NOVA: Season 46

Episode 1: Pluto and Beyond 2019-01-02 | 55 min Since it explored Pluto in 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft has been zooming toward NASA’s most distant target yet. Join the mission team as the probe attempts to fly by Ultima Thule, an object 4 billion miles from Earth. Episode 2: Einstein's Quantum Riddle 2019-01-09 | 55 min Einstein called it “spooky action at a distance,” but today quantum entanglement is poised to revolutionize technology from computers to cryptography. Physicists have gradually become convinced that the phenomenon—two subatomic particles that mirror changes in each other instantaneously over any distance—is real. Episode 3: Kïlauea: Hawai'i on Fire 2019-01-23 | 55 min Journey to Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, which sent rivers of lava through communities and into the sea when it erupted in 2018. A group of scientists and locals investigate the spike in volcano activity that turned paradise into an inferno. Episode 4: Decoding the Great Pyramid 2019-02-06 | 55 min New archeological evidence sheds light on the stunning engineering of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Episode 5: Rise of the Rockets 2019-02-13 | 55 min With new technologies, NASA and private companies are promising a new renaissance in space travel. Episode 6: The Next Pompeii 2019-02-20 | 55 min In the shadow of Vesuvius and Pompeii, a lesser-known volcano puts the city of Naples at risk. Episode 7: Saving the Dead Sea 2019-04-24 | 55 min Scientists, engineers and political leaders devise a plan to save the Dead Sea, whose levels have declined by more than 65 feet since 1976. Episode 8: Inside the Megafire 2019-05-08 | 55 min Scientists try to determine the cause for the increasing megafire threat by exploring the physics of fire, how firestorms move and travel and by analyzing aerial drone and satellite data to catch fires before they start. Episode 9: First Horse Warriors 2019-05-15 | 55 min Canadian anthropologist Niobe Thompson travels to sites in Kazakhstan, genetics labs in Denmark and anthropology museums in Russia to unlock mysteries surrounding the first riders of wild horses. Episode 10: Lost Viking Army 2019-05-22 | 55 min Forensic archaeologist Cat Jarman and her team investigate the Great Heathen army, a legendary Viking fighting force that invaded England in the 9th century. Episode 11: Back to the Moon 2019-07-10 | 55 min On the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing, NOVA looks ahead to the hoped-for dawn of a new age in lunar exploration. This time, governments and private industry are working together to reach our nearest celestial neighbour. But why go back? The Moon can serve as a platform for basic astronomical research; as an abundant source of rare metals and hydrogen fuel; and ultimately as a stepping stone for human missions to Mars and beyond. Join the next generation of engineers that aim to take us to the Moon, and discover how our legacy of lunar exploration won't be confined to the history books for long. Episode 12: The Planets: Inner Worlds 2019-07-24 | 55 min The rocky planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars all have similar origins, but only one supports life. Episode 13: The Planets: Mars 2019-07-24 | 55 min The dry, red planet Mars was once a blue water world studded with active volcanoes and may have even had the ingredients to support life. Episode 14: The Planets: Jupiter 2019-07-31 | 55 min Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped shape life on Earth as it brought comets laden with water and possibly the asteroid that put an end to the dinosaurs. Episode 15: The Planets: Saturn 2019-08-07 | 55 min Nasa's Cassini reveals the mysteries of Saturn's rings and new hope for life on one of its moons. Episode 16: The Planets: Ice Worlds 2019-08-14 | 55 min Uranus and Neptune's unexpected rings, supersonic winds and dozens of moons; an up-close view of Pluto before exploring the Kuiper belt. Episode 17: Why Bridges Collapse 2019-10-16 | 55 min Join experts as they compare what happened in several deadly bridge collapses across America. Episode 18: Look Who's Driving 2019-10-23 | 55 min Self-driving cars may one day be big business, but will they ever be safer than human drivers? Episode 19: Rise of the Mammals 2019-10-30 | 55 min Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs in a fiery global catastrophe. An amazing trove of fossils reveals how mammals took over, ultimately evolving into the huge array of species—including humans—that rule the Earth today. Episode 20: Dead Sea Scroll Detectives 2019-11-06 | 55 min Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, these fragile parchment relics have intrigued scholars, religious leaders, and profiteers alike. The 2,000-year-old scrolls include the oldest-known versions of the Hebrew Bible and hold vital clues about the birth of Christianity. While certain scrolls have survived intact, others have been ravaged by time—burnt, decayed, or torn to pieces—and remain an enigma. Now, scientists are using new technologies to read the unreadable, solve mysteries that have endured for millennia, and even discover million-dollar fakes. Episode 21: Decoding Da Vinci 2019-11-13 | 55 min How Leonardo da Vinci used science to create his legendary artwork. Included: why Mona Lisa's smile is so captivating—and what it took to create it. Episode 22: The Violence Paradox 2019-11-20 | 55 min Is violence actually declining? If so, why? And can we build a more peaceful future? Episode 23: Animal Espionage 2019-11-27 | 55 min Camera technology is revolutionizing the study of animals—without them even noticing.