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Season 12
January 15, 1985

Season 12

01. Edgerton and His Incredible Seeing Machines

NOVA explores the fascinating world of Dr. Harold Edgerton, electronics wizard and inventor extraordinaire, whose invention of the electronic strobe, a "magic lamp," has enabled the human eye to see the unseen.

55min
January 15, 1985

02. Global Village

NOVA presents an in-depth look at India's attempt to use satellite technology to leapfrog into the era of space-age communication and whether it brings benefit or blight to India's villages and rural areas.

55min
January 22, 1985

03. Conquest of the Parasites

NOVA examines the complex world of parasites, parasitic diseases and the exciting work currently being done by a new breed of medical researchers as they meet the challenge of conquering the world's number one medical problem.

55min
January 29, 1985

04. In the Land of the Polar Bears

A rare look at the beautiful and desolate Wrangel Island-a Soviet possession 300 miles off the coast of Alaska-as seen through the eyes of Soviet Filmmaker and naturalist Yuri Ledin. Wrangel Island is not only the home to Siberian snow geese, polar foxes and Walruses, but serves as the world's largest denning area for Polar bears.

55min
February 5, 1985

05. AIDS: Chapter One

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, is a deadly disease that has struck down some 2,000 people in the four years since its discovery. NOVA examines how modern science has been unraveling the mystery of this baffling ailment.

55min
February 12, 1985

06. The Shape of Things

Sea shells, Crystals, Honeycombs, Eggs and seeds: They are shaped the way they are for a reason. NOVA takes viewers on a unique journey of discovery to find out why things are shaped the way they are and why they work so well.

55min
February 19, 1985

07. Baby Talk

It's a mystery just how children acquire language. Does the process begin in the womb? And which comes first, language or thought? NOVA explores the fascinating world of baby talk and reveals the latest theories on this remarkable achievement.

55min
February 26, 1985

08. The Mathematical Mystery Tour

Imagine a bottle with no inside or a number bigger than infinity or parallel lines that meet. Welcome to the world of pure mathematics. NOVA offers a look into a wholly abstract, quirky world of mathematics.

55min
March 5, 1985

09. Child's Play: Prodigies and Possibilities

What do Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the painter Raphael and chess champion Bobby Fischer have in common? They were all child prodigies. NOVA explores the current efforts to learn more about the nature of giftedness.

55min
March 12, 1985

10. Monarch of the Mountains

NOVA explores the breeding, migration and survival patterns of the Rocky Mountain elk in a unique film, made totally under natural conditions. Telephoto lenses were used so as not to disturb the animals; filmmakers spent 18 months tracking the elk through the breathtaking Wyoming Rockies.

55min
March 19, 1985

11. The National Science Test II

In NOVA's special sequel to 1984's National Science Test, viewers can match wits with celebrity panelists David Attenborough, Michelle Johnson, Edwin Newman and Alvin Poussaint and a live studio audience. Art Fleming hosts.

55min
October 8, 1985

12. Seeds of Tomorrow

NOVA examines worldwide efforts of scientists who employ aggressive agricultural technologies to ensure food for the future.

55min
October 15, 1985

13. What Einstein Never Knew

Albert Einstein did not live to find the answer. NOVA follows a new generation of physicists in their search to explain the mystery of the universe.

55min
October 22, 1985

14. The Robot Revolution?

How are the computer and the robot affecting the way we work? NOVA chronicles the new industrial revolution reshaping the American workplace.

55min
October 29, 1985

15. The Magic of Special Effects

NOVA cameras go behind-the-scenes to reveal the new art of illusion, Hollywood-style, focusing on three blockbuster films—Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and 2010: The Year We Make Contact.

55min
November 5, 1985

16. Child Survival: The Silent Emergency

NOVA charts the progress of an ambitious worldwide health program established to save the lives of millions of children who continue to die from common but curable diseases.

55min
November 12, 1985

17. Tornado!

NOVA follows a chase team—a group of scientists who chart deadly Tornadoes—in an effort to learn more about predicting nature's most powerful and elusive weather phenomenon.

55min
November 19, 1985

18. The Genetic Gamble

NOVA examines current research and its ethical implications as modern medicine confronts the era of human gene therapy.

55min
November 26, 1985

19. Animal Architects

NOVA examines the intricate world of nature's construction industry and presents rare footage of unusual habits.

55min
December 3, 1985

20. The Plane that Changed the World

NOVA joins the 50th anniversary celebration of the DC-3—the plane that revolutionized commercial air travel, served gallantly in World War II and is called the most important plane ever built.

55min
December 17, 1985