NOVA scienceNOW is a newsmagazine version of the venerable PBS science program Nova. Begun in 2005, the series was originally hosted by Robert Krulwich, who described it as an experiment in coverage of "breaking science, science that's right out of the lab, science that sometimes bumps up against politics, art, culture". The current host is well known astrophyisist Neil deGrasse Tyson. It is not unusual for the show to explain topics as arcane as RNA interference using cartoons, or a solution to a two-thousand-year-old math problem related in song. Whereas the parent program Nova covered a single subject in each hour-long episode, NOVA scienceNOW covers between 4 and 6 diverse topics in the course of each program. The show features animated interstitial shorts between each story segment, ostensibly taking the place and pace of commercials in an otherwise uninterrupted program flow.

The show's humor turns on cultural references aimed at viewers from a broad spectrum of age groups. These references, for example, come from movies, TV, music, history, literature, and of course, science.

The show's animators often place subtle jokes or sight gags into the show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs, newspapers, and elsewhere. The audience may often not notice the visual jokes in a single viewing. Some are so fleeting that they become apparent only by pausing a video recording of the show.

The show has been nominated for four Emmy Awards and won a CINE Golden Eagle award.

Due to artistic and philosophical differences, Krulwich left the program at the end of the first season.http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0512c&L=wnn&T=0&P=3354 He was replaced by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/dispatches/060728.html

Dates (link to transcript)

In order by date from oldest to newest.

• January 25, 2005
  • Mirror Neurons
    • A recently discovered system in the brain may help explain why we humans can get so worked up watching other people.
  • Hurricanes
    • Predicting a hurricane's intensity is notoriously difficult, but new tools may make it easier.
  • Profile: James McLurkin
    • James McLurkin of MIT is one of the world's leading designers of robot "swarms"?groups of robots that work together for a greater purpose.
  • Booming Sands
    • Scientists look into a generations-old conundrum: how and why do certain sand dunes produce mysterious noises?
  • Kinetic Sculptor
    • Artist and self-taught engineer Arthur Ganson describes the process he uses to create his sculptures in motion.
  • Conundrum
    • Can you guess the answer to this riddle? From the Sapodilla Tree
• April 19, 2005
  • Little People of Flores
    • The remains of three-foot-tall humans are discovered on a remote Indonesian island.
  • T. rex
    • An astonishing adolescent growth spurt accounts for T. rexs enormous size.
  • Profile: Naomi Halas
    • Naomi Halas is a pioneering nanotechnologist bent on seeing practical applications for her work?and soon.
  • Stem Cells
    • What are they, and how do we find a balance between hope for cures and respect for life?
  • Frozen Frogs
    • The common wood frog freezes solid every winter and then, come spring, defrosts and mates.
• July 26, 2005
  • Fuel cells
    • Hydrogen fuel cell cars promise pollution-free driving, but will we see them anytime soon?
  • RNAi
    • A wayward petunia leads to the discovery of modest little molecules with enormous medical promise.
  • Fastest Glacier
    • A glacier moving way too fast reveals how unpredictable the effects of global warming can be.
  • Profile: Brothers Chudnovsky
    • The story of two brilliant mathematicians, a unicorn, and a homemade supercomputer
• October 18, 2005
  • Artificial Life
    • Are scientists on the verge of making living things from little more than dust?
  • Lightning
    • Experts still aren't sure what triggers it, but they suspect cosmic rays from outer space.
  • Profile: Erich Jarvis
    • The work of neuroscientist Erich Jarvis demonstrates the power of open-mindedness in the lab.
  • Fish Surgery
    • Veterinary medicine has caught up with Americans' love for their number one choice of pet: the fish.
  • Don't Ask the Expert: Neil deGrasse Tyson
    • Neil deGrasse Tyson has a bone to pick with Hollywood aliens.
  • Hurricane Katrina
    • Our January 2005 segment on New Orleans' risk from hurricanes proved sadly prescient, as this update reveals.
• January 10, 2006 - A special collaboration with Discover Magazine about hot topics from the magazine's "100 Top Science Stories of the Year" issue.
  • 10th Planet
    • A stunning discovery at the far reaches of our solar system raises questions about what makes a planet a planet.
  • Twin Prime Conjecture
    • New insight into a 2,300-year-old mystery surrounding prime numbers inspires a song.
  • Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
    • An enchanting bird believed extinct mysteriously reappears ... maybe.
  • Pandemic Flu
    • Will the virus that causes bird flu develop the ability to move from person to person?
  • Lab Meat?
    • Scientists can grow edible meat in culture from a few animal cells. Bon appétit?
  • Stem Cells Update
    • A new technique for creating stem cells may ease ethical concerns.
  • Stronger Hurricanes
    • Is global warming making hurricanes more intense?
  • Profile: Tyler Curiel
    • In the midst of Hurricane Katrina a cancer researcher risks everything to save a medical treasure.

External links

• NOVA scienceNOW Home page