The BEST episodes of NOVA season 52
Every episode of NOVA season 52, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of NOVA season 52!
Helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines.
#1 - Revolutionary War Weapons
Season 52 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/9/2025
In April 1775, war breaks out in Britain's most troublesome territory. Now the American Colonial Army faces what seems like an impossible challenge - to militarily defeat the world's most powerful nation. We've all heard the stories of pluck and valor, but what really led to Britain's defeat and the birth of the United States? American and British archeologists and historians unpack the real story of technology, innovation, and luck that determined the outcome of key battles - from the Massachusetts militias who fired the first shots to the Naval clashes between British and American ships of the line. This unique film brings the latest science to bear to reveal the hidden history of the Revolutionary War.
#2 - Secrets of the Forest
Season 52 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/16/2025
What would the restoration of Earth's forests mean in the fight against climate change? Follow researchers around the globe as they race to understand how nature processes and responds to carbon on the largest scales and how microorganisms, plants, animals, and humans combine to sustain healthy ecosystems. NOVA's cameras travel to spectacular forest landscapes in Costa Rica, Canada, Brazil, Madagascar, and other places as a global team of scientists gather data on how forests work and try to figure out how they can help tackle the twin threats of climate change and the existential threat of species extinction.
#3 - Dino Birds
Season 52 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/5/2025
Why are birds the only dinosaurs still alive today? Rare fossil discoveries are revealing the secrets of bird evolution, telling the story of how some resilient feathered dinos became the vast array of colorful bird species that fill our skies.
#4 - Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Season 52 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/26/2025
On March 26, 2024, a massive container ship plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six highway workers. How did the ship lose control? Why did the bridge fail so catastrophically? And how many other bridges around the world are at risk?
#5 - Egypt's Tombs of Amun
Season 52 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/12/2025
Follow archaeologists as they discover a long-lost ancient cemetery in Egypt's sacred desert. Treasures emerge unlike anything seen by the team, revealing details of a unique period when women had remarkable power.
#6 - Pompeii's Secret Underworld
Season 52 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/19/2025
New archaeological finds in Pompeii are revealing that the city, hailed as a sophisticated jewel of the Roman Empire, hid a very dark side. As the evidence unfolds, a much more complex picture of the fated city comes into view.
#7 - Extreme Airport Engineering
Season 52 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/29/2025
In New York City, a team of elite engineers and construction workers are on a mission to build the ultimate airport. Follow their ups and downs as they race to build a new, world-class LaGuardia on the site of one of America's busiest aviation hubs.
#8 - What Are UFOs?
Season 52 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/22/2025
After decades in the shadows, UFOs are being studied seriously. Are they weather balloons, optical illusions, secret military technology? Or something else? Follow scientists as they try to unravel the mystery of the strangest objects in our skies.
#9 - Critical Condition: Health In Black America
Season 52 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/30/2025
This two-hour feature documentary produced by acclaimed Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson traces the roots of systemic racism in our medical system and the biological impacts of discrimination on the body to understand why Black Americans experience such disproportionately poor health outcomes - and did long before COVID-19 highlighted the devastating health disparities in our country.