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The Best Episodes of NOVA Season 43

Every episode of NOVA Season 43 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of NOVA Season 43!

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PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    NOVA Season 43 Episode 16 - Iceman Reborn
    8.0/10(88 votes)

    S43:E16

    He was stalked, attacked and left to die alone. Murdered more than 5,000 years ago, Otzi the Iceman is Europe’s oldest known natural mummy. Miraculously preserved in glacial ice, his remarkably intact remains continue to provide scientists, historians, and archeologists with groundbreaking discoveries about a crucial time in human history. But in order to protect him from contamination, this extraordinary body has been locked away, out of reach, in a frozen crypt—until now. NOVA joins renowned artist and paleo-sculptor Gary Staab as he has been granted rare access into the Iceman’s frozen lair. Gary has been charged with creating an exact replica of the mummy, which scientists and the public alike can then study up close and in person. As we see the Iceman reborn from 3D printing, resin, clay and paint, new revelations about Otzi’s life and legacy come to light, including surprising secrets hidden in his genetic code.

    Director:Bonnie Brennan
    Writers:David Murdock, Bonnie Brennan

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  2. NOVA Season 43 Episode 19 - Can Alzheimer's Be Stopped?
    8.0/10(74 votes)

    S43:E19

    Alzheimer's ravages the minds of over 40 million victims worldwide. Join scientists as they untangle the cause of this tragic illness and go behind the scenes of major drug trials to discover the therapies that may slow and even prevent the disease.

    Director:Sarah Holt
    Writer:Sarah Holt

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  3. NOVA Season 43 Episode 11 - Life's Rocky Start
    7.8/10(56 votes)

    S43:E11

    Four and a half billion years ago, the young Earth was a hellish place—a seething chaos of meteorite impacts, volcanoes belching noxious gases, and lightning flashing through a thin, torrid atmosphere. Then, in a process that has puzzled scientists for decades, life emerged. But how? NOVA joins mineralogist Robert Hazen as he journeys around the globe. From an ancient Moroccan market to the Australian Outback, he advances a startling and counterintuitive idea—that the rocks beneath our feet were not only essential to jump-starting life, but that microbial life helped give birth to hundreds of minerals we know and depend on today. It's a theory of the co-evolution of Earth and life that is reshaping the grand-narrative of our planet’s story.

    Director:Doug Hamilton
    Writer:Doug Hamilton

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  4. NOVA Season 43 Episode 17 - Rise of the Robots
    7.8/10(66 votes)

    S43:E17

    Machines are everywhere. They run our factory assembly lines and make our coffee. But humanoid robots—machines with human-like capabilities—have long been the stuff of science fiction. Until now. Fueled by an ambitious DARPA challenge, the race is on to design a robot that can replace humans in disaster relief situations. Follow the robots and the engineers that program them as they strive to make their way out of the lab and into the real world. But how capable are they, really? How close are we to a future where humanoid robots are part of our everyday lives? And what will the future look like with robots that can do a human’s job? NOVA investigates the cutting-edge technologies that are advancing robotics—and the enormous challenges that robots still face.

    Director:Terri Randall
    Writer:Terri Randall

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  5. NOVA Season 43 Episode 18 - Vikings Unearthed
    7.8/10(89 votes)

    S43:E18

    Uncover the truth behind the legendary Vikings and their epic journey to the Americas.

    Director:Harvey Lilley
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. NOVA Season 43 Episode 20 - Wild Ways
    7.7/10(65 votes)

    S43:E20

    Explore how newly established wildlife corridors offer hope to endangered species.

    Director:James Brundige
    Writer:Linda Harrar

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  7. NOVA Season 43 Episode 5 - Animal Mummies
    7.6/10(65 votes)

    S43:E5

    NOVA joins a team of leading Egyptologists who deploy the latest medical imaging to peer beneath the wrappings of Egyptian mummified beasts without damaging the animal bodies inside. The results are enlightening, often surprising insights into the weird beliefs and practices that clung to the Egyptian quest for immortality.

    Director:Jon Eastman
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. NOVA Season 43 Episode 12 - Mystery Beneath the Ice
    7.6/10(61 votes)

    S43:E12

    Tiny, transparent, and threatened, krill are crucial to the Antarctic ecosystem. But the population of krill is crashing for reasons that continue to baffle the experts. A leading theory says that krill’s life cycle is driven by an internal body clock that responds to the waxing and waning of the Antarctic ice pack, and as climate change alters the timing of the ice pack, their life cycle is disrupted. To test it, NOVA travels on the Polarstern, a state-of-the-art research vessel, to the frigid ice pack in the dead of winter. From camps established on the ice, scientists dive beneath the surface in search of the ice caves that shelter juvenile krill during the winter. There, they hope to discover what’s causing the krill to vanish and, ultimately, how the shifting seasons caused by climate change could disrupt ecosystems around the world.

    Director:David Sington
    Writer:David Sington

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  9. NOVA Season 43 Episode 13 - Himalayan Megaquake
    7.6/10(68 votes)

    S43:E13

    On April 25, 2015, a devastating earthquake rocked Nepal. As it ripped across the Himalayas, it wiped out villages and left thousands dead. Hear the harrowing stories of the Nepalese people who lived near the epicenter and of survivors trapped on Everest. Through dramatic eyewitness footage, expert interviews, and stunning graphics, NOVA reveals the anatomy of this megaquake while scientists race to answer urgent questions—Is another big one just around the corner? What can we learn from the deadly combination of earthquakes and landslides? And can we rebuild to survive the next big one?

    Director:Liesl Clark
    Writer:Liesl Clark

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  10. NOVA Season 43 Episode 2 - Arctic Ghost Ship
    7.5/10(133 votes)

    S43:E2

    NOVA presents an exclusive breakthrough in the greatest unsolved mystery in Arctic exploration. In 1845, British explorer Sir John Franklin set off to chart the elusive Northwest Passage, commanding 128 men in two robust and well-stocked Royal Navy ships, the Erebus and Terror. They were never heard from again.

    Director:Ben Finney
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. NOVA Season 43 Episode 6 - Making North America: Origins
    7.5/10(207 votes)

    S43:E6

    The epic 3 billion-year story of how our continent came to be. From the palm trees that once flourished in Alaska to titanic eruptions that nearly tore the Midwest in two, discover how forces of almost unimaginable power gave birth to North America.

    Director:Peter Oxley
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. NOVA Season 43 Episode 7 - Making North America: Life
    7.5/10(117 votes)

    S43:E7

    How did life emerge on our primeval continent? Why was North America home to so many iconic dinosaurs like T. rex? And how did a huge sea filled with giant marine reptiles end up covering Kansas? We tell the surprising intertwined story of life and the landscape in North America.

    Director:Gwyn Williams
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. NOVA Season 43 Episode 3 - Secrets of Noah's Ark
    7.4/10(43 votes)

    S43:E3

    A team of historians and expert boat builders investigates the fascinating Noah's Ark flood legend and sets out to rebuild a tantalizing, ancient forerunner of the Ark.

    Director:Nic Young
    Writer:Nic Young

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  14. NOVA Season 43 Episode 4 - Cyberwar Threat
    7.4/10(48 votes)

    S43:E4

    NOVA examines the science and technology behind cyber warfare and asks if we are already in the midst of a deadly new arms race.

    Director:Unknown
    Writers:James Bamford, Chris Schmidt

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  15. NOVA Season 43 Episode 1 - Dawn of Humanity
    7.2/10(49 votes)

    S43:E1

    Deep in a South African cave, an astounding discovery reveals clues to what made us human.

    Director:Graham Townsley
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. NOVA Season 43 Episode 10 - Secret Tunnel Warfare
    7.1/10(58 votes)

    S43:E10

    During World War I, the Allies and Germans repeatedly struggled to break the hideous stalemate of trench warfare. In the winter of 1916, Allied engineers devised a massive surprise attack: over 1 million pounds of explosives hidden in secret tunnels driven under German lines. Building the tunnels was desperate work, with tunnelers at constant risk from flooding, cave-ins, and enemy digging teams. In June of 1917, the planted mines at Messines were simultaneously triggered, killing an estimated 10,000 German troops instantly. Now, archaeologists are revealing the extraordinary scale and risks of the Allied tunneling operations in one of the biggest excavations ever undertaken on the Western Front. “Secret Tunnel Warfare” opens a unique window on the frenzy of Allied mining activity that led up to the attack and its bitter aftermath.

    Director:John Hayes Fisher
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. NOVA Season 43 Episode 22 - Bombing Hitler's Supergun
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    S43:E22

    Engineers and World War II historians investigate Hitler's fearsome bank of "superguns."

    Director:Ian Duncan
    Writer:Ian Duncan

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  18. NOVA Season 43 Episode 9 - Inside Einstein's Mind
    6.9/10(112 votes)

    S43:E9

    On November 25th, 1915, Einstein published his greatest work: general relativity. The theory transformed our understanding of nature’s laws and the entire history of the cosmos, reaching back to the origin of time itself. Now, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s achievement, NOVA tells the inside story of Einstein’s masterpiece. The story begins with the intuitive thought experiments that set Einstein off on his quest and traces the revolution in cosmology that is still playing out in today’s labs and observatories. Discover the simple but powerful ideas at the heart of relativity, illuminating the theory—and Einstein’s brilliance—as never before. From the first spark of an idea to the discovery of the expanding universe, the Big Bang, black holes, and dark energy, NOVA uncovers the inspired insights and brilliant breakthroughs of “the perfect theory.”

    Director:Jamie Lochhead
    Writer:Jamie Lochhead

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  19. NOVA Season 43 Episode 15 - Memory Hackers
    6.8/10(54 votes)

    S43:E15

    Memory is the glue that binds our mental lives. Without it, we’d be prisoners of the present, unable to use the lessons of the past to change our future. From our first kiss to where we put our keys, memory represents who we are and how we learn and navigate the world. But how does it work? Neuroscientists using cutting-edge techniques are exploring the precise molecular mechanisms of memory. By studying a range of individuals ranging—from an 11-year-old whiz-kid who remembers every detail of his life to a woman who had memories implanted—scientists have uncovered a provocative idea. For much of human history, memory has been seen as a tape recorder that faithfully registers information and replays intact. But now, researchers are discovering that memory is far more malleable, always being written and rewritten, not just by us but by others. We are discovering the precise mechanisms that can explain and even control our memories. The question is—are we ready?

    Director:Anna Lee Strachan
    Writer:Michael Bicks

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  20. NOVA Season 43 Episode 8 - Making North America: Human
    6.6/10(76 votes)

    S43:E8

    The history of North America since the arrival of humans is chronicled. Natural resources, including gold and oil, have enabled humans to transform the land almost as much as the geological forces that created it. However, geology may, some day, play another role in reshaping the continent: the Cascadia fault line in the Pacific Northwest could unleash a massive earthquake and tsunami; and the super-volcano beneath Yellowstone could obliterate half the continent if it erupts.

    Director:Gwyn Williams
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. NOVA Season 43 Episode 14 - Creatures of Light
    6.6/10(84 votes)

    S43:E14

    On a summer’s night, there’s nothing more magic than watching the soft glow of fireflies switching on and off. Few other life forms on land can light up the night, but in the dark depths of the oceans, it’s a different story: nearly 90% of all species shine from within. Whether it’s to scare off predators, fish for prey, or lure a mate, the language of light is everywhere in the ocean depths, and scientists are finally starting to decode it. NOVA and National Geographic take a dazzling dive to this hidden undersea world where most creatures flash, sparkle, shimmer, or simply glow. Join deep sea scientists who investigate these stunning displays and discover surprising ways to harness nature’s light—from tracking cancer cells to detecting pollution, lighting up cities, and even illuminating the inner workings of our brains.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. NOVA Season 43 Episode 21 - Operation Lighthouse Rescue
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S43:E21

    Engineers race to rescue the Gay Head Lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard from the ocean's erosion.

    Director:Joby Lubman
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 43 Ratings Summary

"Iceman Reborn" is the best rated episode of "NOVA" season 43. It scored 8/10 based on 88 votes. Directed by Bonnie Brennan and written by David Murdock, Bonnie Brennan, it aired on 2/17/2016. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Can Alzheimer's Be Stopped?".