Premieres: October 19
Airs: Tuesdays, 8pm (check local listings)
Network: PBS
Where We Left Off: The premier science series continued helping viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines, and helped demystify science and technology.
What To Expect: This fall, NOVA examines elevator safety and reveals insights into people’s overwhelming fears of being trapped; investigates the mysteries of the magnificent Gothic cathedrals; looks into the 2009 mid-ocean disappearance of a commercial airliner; unravels new clues about Stonehenge; descends into what might be the fabled mines of King Solomon; and plunges beneath the surface of Antarctic ice to reveal secrets frozen in time.
The season kicks off with “Building the Great Cathedrals” on October 19. The filmmakers behind NOVA‘s award-winning “Secrets of the Parthenon” try to discover how medieval builders reached such spectacular heights using only hand tools to create great cathedrals.
“Crash of Flight 447″ airs October 26, and assembles a team of seasoned pilots, engineers and safety experts to find out why Flight AF447 flying from Rio de Janeio to Paris disappeared over the Atlantic on June 1, 2009.
In “Trapped in an Elevator,” airing November 2, NOVA explores how elevators work — and why so many people are afraid of them.
“Dogs Decoded” airs November 9 and investigates new discoveries in genetics that are illuminating the origin of domestic dogs — with revealing implications for the evolution of human culture as well.
On November 16, “Secrets of Stonehenge” visits the familiar prehistoric relic that still poses so many questions to us. For this episode, exclusive access was granted to the dig site at Bluestonehenge, a prehistoric stone circle monument recently discovered about a mile from Stonehenge.
“Quest for Solomon’s Mines,” on November 23, looks at two cutting-edge filed investigations that illuminate the legend of King Solomon and reveal the source of the great wealth that powered the first might biblical kingdom.
“Secrets Beneath the Ice,” airing December 28, looks at a state-of-the-art drilling probe known as ANDRILL, which is penetrating more than a kilometer through floating sea ice in Antarctica to recover evidence from a seabed that reveals intimate details about flora and fauna from a time when dinosaurs and forests thrived on that continent. Disturbing evidence is also uncovered that points to Antarctica having melted and frozen again dozens of times during the last 15 million years, a discovery that carries ominous implications for coastal cities around the globe.
