Building Stuff: Change It!
Humans have been altering Earth’s environment for thousands of years. And now, from electric planes to artificial noses, engineers are inventing new ways to preserve our planet.
Episodes
-
A.I. Revolution
S51 E5 - 53m 30s
A.I. tools like ChatGPT seem to think, speak, and create like humans. But what are they really doing? From cancer cures to Terminator-style takeovers, leading experts explore what A.I. can – and can’t – do today, and what lies ahead.
-
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
S51 E4 - 53m 10s
For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. Follow the dramatic quest to recover DNA millions of years old and reveal a lost world from before the last Ice Age.
-
Building the Eiffel Tower
S51 E3 - 53m 29s
Explore the revolutionary engineering behind Paris’s iconic landmark. Completed in 1889, the iron tower smashed the record for the tallest structure on Earth, ushering in a new age of global construction that reached for the skies.
-
Easter Island Origins
S51 E2 - 53m 17s
The giant stone heads of Easter Island have inspired theories for centuries. Now, new research reveals intriguing evidence of the origins and inspirations of the ancient Rapanui people who created the iconic monoliths.
-
When Whales Could Walk
S51 E1 - 53m 31s
A spectacular fossil graveyard reveals a 43-million-year-old whale that had four legs and could walk. Follow scientists as they search for new clues to how mammals moved from land into the sea to become the largest animals on Earth.
Extras + Features
-
The discovery of worlds beyond our solar system
S51 - 1m 39s
In the early 90s’ scientists combed through data and found something surprising that led to the discovery of planets beyond our solar system. It changed science forever.
-
Rare stellar explosion will ignite a "new star"
S51 - 1m 17s
The star system will become bright enough to see with the naked eye for several days before it dims again for about 80 years.
-
Secrets in Your Data Preview
S51 E7 - 30s
Whether you’re on social media or surfing the web, you’re probably sharing more personal data than you realize. Find out where your data is going, who’s selling it, and how you – and a new kind of web – could put control back in your hands.
-
How to make your data more private online
S51 E7 - 4m 2s
Online privacy isn’t a switch—it’s a dial. And you get to control how much data you share, and with who. Here’s how to make your data more private.
-
Is your phone listening to you?
S51 E7 - 4m 25s
A product you were just talking about pops up in an online ad. How? Advertising algorithms are so good that they may know what you want even before you do.
-
The force that makes up more than half of the universe
S51 - 1m 40s
Astronomers looked at extremely distant and extremely bright exploding stars and discovered that universe is not just expanding - it’s accelerating in its expansion.
-
Hunt for the Oldest DNA Preview
S51 E4 - 30s
For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. Follow the dramatic quest to recover DNA millions of years old and reveal a lost world from before the last Ice Age.
-
When Camels Roamed the Arctic
S51 E4 - 2m 54s
Some 2 million years ago, when the high Arctic was a much warmer, greener place, a unique collection of animals coexisted: Caribou, geese, hares, even camels.
-
Could Jurassic Park Actually Happen?
S51 E4 - 1m 55s
In the 90s, there was a lot of information published about ancient DNA that we now know is nonsense.
-
How parrots swing like monkeys
S51 - 1m 36s
Researchers call this movement “beakiation” which is a play on an existing term, “brachiation,” used to describe how Gibbons move by swinging from their arms.
-
5 things to know about the Eiffel Tower
S51 E3 - 1m 40s
The Eiffel Tower is an engineering icon that changed the face of the modern world.
-
Why is the Eiffel Tower Shaped Like That?
S51 E3 - 1m 58s
At the time of its construction, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure ever built. That meant that the engineers had a key challenge: making sure the structure could survive the wind.
Schedule
-
Image
NOVA
The Planets: Jupiter
Wednesday
Dec 4
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped shape life on Earth as it brought comets laden with water and possibly the asteroid that put an end to the dinosaurs. -
Image
NOVA
The Planets: Jupiter
Wednesday
Dec 4
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped shape life on Earth as it brought comets laden with water and possibly the asteroid that put an end to the dinosaurs. -
Image
NOVA
The Planets: Jupiter
Wednesday
Dec 4
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Jupiter's gravitational force made it a wrecking ball as it barreled through the early solar system, but it also helped shape life on Earth as it brought comets laden with water and possibly the asteroid that put an end to the dinosaurs. -
Image
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Wednesday
Dec 11
1 Hour
A team of engineers, masons and timber workers restore France's Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Thursday
Dec 12
1 Hour
A team of engineers, masons and timber workers restore France's Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Thursday
Dec 12
1 Hour
A team of engineers, masons and timber workers restore France's Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Sunday
Dec 15
1 Hour
A team of engineers, masons and timber workers restore France's Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Sunday
Dec 15
1 Hour
A team of engineers, masons and timber workers restore France's Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Tuesday
Dec 17
1 Hour
A team of engineers, masons and timber workers restore France's Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Wednesday
Dec 18
1 Hour
A team of engineers, masons and timber workers restore France's Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Wednesday
Dec 18
1 Hour
A team of engineers, masons and timber workers restore France's Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Lost Tombs of Notre Dame
Wednesday
Dec 18
1 Hour
Scientists and historians study remains found in caskets under Notre-Dame de Paris' stone floor following the 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Lost Tombs of Notre Dame
Wednesday
Dec 18
1 Hour
Scientists and historians study remains found in caskets under Notre-Dame de Paris' stone floor following the 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Lost Tombs of Notre Dame
Thursday
Dec 19
1 Hour
Scientists and historians study remains found in caskets under Notre-Dame de Paris' stone floor following the 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Lost Tombs of Notre Dame
Thursday
Dec 19
1 Hour
Scientists and historians study remains found in caskets under Notre-Dame de Paris' stone floor following the 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Lost Tombs of Notre Dame
Thursday
Dec 19
1 Hour
Scientists and historians study remains found in caskets under Notre-Dame de Paris' stone floor following the 2019 fire. -
Image
NOVA
Lost Tombs of Notre Dame
Thursday
Dec 19
1 Hour
Scientists and historians study remains found in caskets under Notre-Dame de Paris' stone floor following the 2019 fire.
WETA Passport
Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.
Similar Shows
Deep Look
Science and Nature
Infinite Series
Science and Nature
The Secret Science of Sewage
Science and Nature
The Great Whale Rescue
Science and Nature
Wild Scandinavia
Science and Nature
BrainCraft
Science and Nature
Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride
Science and Nature
Planet California
Science and Nature
Wild Rivers with Tillie
Science and Nature
Ozone Hole: How We Saved the Planet
Science and Nature