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NOVA : Season 53
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Air date: 21 Jan '26 - 8 episodesPBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.
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List of Episodes (8)
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NOVA (1974)
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1. Asteroids: Spark of Life?
21 Jan '26Imagine a time when Earth was a molten, volcanic wasteland, heavily bombarded by colossal asteroids. We’ve long feared these cosmic impacts as destroyers of life, but what if they were the key to our very existence? Explore a revolutionary theory suggesting that these violent collisions provided the essential ingredients – water, minerals, and energy – needed for life to ignite on our planet. Discover how scientists are unearthing evidence from lunar rocks and ancient impact craters,
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NOVA (1974)
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2. Angkor: Hidden Jungle Empire
28 Jan '26Uncover the lost secrets of a once-mighty empire. The city of Angkor, the seat of the great Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia for 500 years, was once the biggest city in the world. For centuries, this incredible civilization flourished, building the largest religious monument on Earth, Angkor Wat, and mastering urban engineering in a challenging landscape. But then it was mysteriously abandoned, swallowed by the jungle. Now, cutting-edge technology and new discoveries are finally revealing how this
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NOVA (1974)
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3. Can Dogs Talk?
04 Feb '26Imagine a world where your furry best friend could tell you exactly what they're thinking. A growing number of dog owners claim this is already happening, thanks to innovative word buttons that seem to unlock a new realm of canine communication. But are these dogs truly understanding what we’re saying — and talking back? Are they really thinking creatively, applying words in new contexts? Or is this just clever conditioning? To find out, scientists are conducting the largest animal
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NOVA (1974)
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4. Mammal Origins
11 Feb '26Uncover the surprising ancient origins of mammals, a story that began long before the dinosaurs' reign. Surveying Earth's tumultuous past reveals how some of our earliest ancestors, the therapsids – creatures that looked like reptiles but were starting to develop mammalian traits – survived multiple global catastrophes. Through remarkable adaptations like burrowing and the emergence of warm-bloodedness, they forged a lineage that persevered against all odds. Fascinating fossil clues and
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NOVA (1974)
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5. Stone Age Temple Mystery
25 Feb '26On a remote hillside in modern-day Turkey sits Gpbekli Tepe, the oldest temple on Earth. For centuries, archaeologists believed it was a religious center built by nomadic hunter-gatherers before the rise of civilization. But groundbreaking new evidence reveals that a sophisticated community of settled hunter-gatherers, not nomads, lived here year-round for centuries. This startling discovery could be the missing link in humanity's momentous transition from hunting to farming. Follow experts as
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NOVA (1974)
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6. Return to the Moon
15 Apr '26A half-century after Apollo, the Artemis missions aim to bring astronauts back to the Moon and establish a lunar space station. Follow the Artemis II engineers and crew on the perilous 10-day journey to orbit the Moon.
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NOVA (1974)
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7. Rain Bombs
22 Apr '26An invisible, unpredictable atmospheric force is wreaking havoc across the globe, sinking superyachts and bringing down planes. Follow scientists as they race to understand these catastrophic weather events, exploring how they form, what causes their devastating impacts, and how we might someday learn to predict them. From high-tech simulations and drone expeditions into thunderclouds to possible links with climate change, join investigators on the cutting edge of research to discover what's
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NOVA (1974)
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8. Athens: Birth of Democracy
29 Apr '26Follow archaeological investigations into the dramatic origins of democracy in Greece 2,500 years ago. Mass graves and ancient ruins where tyrants were murdered shine new light on the birth of a revolutionary form of government.
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