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Spooky Truth about Quantum Computers | What the Physics?!

67K views · 1d ago · 6:45

Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize our world. Could we be on the verge of a breakthrough? And why is it so difficult to pull off? Stream NOVA documentaries & more with PBS Documentaries on Prime Video Help us bring the universe closer to home. Your donation ensures that NOVA’s deep-space discoveries and quantum physics explorations remain free and inspiring for the next generation of scientists. Support fact-based storytelling today.

Evolution's Weirdest Creatures | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS

78K views · 2d ago · 54:01

Guest: Evolution's Weirdest Creatures

Follow the surprising evolutionary journey that led to the majestic elephant. Earth teems with life in every imaginable form—creatures that walk, swim, slither, and fly. Some grow to astonishing size, like the elephant, while others boast extravagant adaptations, like the hummingbird’s long beak. How did evolution craft such a dazzling variety of body plans? To find the answer, trace life back to its ultimate ancestor, LUCA, and follow the innovations that shaped complexity.

Topics: From Single-Celled to Multicellular Organisms · Evolution of Breathing Oxygen · Evolution of the Elephant

New Dwarf Planet Hiding in Our Solar System? | NOVA | PBS

2.7M views · 3d ago · 6:53

Scientists might have found a new dwarf planet! Meet 2026 ED138, an incredibly bright object beyond Pluto, billions of miles away from Earth. A team of scientists spotted it for the first time using the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, equipped with an 8.4 meter telescope that has the world’s largest digital camera.

Interview: Can Humans Cause Earthquakes? with John Shaw | Particles of Thought

32K views · 1w ago · 49:44

Guest: John Shaw

Earthquakes can be more powerful than atomic bombs. Luckily, Harvard geophysicist John Shaw has ideas on how to beat them. What really causes earthquakes? How can cities and buildings be engineered to survive them? John and Hakeem trace the science of shaking ground from ancient myth to cutting-edge machine learning, and reveal just how much is still left to discover deep beneath the surface.

The Bizarre Mutations That Allow Us to Eat | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS

127K views · 1w ago · 54:02

Discover the untold story—full of surprising evolutionary leaps—behind every bite we take. Originally titled "Evolution: Need to Feed" The relentless pursuit of energy, the very act of eating, has profoundly shaped life on Earth. Follow the evolution of the bat to discover the untold story behind every bite we take—one marked by astonishing evolutionary leaps revealing the strange origins of fundamental body parts like powerful jaws.

Topics: Ancient Evolution of the Through-Gut · Ancient Evolution of Jaws · Evolution of Mammalian Traits · Evolution of Bats

Does Electricity Move Instantly? | What the Physics?!

50K views · 2w ago · 5:57

In 1746, Physicist Jean-Antoine Nollet had a question: how fast does electricity travel? To find out, he devised a simple experiment: connecting a large group of monks by thick electric wire and flipping the switch. Over two centuries later, while we may question the methodology, we can’t argue with the shocking results.

Topics: The Speed of Electricity · How Does Electricity Move So Fast?

Evolution: Brain Power | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS

158K views · 2w ago · 53:50

The story of the dolphin reveals how intelligence evolved, step by step, over billions of years. Brains might be the most complex structures on our planet—so how did evolution build them? To find out, rewind the clock three billion years to trace the evolutionary story of the dolphin, one of the smartest animals alive today.

Topics: The Origin of Eyes · Protecting Complex Brains · Evolution of the Mammal Brain · The Earliest Marine Mammals

How to Build Your Own Heat-Regulating Hogan | NOVA | PBS

627K views · 2w ago · 9:11

Explore how traditional Indigenous architecture can help regulate heat under extreme conditions. Built to withstand the extreme desert temperatures of the American Southwest, hogans are a masterclass in sustainable engineering. Discover how the Navajo—also referred to as Diné— use traditional knowledge to construct these ingenious heat-regulating structures.

Space Lasers? Anti-Satellite Missiles? The Future is Now | NOVA | PBS

156K views · 3w ago · 10:42

Explore the state-of-the-art tools of modern space warfare. Space warfare is no longer science fiction. Explore the tech behind it all— from laser "dazzling" systems that can blind enemy satellites, to missile systems that can obliterate them. As the latest space race continues to escalate, will the next battlefield be an orbital zone?

Interview: The Fusion Future with Dennis Whyte | Particles of Thought

127K views · 3w ago · 1:30:22

Guest: Dennis Whyte

There is a near-limitless energy source to power our world, and it may be almost here. Dennis Whyte shares with Hakeem that we're closer than ever to bottling the power of the sun. He would know. He’s now the CEO of the United Kingdom’s Atomic Energy Authority and a nuclear scientist at MIT. What happens when we finally unlock nuclear fusion, the same energy source that powers the sun? What even is fusion?