Tue, Feb 26, 2008
A Chinese paleontologist flies into controversy when he discovers a four winged dinosaur and claims it is the missing link between dinosaurs and birds rather than evolving from reptiles. Opposing sides in the controversy prepare skeletal reproductions to demonstrate their position but neither can figure out how the creature could possibly fly, leading to the creation of a detailed, poseable scale model for wind tunnel testing.
Tue, May 13, 2008
A difficult journey that begins in loneliness and shame for thousands of Ethiopian women ends in a productive new life and hope for the future in this award-winning film. Shot against a starkly beautiful landscape, A Walk to Beautiful shares the inspiring stories of three women, rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, who leave home in search of treatment for obstetric fistula. In a courageous attempt to reclaim their lives, these women embark on a remarkable journey.
Tue, May 20, 2008
Narrated by Harrison Ford. At age 78, E.O. Wilson is still going through his 'little savage' phase of boyhood exploration of the natural world. NOVA profiles this soft-spoken Southerner and Professor Emeritus at Harvard, who is an acclaimed advocate for ants, biological diversity, and the controversial extension of Darwinian ideas to human society.
Fri, Oct 17, 2008
Dinosaurs are generally considered tropical animals. So what are their fossils doing north of the arctic circle? Paleontologists battle the fierce climate to find out if the arctic was warmer then than it is now, or the arctic was farther from the North Pole, or the dinosaurs were migratory animals, or if they warm blooded.
Tue, Oct 28, 2008
A look at fractal geometry, and how it is found just about everywhere in everything, and how the mathematics of fractals can be used to model and measure such things as mountains, coastlines, telephone line noise and heart rhythm. It also shows how they are used in animation, communications and textile design.