Episode
NOVA: Beyond the Elements: Life
Overview
Without the chemistry of photosynthesis, ozone, and a molecule called Rubisco, none of us would be here. So how did we get so lucky? To find out, host David Pogue investigates the surprising molecules that allowed life on Earth to begin, and ultimately thrive. Along the way, he finds out what we’re all made of—literally.
Details
- Series
- NOVA
- Season
- Season 48
- Episode
- Episode 4
- Air date
- 2021-02-17
- Runtime
- 55 min
Episode context
Beyond the Elements: Life is Episode 4 in Season 48 of NOVA. It aired on 2021-02-17. The runtime is 55 min.
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Episode 3: Beyond the Elements: Indestructible
Women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the United States, and numbers are even lower for women of color. But a growing group of researchers is exposing longstanding discrimination and making science more inclusive.
Episode 5: Looking for Life on Mars
NASA launches its most ambitious hunt for traces of life on Mars, landing a car-sized rover in a rocky, ancient river delta. The rover will stow samples for possible return to Earth and test technology that may pave the way for human travel to Mars.
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Episode 2: Beyond the Elements: Reactions
Just about every solid, liquid, or gas in the world as we know it begins with reactions between individual atoms and molecules. Host David Pogue dives into the transformative world of chemical reactions, from the complex formula that produces cement to the single reaction that’s allowed farmers to feed a global population by the billions—a reaction that when reversed, unleashes the powerful chemistry of high explosives.
Episode 6: Picture a Scientist/ Search Engine Breakdown
Women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the United States, and numbers are even lower for women of color. But a growing group of researchers is exposing longstanding discrimination and making science more inclusive.
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