How were the giant stone heads of Rapa Nui–also known as Easter Island–carved and raised, and why? Since Europeans arrived on this remote Pacific island over 300 years ago, controversy has swirled ...

In this feature, you will be faced with an ethical dilemma that is illustrated with ideas and imagery you might find repugnant, even abhorrent. In addition, this feature may not be suitable for ...

Arctic Passage homepage At first glance and out of context, the amount and variety of food brought on the Erebus and Terror, the two ships of Sir John Franklin's expedition, seems impressive (see list ...

In ancient Egypt, when pharaohs wanted to record something for eternity and have it be known not only to mortals, but more importantly, to the gods, they wrote in stone. The hieroglyphs carved into ...

Can we harness the power of artificial intelligence to solve the world’s most challenging problems without creating an uncontrollable force that ultimately destroys us? ChatGPT and other new A.I.

Major funding for NOVA Wonders is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and public television viewers, with additional ...

When Glacial Lake Missoula's ice dam shattered, a northern arm of the lake drained in a matter of hours through a narrow gap in Montana's Blackfoot River valley. One can only imagine the extraordinary ...

Color photos, old newspapers, the Declaration—we've all seen materials damaged by long-term exposure to light. But what's actually happening? The Declaration of Independence took a lot of abuse in the ...

The story behind the centuries-long decipherment of ancient Maya hieroglyphs.

This one-hour program is divided into six chapters. Choose any chapter below and select QuickTime or Windows Media Player to begin viewing the video. If you experience difficulty viewing, it may be ...

The chromosomes do not replicate during this phase, as they do in interphase in mitosis and interphase I in meiosis.

Every age develops its stories or metaphors for how the universe was conceived and structured. According to an ancient Indian creation myth, the universe was created when the gods dismembered the ...