Nova Sciencenow

In the mid 1960s, NASA launched the first of five lunar orbiters. Each one transmitted hundreds of images of the moon's surface back to Earth, which NASA recorded onto miles of analog tape. It was state of the art technology for the 1960s. But today, it's mostly forgotten. For the last 40 years, the tapes from the Lunar Orbiter missions have collected dust in a warehouse, and the computer drives that could read them have gone the way of the dinosaurs. In this podcast, we talked to Dennis Wingo, an engineer who's working to recover the images from the now-obsolete tapes. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.

Thirty years ago, a violent eruption ripped through the side of Mt. St. Helens in western Oregon. The blast killed 57 people and countless animals, and turned hundreds of miles of forest into barren wasteland. In this podcast, hear from ecologist Charlie Crisafulli on the slow recovery of the Mt. St. Helens ecosystem, and learn how the timing of the eruption actually spared some plant and animal life. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Kristine Allington. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more about the Hubble, go to pbs.org/nova/sthelens

For more than 100 years, academic economists have treated the market almost like a force of nature--a vast invisible system that operates independently from human emotions. But on a day-to-day basis, emotion plays a big role in the choices we make. In this podcast, we talked to Jennifer Lerner, a social psychologist at Harvard University, about how our feelings affect our financial decisions. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Malcolm Clark. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobill, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Additional funding for "Mind Over Money" provided by T. Rowe Price.

On Saturday, April 24th, the Hubble Space Telescope will reach its 20th year in orbit. To mark the anniversary, we spoke to Ed Weiler, Chief Scientist for the Hubble mission from 1979 to 1998. He talked to us about the Hubble's early days--its conception, its first years in space, and its infamous optical problems, which blurred its view until a repair mission replaced faulty cameras in 1993. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more about the Hubble, go to pbs.org/nova/hubble

On April 24th, NASA celebrates the Hubble Space Telescope's 20th year in orbit. Over the last two decades, it's sent back thousands of stunning images of deep space. For scientists, these pictures have allowed a deeper understanding of the universe. For the public, they've been a source of wonder and inspiration. With the Hubble's anniversary around the corner, we asked Neil deGrasse Tyson to give his take on the telescope's legacy. He's the director the Hayden Planetarium in New York, and is one of Hubble's biggest fans. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more about the Hubble, go to pbs.org/nova/hubble

Galileo has been called the "father of modern science". His observations of the night sky in the early 1600s confirmed a new model of the universe, where the Earth orbited the sun--not the other way around. But before he was studying the universe, Galileo was working on practical problems. And his early goals for the telescope weren't so scientific. Podcast produced by David Levin. Origial interview by David Axelrod. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Additional funding for "Hunting the Edge of Space" is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. To learn more about the history of the telescope, go to pbs.org/nova/telescope.

The Large Hadron Collider, CERN's massive particle collider in Geneva, Switzerland, is finally online. It's the most powerful physics experiment in the world, capable of creating tiny black holes as it smashes sub atomic particles together. Not to worry, though: In this podcast, physicist Dave Wark explains that there's no way these can destroy the world. This podcast was produced by David Levin. Interview with Dave Wark by Rima Chaddha. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Major funding for NOVA scienceNOW is provided by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Additional funding is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. To learn more, visit www.pbs.org/nova/sciencenow

New DNA evidence shows that dogs were probably domesticated from wolves in the Middle East about eight thousand years ago. But wolves are generally fierce animals that travel in packs, and they're usually afraid of humans. That's pretty far off from the behavior of today's family pets. So how could that poodle in your backyard have come from a wolf? To find out, we spoke to Clive Wynne, who studies animal behavior at the University of Florida. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Gaia Remerowski. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more about undersea archeology, go to pbs.org/nova

Brenden Foley hunts ancient shipwrecks for a living. But he's not after sunken treasure--he's after information. Foley is a marine archeologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He's taking a new approach to the field. Instead of just focusing on a handful of shipwrecks, he wants to take a broad look, finding and cataloging wrecks in the Mediterranean that date to a wide timeframe. In this podcast, he talks to us about his work. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more about undersea archeology, go to pbs.org/nova

NASA's twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been exploring the surface of Mars for more than six years. It's an impressive fact, considering they were only designed to last for three months. But despite this longevity, recent mechanical failures have brought the Spirit rover to a standstill. In this podcast, we talked to Bruce Banerdt, the Project Scientist for the Mars rover missions, about the fate of this now-stationary rover. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Susan K. Lewis. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more about the Mars rovers, go to pbs.org/nova/mars

After Pluto was discovered in 1930, it enjoyed the title of planet for more than 75 years. But in 2006, that all changed. At a meeting in Prague, the International Astronomical Union adopted a new definition for planethood, leaving the solar system with only eight planets. But not everyone agrees with its decision. In this podcast, planetary scientist Alan Stern talks to us about Pluto's demotion, and why he thinks it should be back on list of planets. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.

James Balog has been working as a nature photographer for more than 30 years. His latest project, the Extreme Ice Survey, is helping scientists document the rapid melt of glaciers worldwide—something he says is visible evidence of human-caused climate change. In this interview, he discusses his work. Podcast produced by David Levin. Interview by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/extremeice

Scientists are excited about the Bahamas, and it's not just the tropical vacations that have their interest. It's what's underneath the surface of the islands—huge caves systems filled with water. They're called blue holes, and deep inside of them lie clues to past climate change, new species of invertebrates, even human remains from people who lived on the islands long before Columbus visited. In this podcast, hear from Kenny Broad, a researcher who led a diving expedition into blue holes last year. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by James Barrat. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Music courtesy APM music and Universildo (freemusicarchive.org/music/Universildo/). Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/cavedive

For thousands of years, people around the world have modified their bodies with tattoos and piercings. But some cultures, like the ancient Inca in Peru, took that practice beyond skin deep. They sometimes used ropes and boards to slowly change the shape of human skulls. It's a process called "cranial modification." In this podcast, bioarcheologist Valerie Andrushko explains. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Melissa Salpietra. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/machupicchu.

Egyptologist Mark Lehner thinks it took almost 20,000 people to build the Great Pyramids. But where did all those workers live? In this podcast, Lehner describes how he found evidence of a "lost city" on the Giza plateau. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Peter Tyson. Music courtesy Pharaoh's Daughter (freemusicarchive.org/music/Pharaohs_Daughter/), Selva de Mar (freemusicarchive.org/music/Selva_de_Mar/), and APMmusic. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/sphinx

While filming "The Pluto Files" Neil deGrasse Tyson and NOVA producer Terri Randall took a cross-country journey to trace the history of that distant cosmic body. Along the way, they met with the family of the late Clyde Tombaugh—the man who discovered Pluto in 1930. In this podcast, Neil talks to Terri about his experience on the trip. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Terri Randall. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/pluto

In order to develop from an embryo, animals as different as fruit flies and humans call on a nearly identical set of genes. But how does this one common genetic toolkit create so many different species? It turns out that it's not the genes you have-it's how you use them. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interviews by John Rubin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/evolution

We've come a long way toward understanding evolution since the "Origin of Species" was first published 150 years ago. So what would Darwin think if he could see his theory's impact today-both on a scientific and social level? In this podcast, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, historian Jim Moore, and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker offer their best guesses. Podcast produced by David Levin and Susan K. Lewis. Original interviews by Susan K. Lewis and David Espar. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/evolution

150 years ago, Charles Darwin published the "Origin of Species", a book that changed science forever. But why is it still important to understand his theories today? In this podcast, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, biologist Ken Miller, and the late paleontologist Steven Jay Gould offer their takes on the subject. Podcast produced by David Levin and Susan K. Lewis. Original interviews by Susan K. Lewis and David Espar. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Major funding for NOVA scienceNOW is provided by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Additional funding is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/evolution

Even though Darwin's theory is the foundation of modern biology, it's still controversial in some religious circles. But was evolution considered a serious threat to religion in Darwin's day? And can devoutly religious people accept evolution today? In this podcast, historian Jim Moore, professor of philosophy Dan Dennett, and Biologist Ken Miller weigh in on the subject. Podcast produced by David Levin and Susan K. Lewis. Original interviews by Susan K. Lewis and David Espar. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Major funding for NOVA scienceNOW is provided by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Additional funding is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/evolution