In July 1982, a 42-year-old addict in a San Jose, California jail became paralyzed - unable to move or talk. His symptoms, caused by a bad batch of synthetic heroin, were indistinguishable from those associated with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative nerve disorder that strikes the elderly. NOVA traces the story of a "designer" drug which could lead to a major medical breakthrough.

NOVA Season 13 Episodes...

• s13e01 - The National Science Test II
• s13e02 - Seeds of Tomorrow
• s13e03 - What Einstein Never Knew
• s13e04 - The Robot Revolution?
• s13e05 - The Magic of Special Effects
• s13e06 - Child Survival: The Silent Emergency
• s13e07 - Tornado!
• s13e08 - The Genetic Gamble
• s13e09 - Animal Architects
• s13e10 - The Plane that Changed the World
• s13e11 - Halley's Comet: Once in a Lifetime
• s13e12 - Goddess of the Earth
• s13e13 - Horsemen of China
• s13e14 - Life's First Feelings
• s13e15 - The Case of the Frozen Addict
• s13e16 - Toxic Trials
• s13e17 - Skydive to the Rain Forest
• s13e18 - Return of the Osprey
• s13e19 - The Rise of a Wonder Drug
• s13e20 - When Wonder Drugs Don't Work
• s13e21 - Visions of Star Wars

NOVA Show Summary

Seen in more than 100 countries, NOVA is the most watched science based television series in the world and the most watched documentary series on PBS. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won many major television awards, most of them many times over.