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NOVA

NOVA Season 12

1985·20 episodes

PBS' 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.

Episodes

  1. Episode 1 · 55m · 15 Jan 1985Edgerton and His Incredible Seeing MachinesNOVA explores the fascinating world of Dr. Harold Edgerton, electronics wizard and inventor extraordinaire, whose invention of the electronic strobe, a "magic lamp," has enabled the human eye to see the unseen.
  2. Episode 2 · 55m · 22 Jan 1985Global VillageNOVA presents an in-depth look at India's attempt to use satellite technology to leapfrog into the era of space-age communication and whether it brings benefit or blight to India's villages and rural areas.
  3. Episode 3 · 55m · 29 Jan 1985Conquest of the ParasitesNOVA examines the complex world of parasites, parasitic diseases and the exciting work currently being done by a new breed of medical researchers as they meet the challenge of conquering the world's number one medical problem.
  4. Episode 4 · 55m · 5 Feb 1985In the Land of the Polar BearsA rare look at the beautiful and desolate Wrangel Island-a Soviet possession 300 miles off the coast of Alaska-as seen through the eyes of Soviet Filmmaker and naturalist Yuri Ledin. Wrangel Island is not only the home to Siberian snow geese, polar foxes and Walruses, but serves as the world's largest denning area for Polar bears.
  5. Episode 5 · 55m · 12 Feb 1985AIDS: Chapter OneAcquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, is a deadly disease that has struck down some 2,000 people in the four years since its discovery. NOVA examines how modern science has been unraveling the mystery of this baffling ailment.
  6. Episode 6 · 55m · 19 Feb 1985The Shape of ThingsSea shells, Crystals, Honeycombs, Eggs and seeds: They are shaped the way they are for a reason. NOVA takes viewers on a unique journey of discovery to find out why things are shaped the way they are and why they work so well.
  7. Episode 7 · 55m · 26 Feb 1985Baby TalkIt's a mystery just how children acquire language. Does the process begin in the womb? And which comes first, language or thought? NOVA explores the fascinating world of baby talk and reveals the latest theories on this remarkable achievement.
  8. Episode 8 · 55m · 5 Mar 1985The Mathematical Mystery TourImagine a bottle with no inside or a number bigger than infinity or parallel lines that meet. Welcome to the world of pure mathematics. NOVA offers a look into a wholly abstract, quirky world of mathematics.
  9. Episode 9 · 55m · 12 Mar 1985Child's Play: Prodigies and PossibilitiesWhat do Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the painter Raphael and chess champion Bobby Fischer have in common? They were all child prodigies. NOVA explores the current efforts to learn more about the nature of giftedness.
  10. Episode 10 · 55m · 19 Mar 1985Monarch of the MountainsNOVA explores the breeding, migration and survival patterns of the Rocky Mountain elk in a unique film, made totally under natural conditions. Telephoto lenses were used so as not to disturb the animals; filmmakers spent 18 months tracking the elk through the breathtaking Wyoming Rockies.
  11. Episode 11 · 55m · 8 Oct 1985The National Science Test IIIn NOVA's special sequel to 1984's National Science Test, viewers can match wits with celebrity panelists David Attenborough, Michelle Johnson, Edwin Newman and Alvin Poussaint and a live studio audience. Art Fleming hosts.
  12. Episode 12 · 55m · 15 Oct 1985Seeds of TomorrowNOVA examines worldwide efforts of scientists who employ aggressive agricultural technologies to ensure food for the future.
  13. Episode 13 · 55m · 22 Oct 1985What Einstein Never KnewAlbert Einstein did not live to find the answer. NOVA follows a new generation of physicists in their search to explain the mystery of the universe.
  14. Episode 14 · 55m · 29 Oct 1985The Robot Revolution?How are the computer and the robot affecting the way we work? NOVA chronicles the new industrial revolution reshaping the American workplace.
  15. Episode 15 · 55m · 5 Nov 1985The Magic of Special EffectsNOVA cameras go behind-the-scenes to reveal the new art of illusion, Hollywood-style, focusing on three blockbuster films—Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and 2010: The Year We Make Contact.
  16. Episode 16 · 55m · 12 Nov 1985Child Survival: The Silent EmergencyNOVA charts the progress of an ambitious worldwide health program established to save the lives of millions of children who continue to die from common but curable diseases.
  17. Episode 17 · 55m · 19 Nov 1985Tornado!NOVA follows a chase team—a group of scientists who chart deadly Tornadoes—in an effort to learn more about predicting nature's most powerful and elusive weather phenomenon.
  18. Episode 18 · 55m · 26 Nov 1985The Genetic GambleNOVA examines current research and its ethical implications as modern medicine confronts the era of human gene therapy.
  19. Episode 19 · 55m · 3 Dec 1985Animal ArchitectsNOVA examines the intricate world of nature's construction industry and presents rare footage of unusual habits.
  20. Episode 20 · 55m · 17 Dec 1985The Plane that Changed the WorldNOVA joins the 50th anniversary celebration of the DC-3—the plane that revolutionized commercial air travel, served gallantly in World War II and is called the most important plane ever built.