science television programs

Bonus program: How to build a beating heart: "Scientists are using tissue engineering to harness the body's natural powers to grow skin, muscle, body parts and vital organs, even hearts." -- video.nationalgeographic.com.

Diseases that were largely eradicated in the U.S. a generation ago, such as whooping cough, measles, and mumps, have returned in recent years, in part because of parents deciding to opt out of immunization shots for their children. This program examines the science behind epidemics and vaccinations and explores the risks of refusing immunization and questions into the safety of vaccines.

This season returns with interactive tests designed to mess with your mind and reveal the mechanics of your brain. Hosted by Jason Silva, the show features mind-bending and illusion-shattering experiments to reveal the mysteries of your brain.

Millions of people around the world live in the shadow of active volcanoes. From Japan's Mount Fuji to the 'Sleeping Giant' submerged beneath Naples to the Yellowstone 'Supervolcano' in the United States, Nova travels with scientists who are attempting to discover how likely these volcanoes are to erupt, when it might happen, and exactly how deadly they could prove to be.

Pre-historic monsters stranger and scarier than anything ever seen before are brought to life --monsters that scientists never knew existed until a few years ago. Viewers are transported to locations across the planet and back through hundreds of millions of years, experiencing the lives of the most amazing creatures that ever lived.

Examines three different types of rock and how each is formed. A visit to the Grand Canyon illustrates how geologists discern clues to Earth's history by studying the composition of rock layers that have eroded over millions of years.

Explores the conditions, climate, and plant and animal species of the world's major biomes, including the tundra and taiga, grasslands and deciduous forests, deserts and tropics, and aquatic biomes, and looks at the evolution and adaptation of whales.

Teaches about spiders and their hunting skills, the nocturnal activities of bats, and the mysteries of sound during a trip to a haunted house.

Jeff Corwin explores Australia's animal world, teaching about the island's unique ecosystem and discussing endangered species that were displaced when humans settled on the continent.

Mobile phones that read your mind? Video games that can cure cancer? Wearable robots that give you the strength of Ironman? David Pogue predicts which technologies will transform our daily lives. These advancements are already taking shape in laboratories around the world, and gadgets that once were purely science fiction are on the verge of becoming as common as the iPhones and Androids Pogue reviews every day.