NOVA Wonders

This six-episode documentary series follows researchers as they tackle unanswered questions about life and the cosmos. Each “NOVA Wonders” episode poses a single scientific question and explores how close scientists are to an answer.

Hosted by three young scientists, the series travels to some unexpected places in search of answers, including deep underwater, underneath skin, below the earth, and deep into space.

In NOVA Wonders, some segments even include the microscopic world of the human microbiome and the search for life and intelligence on other planets.

Episode 1: What Are Animals Saying?

Clues reveal how animals talk to each other, from spider thumps and mice mating songs to signals among the chimps.

Episode 2: What’s Living in You?

Non-human bacteria, viruses and fungi live in and on humans, making the body like an ecosystem for trillions of microbes.

Episode 3: Are We Alone?

From the Kepler mission’s discovery of thousands of exoplanets to high-tech telescopes still being developed, prospects for discovering life beyond Earth have never been stronger.

Episode 4: Can We Build a Brain?

Artificially intelligent machines influence everyday life, from interpreting emotions to acting as personal assistants. NOVA Wonders if it’s possible to unlock the power of our brain and create a more powerful artificial intelligence. Find out how far away we are from creating an artificial intelligence as smart as – or even smarter.

Episode 5: Can We Make Life?

Advances in genetic engineering and synthetic biology give researchers the ability to create DNA and edit it into existing genomes with more ease and less cost than ever before.

Episode 6: What’s the Universe Made Of?

Powerful telescopes peer deeper into the cosmos, allowing scientists to better study dark matter and dark energy.