NOVA Wonders

The series premiere examines animal communication. Some animals demonstrate they can learn human language—like Chaser the dog, who recognizes hundreds of words, and Kanzi the gorilla, who understands some English spoken in context. Included: researchers who are deciphering how animals share information critical to their survival—from a cacophony of ultrasonic bat squeaks to spider thumps and mice mating songs.

Whether they make you fat, fart, or freak out, microbes play a central role in your life. Right beneath your nose—on your face, in your gut, and everywhere in between—trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi are so abundant in your body, they outnumber your human cells. But these aren’t just nasty hitch-hikers. Many are crucial to your survival. Evidence suggests that a diverse microbiome can keep you healthy and, conversely, a damaged one could kill you. NOVA Wonders peers into this microscopic world to discover the fascinating, bizarre, and downright surprising secrets of the human microbiome, including the world’s largest stool bank, which transforms raw stool into life-saving poop pills.

The search for extraterrestrial life is examined. Included: the discovery of thousands of extrasolar planets; the exploration of planetary ecosystems within the solar system; and high-tech telescopes under development.

Artificial intelligence is examined. Included: the effort to build intelligent machines by reverse-engineering the brain and by inventing completely new kinds of computers, with exponentially greater speed and processing power.

Creating life in the lab, which may become possible due to advances in genetic engineering and synthetic biology, is examined. Also: using the newest technologies to bring long-extinct animals, such as the woolly mammoth, back from the dead.

Nova follows the efforts of scientists to unravel the mysteries of dark matter, which holds our universe together, and dark energy which is making it fly apart.