And why is it your favourite? Well made? Interesting subject? Hilariously inaccurate?
The one where they made Omni magazine change their name. 
There was one that demonstrated how the senses of some animals are different than human, and did a great job with the use of analogies.
The one I’ve heard of and always wanted to see, but haven’t seen, was supposedly a discussion between Isaac Asimov and *Chariots of the Gods * author, Erich von Daniken, in which Isaac basically destroys Erich.
Moving over to CS like you asked.
Wow, that’s a tough question as there were so many good ones. One that I’ve watched at least 3 times is definitely in the top 5 list for me is
Am I too young to get this?
I haven’t watched nearly enough *Nova *over the years. What a great show.
I’m going to go with the 4-part series (yes, I’m cheating) of The Fabric of the Cosmos hosted by Brian Greene.
That’s among the ones I’ve seen, which is a small subset.
Oh - why is it great? Greene is, for me, the best writer/explainer of theoretical physics for the layman. He explains things and I *get *them - not just get a bunch of little weird factoids.
It was shown in the late 70’s, and I’ve always wanted to see it again, or better yet, obtain a copy. It was priceless. They tore him a new one. They went to Easter Island and asked the natives “can you build us one of these things using just naturally-found materials at your immediate disposal?” They just kind of looked at each other and said “yeah, sure—no prob.” And then they whipped one out and propped it up in two weeks. Then they went to the village where Von Daniken had found the mysterious obsidian skulls that he claimed were evidence of impossibly advanced surgical techniques possessed by ancient peoples, and located the guy who was making them. When they interviewed the guy, he said “oh, those?” “I sell them to the tourists. Those were the ones that cracked in the kiln. I’ve been tossing them in that pile over there behind that bush for about 20 years now.” When they went to confront Von Daniken with the evidence they had obtained, he started screaming like a little bitch and threw them out of his office, all of which was shown.
From the description, it sounds like that episode is called “The Case of the Ancient Astronaut”. A search shows that youtube has a full copy of the episode. From your description, Washoe, it sounds like a must see. Will get cracking on that after work!
Were the ones hosted by Brian Greene Nova episodes or Nova Science Now? What is the difference between the two?
I really liked a recent episode of Nova called “Parrot Confidential.” It dealt with the sad fact that parrots are long-lived, intelligent, sensitive creatures who often end up with owners who do not take proper care of them.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who got to watch “The Miracle of Life” (1983) in health class during the 1980’s. Certainly the most “memorable” one for me.
I haven’t watched it for long, but I enjoyed one that was on a few weeks ago called “Making Things Wilder”, especially the part about the robot that was designed to carry military gear over rough terrain. They compared it to the Imperial Walkers in The Empire Strikes Back. Instead of plodding along, this robot pranced. There’s no other word for it. It was amazing.
I’m not sure if I watched that one or the newer “Life’s Greatest Miracle”. All I remember was the blood gushing out with the head. I think it was then and there that I decided that I wasn’t going to be doing that with my body.
I haven’t seen a lot of the older ones, but it seems like the very recent ones have narrators who use a THIS-IS-SENSATIONAL voice, rather than calm soothing tone that I’m used to documentary narrators having.
Thanks to both of you! I’ll watch it as soon as I get the chance!
Nowadays, pretty much any episode that isn’t hosted by David Pogue is a favorite. I don’t understand how the decision was made that he is right for that job. It is always a disappointment when I sit down to watch Nova and I see it’s a Pogue episode.
Other than that, I think my favorites are the episodes focused on a disaster/storm that are aired shortly after the disaster occurs. Those come across as impressively informative given how quickly they’re put together.
That might be the episode I was thinking of. I learned the facts of life from that episode.
I remember being in the basement, watching it crouched up near a big console television with the sound down low because I thought I shouldn’t be watching something about sex and my parents might hear me from upstairs.
Yep, “Why the Towers Fell” (April 2002) is certainly my top episode since the year 2000.
The airplane crash ones are always good.* Flight 201, B-29 Frozen in time, Vanished (STENDEC), *all the Nazi stuff is good. Hell, they are all pretty good.
It’s a sickness and I’m addicted to anything with ancient civilizations. Cracking the Maya code was a particularly good one because it hit the trifecta of ancient civilization, language, and mythology.