Laurie Cahalane

As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA investigates the latest scientific evidence for its potential benefits and risks, and how criminalization has disproportionately harmed communities of color.

What's the most common, yet most elusive and least understood, particle in the universe? The neutrino. Starting with the invention of the nuclear bomb, billions of dollars have been spent in pursuit of this so-called ghost particle. Outnumbering atoms a billion to one, neutrinos are preposterously plentiful, they hardly interact with anything, and they mystifyingly morph between three different forms.

On the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 11's historic moon landing, NOVA looks ahead to the hoped-for dawn of a new age in space travel.

Recent stunning discoveries are exploding the myth of the Amazon as a primeval wilderness, revealing traces of ancient civilizations that flourished there for centuries. Dense settlements indicate populations in the millions, supported by sophisticated agricultural systems, while huge geometric earthworks and roadways bear witness to complex religious ideas and social networks.

If oceans continue to warm at the current pace, coral reefs could be wiped out by century's end. But scientists from around the globe are rushing to help corals adapt to changing climate through assisted evolution. Follow scientists as they attempt to crossbreed heat-resistant corals, and even transplant corals' algae, in a race to save the coral reefs from extinction.

A NASA spacecraft named Lucy blasts off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to the Trojans, a group of asteroids over 400 million miles from Earth thought to hold important clues about the origins of our solar system. Just hours before, in Senegal, West Africa, a team of scientists sets out to capture extraordinarily precise observations vital to the success of the Lucy mission crucial data needed to help NASA navigate Lucy to its asteroid targets across...

Scott Burnett is 'Scatman' - an Australian ecologist who believes that fully understanding any animal requires understanding its poop. By identifying and analyzing an animal's scat for DNA and hormones, he discovers essential details of its behavior, how it fits in the ecosystem, and even how to protect it, all without needing to trap or disturb it.

Following a trail of fossils found in all the wrong places–beech trees in Antarctica, hippo-like mammals in the Arctic–NOVA uncovers the bizarre history of the poles, from miles-thick ice sheets to warm polar forests teeming with life.

How do you stop a contagious killer microbe? Scientists around the globe are racing to uncover the secrets of the coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic--and using revolutionary techniques to develop lifesaving treatments and vaccines.