Mass.) WGBH (Television station : Boston
Summary
"When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, every living thing in the blast zone was buried. However, life began to bloom again, and biologist Charlie Crisafulli has been documenting the return of plant and animal life. Also the mountain, like the wildlife, is coming back to life. Nova presents a pioneering look at the interplay between biology and geology that may help scientists predict future volcanic eruptions"--Publisher.
3) Jesse James
Summary
Examines the life and the legend of the infamous outlaw Jesse James. Looks at his formative years in a Southern household dependent on slave labor and as a member of a vicious band of Missouri guerrillas during the Civil War. Describes his life as a violent criminal, as he and his gang moved on to robbing banks, stagecoaches, and railroads in the post-war era. Relates how James was eventually killed when one of his own gang members shot him in the...
Series
Summary
Astrophysicist Mario Livio, along with a colorful cast of mathematicians, physicists, and engineers, follow math from Pythagoras to Einstein and beyond, all leading to the ultimate riddle: Is math an invention or a discovery? Humankind₂s clever trick, or the language of the universe? Join Nova for a mathematical mystery tour, a provocative exploration of math₂s astonishing power across the centuries.
Summary
This inspirational documentary is about a band of courageous civil-rights activists calling themselves the Freedom Riders. Gaining impressive access to influential figures on both sides of the issue, it chronicles a chapter of American history that stands as an astonishing testament to the accomplishment of youth and what can result from the incredible combination of personal conviction and the courage to organize against all odds.
7) The Mormons
Summary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of America's fastest-growing religions and, relative to its size, one of the richest. Church membership, now at over 12 million and growing, sweeps the globe. Nevertheless, from the moment of its founding in 1830, the church has been controversial. Within a month, it had 40 converts and almost as many enemies. In the early years, Mormons were hated, ridiculed, persecuted, and feared. Yet in the...
Summary
Episode one: explains how, for the last half of the 20th century, the world moved toward more governmental control of markets -- from the centrally planned economies of the communist world to the "mixed economies" of Europe and the developing world to the United States' regulated capitalism -- and then began to move away from governmental control in the 1980s and 1990s. Discuss two important economists of this era: John Maynard Keynes, who advocated...
9) Buffalo Bill
Summary
Explore how William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's legendary exploits helped create a myth that endures even today. Features the life of the master showman who became part of American history.
Summary
The source of the earth's great variety of animals was a scientific mystery until Charles Darwin proposed the idea of natural selection. Nova presents breakthroughs in a new science nicknamed "evo devo" that are linking the enigma of origins to another of nature's mysteries, the development of embryos.
Summary
Two Frontline episodes on the American penal system. Solitary nation looks at life in solitary confinement in Maine's maximum security prison. Prison state addresses the problem of mass incarceration in America, focusing on four residents of a Louisville, Kentucky housing project as they cycle in and out of the state's prison system.
Summary
Who would have predicted that a hot spot left over from the Big Bang would eventually lead to our galaxy, the solar system, the Earth, - and to us? Origins explores how the universe and our planet began amid chaos and eventually gave birth to the first stirrings of life. Join cutting-dege scientists on a voyage deep into the Earth to find analogs to the earliest life on our planet, and travel a million miles from Earth with a space probe designed...
17) Being mortal
Summary
Frontline teams up with writer and surgeon Atul Gawande to examine how doctors care for terminally ill patients. In conjunction with Gawande's new book, Being Mortal, the film explores the relationships between doctors and patients nearing the end of life, and shows how many doctors, including himself, struggle to talk honestly and openly.
Summary
On May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah, a boisterous crowd gathered to witness the completion of one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century: the building of the transcontinental railroad. The electrifying moment--the realization of a dream first pursued by a farsighted and determined engineer decades earlier--marked the culmination of six years of grueling work. Peopled by the ingenious entrepreneurs whose unscrupulous financing...
19) Growing up trans
Summary
An intimate exploration of the struggles and choices facing transgender kids and their parents. Through moving, personal stories of children, parents, and doctors, this installment of Frontline examines new medical interventions increasingly being offered at younger ages.