WGBH Science

WGBH science programs help us understand our world –– from the oldest questions about our universe to the newest innovations in science, medicine, and technology. Trusted programs, like our own WGBH-produced Nova, provide depth and insight, make the cutting edge accessible, attract the next generation to science and engineering, and bring the thrill of discovery to explorers of all ages and interests.

Video What's on now

Nova: Extreme Cave Diving
Airs week of Feb. 8

Nova: Extreme Ice
Airs week of Feb. 15

Nova: Last Extinction: Megabeasts' Sudden Death
Airs week of Feb. 22

Nova: The Pluto Files
Airs week of March 1

The Secret Life of Scientists: Laurie Santos: Monkeynomics

The Secret Life of Scientists: Joe DeGeorge: Science & Music

Now on PBS: Electric Car Dreams

Now on PBS: Water World

María Hinojosa: One-on-One: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Science highlights

Nova: Extreme Ice

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 8pm |
WGBH 2

An acclaimed photographer teams up with scientists to document the runaway melting of arctic glaciers.

More Extreme Ice >

Nova: Last Extinction: Megabeasts' Sudden Death

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 8pm |
WGBH 2

Scientists propose a radical new idea of what killed off mammoths and other large animals at the end of the Ice Age.

Watch Last Extinction >

Nova: The Pluto Files

Tuesday, March 2, 8pm |
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Take a cross-country journey with Neil deGrasse Tyson to explore the rise and fall of America's favorite planet.

More Pluto Files >

Join the club

neil degrasse tyson Join the WGBH Science Club
Receive invitations to exclusive member screenings and other benefits — all while supporting science programs at WGBH.

Science email

Events

MIT Museum Opens New Exhibit - Sampling MIT
Tuesday Feb 9 10:00A-5:00P

February Evening Lecture- Some Recent Shipwreck Investigations in Northern Massachusetts Bay
Tuesday Feb 9 7:00P-8:00P

MIT Museum Opens New Exhibit - Sampling MIT
Wednesday Feb 10 10:00A-5:00P

View all events

Science from WGBH

Nova covers a wide spectrum of topics where no two stories are alike — like science itself. Some have a clear conclusion; others are real-life cliffhangers. Some have happy endings; others finish with no easy answers. Unpredictable, unvarnished, and sometimes unimaginable, Nova uncovers the heart of a science story and reveals the essence of why it matters.

Cambridge Science Festival

April 24–May 2, 2010

The Cambridge Science Festival offers science-related activities — lectures, debates, exhibitions, concerts, plays, and workshops. The festival runs over nine days at a variety of locations. Modeled on art, music, and movie festivals, the Cambridge Science Festival spotlights the richness of scientific inquiry and the excitement of discovery.

The festival's collaborators — the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Schools, Cambridge Public Library, WGBH, and the Museum of Science — aim to ignite the curiosity of to K-12 students, the general public, and the science community.
More Cambridge Science Festival

The Secret Life of Scientists

The Secret Life of Scientists is a Web-only Nova series that shows what happens when the lab coats come off. Meet a new scientist every two weeks. Watch their videos. Ask them questions. Find out how their secret lives fuel their science, and vice versa.

Meet the scientist:
Erika Ebbel: Biochemist and Pageant Queen

Ask Erika your questions!

We're taking requests

We've given you wild-cooking leech biologists, salsa-dancing ethnobotanists, wall-climbing engineers, and monkey-feet-photographing psychologists. Now the Secret Life of Scientists team is ready to take your requests.

Do you know about an accomplished scientist with a great secret life? If so, we'd love to hear all about it. Tell us about your candidates in this post on the Secret Life blog.

Nova Evolution beta

Since 1996, Nova has been working with journalists and scientists around the world to put original content online. Today we have more than 30,000 Web pages covering everything from string theory to the evolution of flight to how the pyramids were built.

But it's time for an overhaul so that it will be easier for you to find more of what you're looking for. We are starting out small, creating an online destination for all things related to evolution. It's a chance for us to evolve too, test some new ideas, and get your feedback. Take a look around and tell us what you think.
More Nova Evolution >

Nova ScienceNow is a fast-paced, innovative, and entertaining series featuring timely science stories along with profiles of intriguing science personalities. The host is astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, described by Time magazine as "the Carl Sagan of the 21st century."

Forum-network.org Listen to lectures by some of the world's leading scientists, scholars, authors, and experts on a range of subjects, including science, history, politics, and arts and culture. For lectures and information about Forum Network speakers and topics, visit forum-network.org >

Science from PBS

Nature

Nature brings the beauty and wonder of the natural world into American homes. The series has won more than 450 honors from the television industry, the international wildlife film community, parent groups, and the first honor ever given to a program by the Sierra Club.

Scientific American Frontiers

Alan Alda's natural curiosity and enthusiasm for science have made him the ideal host of Scientific American Frontiers for more than 10 years. Join him as he takes us from the depths of the conscious mind to the outer reaches of the universe.

Everyday Edisons

Everyday Edisons documents the development process of 12 inventions and the parallel stories of the people who invented them. Selected from thousands, the 15 “Everyday Edisons” learn how their ideas are taken from a sketch on a napkin to a store shelf.

Time Team America

This new science reality series sends archaeologists on a race against time to excavate historical sites around the nation. Host Colin Campbell guides each expedition as viewers peer over the shoulders of diggers, scientists, and historians at work. You never know what they'll dig up next!

Wild Chronicles

Hosted by National Geographic’s Boyd Matson, Wild Chronicles is a weekly half-hour program connecting viewers to the pulse of the planet for stories on nature, exploration, science, and adventure.

Curious

Get immersed in a world where researchers are pushing the limits of established fields of research by innovating unique and radical solutions to the problems that plague the human race.

WGBH science for kids

Design Squad

Design Squad, a reality competition series aimed at 9- to 12-year-olds, turns teens into aspiring engineers for real-world clients.

Fetch!

Part game show, part reality TV, and part spoof, Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman pits real kids against real science challenges — with an unreal animated host.

Curious George

Based on the best-selling books by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, the TV series Curious George expands the inquisitive little monkey's world, offering opportunities for discovery while inviting kids to explore science and math.

Peep and the Big Wide World

Peep and the Big Wide World takes a delightful approach to teaching a comprehensive science program to preschoolers.

WGBH science on the radio

The World

The World is a one-hour weekday radio newsmagazine offering a mix of news, features, and interviews, including stories on science, health, technology, and the environment.