovas are as spectacular as they are rare. In early 1987, a giant star exploded in the sky – one of the most violent celestial events since the creation of the universe. Why did this phenomenon fascinate, baffle, and delight astronomers? What causes a star to explode? How will these energy blasts help us understand our universe? Journey to space and around the globe for an astounding look at the true meaning of star power.
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The Stars – Supernovas, the Big Bang, and More
Includes: Death Star; Death Of A Star; Runaway Universe
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Mountain of Ice
In this high-altitude adventure, author Jon Krakauer and world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker lead an expedition to the top of Antarctica’s tallest peak, Vinson Massif. Along the way, their experiences are contrasted with those of Norwegian adventurer Roald Amundsen and British explorer Robert Falcon Scott who in 1911 raced to be the first to reach the South Pole.
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Great Peaks:Everest, Kilimanjaro, McKinley, Mont Blanc, and the Vinson Massif
Climb Five of the World’s Great Peaks with NOVA. Everest: The Death Zone: Get ready for a breathtaking trek up Mt. Everest, from Base Camp through the chilling, corpse-strewn Death Zone; to the very pinnacle of the Earth, five and a half miles above sea level. Join the expedition as scientists follow a team of hikers to measure the toll high-altitude climbing takes on the heart, lungs, blood and brain.
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The Miracle of Life Set – Also Includes Life’s First Feelings
The Miracle of Life takes you on an incredible voyage through the human body as a new life begins. World-renowned Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson presents a spectacular look at a microscopic world of beautiful colors and forms deep inside ourselves. Bonus DVD! NOVA: Life’s First Feelings