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?
Subjects: Life Science
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Deadly Ascent
Each year, more than 1,000 mountain climbers venture to Denali National Park in Alaska and attempt to reach Mt. McKinley’s summit, the highest point in North America. In an exploration of extreme medical science, NOVA ascends to the top of Denali to try to solve the mystery of high altitude deaths on one of the most dangerous mountains on earth. Deadly Ascent chronicles daring mountain rescues, emergency medical evacuations, and cutting-edge science experiments as a team of researchers, doctors, and mountaineering experts employing the latest NASA technology investigate the lethal diseases attacking climbers all over the world.
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The Mummy Who Would Be King
It is a tantalizing idea: a shriveled mummy that has lain neglected on a dusty museum shelf at Niagara Falls could be the remnants of a long-lost Egyptian pharaoh. While a trail of clues hints at how the looted mummy made its way to North America a century and a half ago, archaeologists go to Emory University to employ the latest imaging and DNA techniques in hopes of confirming the body’s hidden identity. Their results provide compelling evidence that the mummy may indeed be that of Ramesses I, founder of ancient Egypt’s most illustrious dynasty. This amazing story of historical intrigue and forensic science concludes as the mummy takes its rightful place alongside royal relatives in an Egyptian museum, a fitting solution to a 3,000 year-old puzzle.
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The Unknown World
They’re hiding in your closet. They’re lurking in your bed. They’re all over you–snacking on your skin, burrowing through your scalp, munching on your mascara. They’re the creepy crawlers of the unknown world, and now–thanks to micro-photographer Lennart Nilsson, who brought us The Miracle of Life–you can (shudder) catch these critters in the act, magnified to monster size.
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Everest: The Death Zone
Get ready for a (literally) breathtaking trek up Mt. Everest, from Base Camp at 17,600 feet; through the chilling, corpse-strewn Death Zone; to the very pinnacle of the the Earth, five and a half miles above sea level. For those brave souls who survive the harrowing climb to the top of the world, it is a transformative experience. But can the excruciating ascent–through frigid cold, blasting wind, blinding sun, and severe lack of oxygen–cause permanent, damaging changes to the human brain and body? Special DVD features include: Access to the Everest: The Death Zone Web site; chapter search; English audiotrack; subtitles.
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The Miracle of Life
Each minute, all over the world, a baby is born. An everyday occurrence, yet each birth is the culmination of one of nature’s most complex, mysterious, and seemingly miraculous processes. A dramatic breakthrough in science and cinematography, 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. Special DVD features include: Access to the award-winning NOVA Web site; chapter search; English audiotrack; subtitles.
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Odyssey of Life: The Photographer’s Secrets
The photographer who led us into the awe-inspiring world of the womb has agreed to take us behind the scenes of his own work. For the first time ever, Lennart Nilsson reveals the state-of-the-art techniques that gave us The Miracle of Life and so much more. For decades, this unparalleled photographer has astonished the world with images–from the creatures under the sea to the viruses inside our cells–that make visible the mysteries of life. Yet Lennart Nilsson has kept his own secrets to himself…until now. Special DVD features include: Access to the NOVA Web site featuring an interview with Lennart Nilsson, a time-lapse sequence of growing embryos, an online teacher’s guide, and more; chapter search; English audiotrack; and subtitles.
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Search for a Safe Cigarette
In Search for a Safe Cigarette, NOVA gains unprecedented access to tobacco research and manufacturing facilities and asks the question: Can science help create a safer cigarette? Journey inside a lit cigarette and see how superheated tobacco creates over 45 known carcinogens. Trace the little-known history of “reduced risk” cigarettes, and discover why safer cigarettes developed in the 1960s were discontinued. See how tobacco-specific nitrosomines damage human DNA. Explore America’s love affair with cigarettes, including tobacco’s role in US history, shrewd cigarette marketing, and the impact of the Surgeon General’s warning. Then look into the future of “safer” tobacco products, like Accord, a new smoking system that features an external battery-powered tobacco lighter. Special DVD features include: Access to the Search for a Safe Cigarette Web site which features the anatomy of a cigarette, a history of “safer” cigarettes, effects of nicotine, a virtual science lab, an online teacher’s guide, and more; chapter search; English audiotrack; and subtitles.
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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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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.