Human intelligence has fundamentally reshaped the world, making possible the first moon landing, masterpieces of art, amazing inventions, essential medicines and more.
Here are NOVA’s best documentaries about extraordinary human genius.
Einstein’s Quantum Riddle (2019)
Einstein called it “spooky action at a distance,” but today quantum entanglement is poised to revolutionize technology from computers to cryptography. Physicists have gradually become convinced that the phenomenon—two subatomic particles reflecting changes in each other instantaneously at any distance—is real. But some doubts remain. NOVA follows a ground-breaking experiment in the Canary Islands to use quasars at opposite ends of the universe to settle the remaining questions once and for all.
Added (2022)
Follow the dramatic personal journey of Hugh Herr, a biophysicist working to create brain-controlled robotic limbs. At the age of 17, Herr’s legs were amputated after a climbing accident. Frustrated by the crude prosthetic limbs he was given, Herr tried to tweak their design, leading him to a career as an inventor of innovative prosthetic devices. Now, Herr is teaming up with an injured hiker and a surgeon at a major Boston hospital to test a new approach to surgical amputation that allows prosthetic limbs to move and feel like the real thing. Herr’s journey is a powerful tale of innovation and the inspiring story of a personal tragedy transformed into a lifelong quest to help others.
The Forgotten Genius (2007)
Dr. Percy Julian was a man of genius, pious and determined. The grandson of enslaved people from Alabama, Dr. Percy Julian faced every possible obstacle in a deeply racist and segregated America. As one of the first black chemists, he fought to make a place for himself in a profession and a place apart from bigotry. At the height of his career, Dr. Julian had achieved unparalleled levels of scientific and personal achievement, overcoming countless obstacles to become a world-class scientist, a self-made millionaire, and a civil rights pioneer.
The Great Escape at Dunkirk (2018)
As France fell to German armies in May 1940, 400,000 Allied troops were stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk. Their annihilation seemed certain—a disaster that might have led to Britain’s surrender. But then, in a last-minute rescue, Royal Navy ships and a flotilla of small civilian boats evacuated hundreds of thousands of soldiers to safety across the Channel – the “legendary miracle of Dunkirk”. Now, NOVA follows a team of archaeologists and historians as they collect fresh evidence of the courage, technical ingenuity and brilliant planning that led to the operation’s success.
The Da Vinci Code (2019)
Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance genius. Not only did he paint masterpieces, but he was an obsessive scientist and inventor, dreaming up complex machines centuries ahead of his time, including parachutes, armored tanks, hang-gliders and robots. On the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death, with the help of biographer Walter Isaacson, NOVA investigates the secrets of Leonardo’s success. How did his scientific curiosity, from cadaver dissections to the study of optics, shape his genius and help him create perhaps the most famous painting of all time, the Mona Lisa?
Star Chasers of Senegal (2023)
A NASA spacecraft named Lucy blasts off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to the Trojans, a group of asteroids more than 400 million miles from Earth that are thought to hold important clues to the origins of our solar system. Just hours earlier, in Senegal, West Africa, a team of scientists set off to capture extremely accurate observations vital to the success of the Lucy mission—crucial data needed to help NASA navigate Lucy to its asteroid targets through millions of miles of space. Team leader, Senegalese astronomer Maram Kaire, takes viewers on a journey to investigate his nation’s rich and deep history of astronomy, going back thousands of years – and the promising future ahead.
The Ancient Builders of the Amazon (2023)
Stunning recent discoveries are shattering the myth of the Amazon as a primeval wilderness, revealing traces of ancient civilizations that thrived there for centuries. Dense settlements indicate populations in the millions, supported by sophisticated agricultural systems, while large geometric works and roads testify to complex religious ideas and social networks. The evidence is now clear that, far from being a pristine wilderness, the Amazon has been shaped by human hands for millennia.
The First Man on the Moon (2013)
Everyone knows that Neil Armstrong was the first to set foot on the moon. But this modest and unassuming man was determined to stay out of the limelight. Now, for the first time, NOVA presents an intimate portrait of Armstrong through interviews with his family and friends, many of whom have never spoken publicly before. Discover and relive Armstrong’s pre- and post-Apollo achievements, from his time as a Navy combat veteran and later as a pioneer of high-speed flight to his leading role in the Challenger disaster investigation and his efforts to encourage young people to go to heaven.
The Battle to Defeat Malaria (2023)
Malaria is one of the oldest and most devastating plagues of mankind. In many parts of the world, it remains an ever-present scourge that sickens or kills millions of people each year. What if he could finally be defeated? Now, scientists may be on the verge of a breakthrough with a promising vaccine in the final stages of testing and approval. Follow the researchers in a quest to free humanity from one of the world’s deadliest diseases.