NOVA Presents

If the universe is expanding, why aren’t galaxies stretching apart? Cosmologist Adam Riess breaks down the physics behind cosmic expansion, the forces that resist it, and why dark energy dominates the vast spaces between. For more, check out the extended interview with Adam Riess. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

What if black holes are hiding the answers cosmologists have been chasing for a century? Born from the explosive deaths of massive stars, black holes are so dense even light cannot escape – making them challenging to observe. But after decades of chasing the unseeable and building ever more sophisticated observation tools, researchers are now discovering that they hold profound clues about the nature of spacetime, the formation of galaxies, and the energy that powers our universe. To watch the full film, visit https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/black-hole-apocalypse/ Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Why does thinking too hard ruin your rhythm? Neuroscientist Heather Berlin unpacks the science of flow states, explaining why mastery means trusting your brain’s hidden systems to do what they do best. For more, check out the extended interview with Heather Berlin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Black holes can be bigger on the inside than they are on the outside. Astrophysicist Janna Levin explains how this is possible, and what that means about how black holes work. For more, check out the extended interview with Janna Levin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Are we really in control of our own minds? Research suggests our sense of control may be far more fragile – and far stranger – than we imagine. From moments when the body seems to act without us, to the eerie ways our brains can warp what we think we’ve heard, scientists are uncovering a picture of the mind that’s anything but straightforward. And beneath it all lies a surprising discovery: the brain is less an observer of reality than a prediction engine, forever guessing what comes next. To watch the full film, visit https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/series/your-brain/ Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

What’s the difference between a fact, a law, and a theory? Mineralogist Robert Hazen and astrobiologist Michael Wong unpack the hierarchy of scientific ideas and reveal how laws of nature elegantly unify the universe. For more, check out the extended interview with Robert Hazen and Michael Wong. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Sorry, Beyoncé, it turns out microbes rule the world. Microbiologist Peter Girguis explains how to conceptualize just how many microbes are on Earth… and how understanding this helps us look for life on other worlds. For more, check out the extended interview with Peter Girguis. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Scientists have discovered the oldest DNA ever found: tiny fragments hidden in the dirt. The idea that soil could hold genetic traces from creatures that vanished millions of years ago seemed impossible – until one researcher had the wild idea to go and look. But how did he find DNA that most scientists thought could never survive? What forgotten worlds can this buried DNA reconstruct? And what might these revelations tell us about our own future on a rapidly changing planet? To watch the full film, visit here. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Growth rings on trees can measure time, allowing scientists to date things from the deep past. But, paleobotantist Dr. Kirk Johnson explains why, in the tropics, some trees have no rings. For more, check out the extended interview with Kirk Johnson. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Nature has been solving problems for billions of years. Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll reveals why scientists still turn to evolution’s inventions for life-saving breakthroughs, from GLP-1 drugs to statins. For more, check out the extended interview with Sean B. Carroll. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Science's most astonishing breakthroughs, from whale evolution and thawing permafrost to black holes and quantum entanglement, to the hidden chambers of the Great Pyramid. NOVA Remix transforms decades of award-winning storytelling into immersive audio adventures. Discoveries that don't just change science, they change how you see the world. Whether you're a diehard nerd or just curious by nature, subscribe and hear it like never before. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

In 2024, scientists claimed they achieved the unthinkable: the birth of dire wolf pups, reviving a species that vanished thousands of years ago. Now, those pups are growing—and changing. Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro reveals what it’s like to watch these predators mature into modern beasts. For more, check out the extended interview with Beth Shapiro. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Is AI coming for your job? AI Expert Hany Farid breaks down how AI is taking jobs once considered “future-proof” and shares his advice to prepare young people for the future. For more, check out the extended interview with Hany Farid. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

What does it feel like to make one of the biggest discoveries in physics? Adam Riess knows — because his work revealed that the universe isn’t just expanding, it’s accelerating. In this episode, the Nobel Prize–winning astrophysicist takes us behind the scenes of the moment that changed cosmology forever. How did his team use exploding stars as “standard candles” to measure the cosmos? Why did the data point to a mysterious force now called dark energy, making up nearly 70% of the universe? And what’s behind today’s biggest cosmic puzzle: the Hubble tension? Plus, Adam shares what new telescopes could uncover — and why the next decade might rewrite the laws of physics all over again. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel. ————————— Guest Bio: Adam Riess is an astrophysicist, professor at Johns Hopkins University, and a distinguished astronomer at Space Telescope Science Institute. In 2011, he was named as a co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the discovery that the expansion rate of the universe is accelerating. Since then, he has continued refining measurements of cosmic expansion and the Hubble constant, aiming to find and measure the most distant type Ia supernovae known, to probe the origin of cosmic acceleration.

The universe isn’t adding up—and it’s creating a crisis in cosmology. Nobel Prize winner Adam Riess explains why measurements of the universe’s expansion rate from its earliest light and from nearby galaxies don’t match, and how this growing gap threatens the foundations of our standard model of the cosmos. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Discovering dark energy wasn’t just thrilling—it was terrifying. Nobel Prize Winner Adam Riess explains the nerve-wracking process behind confirming that the universe’s expansion is accelerating and why Einstein’s so-called “biggest blunder” turned out to be anything but. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Fame can hijack the brain like a drug—activating the same reward circuits that fuel a relentless chase for dopamine highs. Neuroscientist Heather Berlin reveals the antidote—and why even social media fame can trigger this cycle. For more, check out the extended interview with Heather Berlin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Fossilization isn’t luck - it’s geology. Paleobotanist Kirk Johnson explains how fossils only form in certain conditions, the tricks to finding them, and why one fossil leaf can lead to thousands more. For more, check out the extended interview with Kirk Johnson. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Speech is rare in the animal kingdom because it requires a very specific brain architecture. Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis explains how duplicating neural pathways for movement unlocked language, dancing, and even advanced problem-solving in more than just humans. For more, check out the extended interview with Erich Jarvis. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

How does evolution invent entirely new things, like limbs, wings, and venom? Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll joins us to reveal the hidden rules behind nature’s creativity and the genetic toolkit that makes it possible. Carroll explains how the same set of genes can build wildly different creatures — from fruit flies to lobsters — simply by rewiring their genetic circuits. Discover why developmental biology holds the key to understanding evolution, how snake venom evolved, and why medicines like GLP-1 drugs and statins trace their origins to nature’s own innovations. Plus, what the emergence of new species tells us about life’s future and the surprising power of evolution to repurpose old parts in new ways. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTube channel. ————————— Guest Bio: Sean B. Carroll is a renowned evolutionary biologist and author whose work has inspired a deeper public understanding of evolution and the natural world. He is an Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), where he was formerly Head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, and led the Department of Science Education from 2010-2023. He is also a Professor of Biology at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on genes that influence the evolution of animal diversity.