Science

How do you get a genius brain? Is it all in the genes? Or is it hard work?

EINSTEIN'S BRAIN How does the anatomy of David Pogue's brain measure up to one of the greatest brains of all time? With access to rare medical slides and photographs of Einstein's brain, researchers seek out the biological roots of his genius.

Magic and the Brain Are the secrets behind the world's greatest magic tricks actually wired into the human brain? Eccentric magicians Penn and Teller and Las Vegas trickster Apollo Robbins team up with neuroscientists to reveal how our brains process visual information. Can you really believe your own eyes?

It was hailed by the New York Times as "surgery of the soul," a groundbreaking medical procedure that promised hope to the most distressed mentally ill patients and their families. But what began as an operation of last resort was soon being performed at some fifty state asylums, often with devastating results.

Where do nature's building blocks, called the elements, come from? They're the hidden ingredients of everything in our world, from the carbon in our bodies to the metals in our smartphones.

Years after the earthquake and tsunami that triggered the unprecedented trio of meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, scientists and engineers are still struggling to control an ongoing crisis at the wrecked plant. What's next for Fukushima? What's next for Japan?

NOVA reveals the minute-by-minute story of the Fukushima nuclear crisis—the one you know about, and the one you likely don't; the perilously close call at the other Fukushima nuclear power plant a few miles away from the meltdowns.