NOVA
Season 17

s17e01 / The Hidden City

4th Oct '89 - 1:00am
The Hidden City Summary

Actor Judd Hirsch narrates this behind-the scenes look at what makes New York City tick. Water, power and waste are the critical systems that usually work, but sometimes break down with disastrous consequences.

87 have watched this episode

s17e02 / The Controversial Dr. Koop

11th Oct '89 - 1:00am
The Controversial Dr. Koop Summary

In this profile of the former Surgeon General, NOVA follows events as they unfold in a unique behind-the-scenes account of a man who speaks his mind on AIDS, smoking and abortion.

87 have watched this episode

s17e03 / Design Wars!

18th Oct '89 - 1:00am
Design Wars! Summary

Five architects compete for the approval of architecture-obsessed Chicagoans in the contest to build the city's new public library. NOVA looks at the strengths and weakness of each of the surprisingly varied entries.

87 have watched this episode

s17e04 / Echoes of War

25th Oct '89 - 1:00am
Echoes of War Summary

The atomic bomb might have ended World War II, but radar was the quiet miracle that won battles. NOVA tells the little-known wartime history of radar.

87 have watched this episode

s17e05 / Decoding the Book of Life

1st Nov '89 - 2:00am
Decoding the Book of Life Summary

Biologists around the world gear up to decode the three-billion-letter genetic message that describes how humans are made. Ethicists warn that it may not be such a good idea.

87 have watched this episode

s17e06 / Hurricane!

8th Nov '89 - 2:00am
Hurricane! Summary

NOVA studies hurricanes - the lurking giants waiting to destroy many coastal areas - by flying straight into one. Scientists hope that such close-up studies will supply the data to make better predictions.

87 have watched this episode

s17e07 / Will Venice Survive Its Rescue?

15th Nov '89 - 2:00am
Will Venice Survive Its Rescue? Summary

Increasingly awash in high water, the romantic city of Venice is counting on high-tech floodgates to save it from drowning. Environmentalists worry that the gates may destroy the fragile lagoon that surrounds the city.

87 have watched this episode

s17e08 / What Is Music?

22nd Nov '89 - 2:00am
What Is Music? Summary

Coming Soon...

87 have watched this episode

s17e09 / Yellowstone's Burning Question

6th Dec '89 - 2:00am
Yellowstone's Burning Question Summary

The 1988 Yellowstone fire may have been one of the worst in human memory, but nature has had eons of experience with such events. NOVA accompanies scientists who are studying the surprisingly rapid recovery from the blaze.

87 have watched this episode

s17e10 / The Schoolboys Who Cracked the Soviet Secret

13th Dec '89 - 2:00am
The Schoolboys Who Cracked the Soviet Secret Summary

NOVA re-enacts a classic case of classroom detection when English schoolboys track down a secret Soviet launch site.

87 have watched this episode

s17e11 / Poison in the Rockies

10th Jan '90 - 2:00am
Poison in the Rockies Summary

NOVA reports on the 100-year-old legacy of pollution from mining that poisons the once-pristine waters of the Rocky Mountain states. Acid Rain and economic development also contribute to stress on the West's scarce water supply.

87 have watched this episode

s17e12 / Race for the Top

24th Jan '90 - 2:00am
Race for the Top Summary

Using some of the largest machines ever built on earth, American and European physicists race to discover one of the most fundamental and most elusive objects in nature - the top quark.

87 have watched this episode

s17e13 / Disguises of War

7th Feb '90 - 2:00am
Disguises of War Summary

NOVA takes the wraps off the art of deception in war - from simple camouflage to the expensive, radar-evading technology embodied in the Stealth bomber.

87 have watched this episode

s17e14 / The Bomb's Lethal Legacy

14th Feb '90 - 2:00am
The Bomb's Lethal Legacy Summary

NOVA examines an alarming nuclear waste problem at the Hanfrod Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington state, where 45 years of mismanagement in the nuclear weapons industry will cost billions to correct.

87 have watched this episode

s17e15 / The Big Spill

28th Feb '90 - 2:00am
The Big Spill Summary

Covering last year's Exxon Valdez oil spill from an unexplored angle, NOVA focuses on how technology failed in preventing, containing and cleaning up the Alaskan disaster.

87 have watched this episode

s17e16 / The Genius That Was China: Rise of the Dragon (1)

21st Mar '90 - 2:00am
The Genius That Was China: Rise of the Dragon (1) Summary

China in the 13th century was the richest, most powerful, most technologically advanced civilization on earth. NOVA looks at how China achieved what it did, and what in Chinese politics, culture and economy kept it from doing more. Part one of a four part series.

87 have watched this episode

s17e17 / The Genius That Was China: Empires in Collision (2)

28th Mar '90 - 2:00am
The Genius That Was China: Empires in Collision (2) Summary

NOVA examines the extraordinary transformation that propelled Europe outward into the world from the 15th to 18th centuries, while China remained the insular middle kingdom. Part two of a four part series.

87 have watched this episode

s17e18 / The Genius That Was China: The Threat from Japan (3)

4th Apr '90 - 1:00am
The Genius That Was China: The Threat from Japan (3) Summary

East and West came into direct conflict over trade and power in the 19th century. The West won. NOVA explores how Japan was later able to master Western methods, while China was not. Part three of a four part series.

87 have watched this episode

s17e19 / The Genius That Was China: Will the Dragon Rise Again? (4)

11th Apr '90 - 1:00am
The Genius That Was China: Will the Dragon Rise Again? (4) Summary

NOVA covers China's long road to economic and technological equality with the West, punctuated by frequent setbacks such as the 1989 massacre of pro-democratic demonstrations in Beijing. Part four of a four part series.

87 have watched this episode
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