Critical Condition: Health in Black America

 

Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease than White Americans, and their life expectancy is about five years shorter. Why? 

In this special feature-length documentary, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson investigates the dramatic health disparities in the US, even as scientists confirm that there are no meaningful genetic differences between races. 

From the deep history of pseudoscientific beliefs about race that still permeate modern medicine, to the latest research on how experiencing discrimination can directly damage human cells, Critical Condition explores the factors behind the health crisis facing Black Americans.

CRITICAL CONDITION: HEALTH IN BLACK AMERICA at TPT

Secrets of the Forest

Can forests help cool the planet? Follow scientists working in spectacular forest landscapes in Costa Rica, Brazil, Australia, and beyond as they try to untangle complex networks of trees, fungi, and creatures large and small—all in a quest to tackle the twin threats of climate change and species extinction.

Sections:

• Photosynthesis
• Trees
• Fungi
• Soil
• Insects
• Animals
• Humans

SECRETS OF THE FOREST at TPT

Revolutionary War Weapons

In 1775, a ragtag army of farmers and tradesmen went to war against the most powerful army in the world, ultimately winning American independence. What military technologies did the American colonies use in their fight for freedom, and how did they help propel them to one of history’s most unlikely victories? 

Archaeologists and historians uncover the real stories of innovation, skill, and strategy that determined the outcome of important battles. From the Brown Bess musket to the world’s first military submarine, get a closeup look at the powerful and sometimes ingenious weapons that helped the colonies win the war. 

REVOLUTIONARY WAR WEAPONS at TPT

Baltimore Bridge Collapse

On March 26, 2024, the world collectively gasped as a massive container ship, the Dali, lost control and plowed into the landmark Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The busy four-lane bridge suffered a catastrophic collapse and crashed into the Patapsco River. Six highway workers were killed, and the Port of Baltimore—a crucial link in the global shipping chain on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States—was blocked by thousands of tons of twisted steel and concrete. 

How did a modern ship lose all power and propulsion? And why did the bridge fail so catastrophically? Follow the high-stakes rescue and recovery, the efforts to reopen the port, and the investigations into what went wrong and how many other crucial bridges are at risk.

BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE at TPT

AI Protein Folding

How the protein folding frontier was conquered, as told by Veritasium's Derek Muller. It's perhaps the most important story in modern biology. And science communicator, Derek Muller—as usual—dives deeper into the topic than most popular science journalists dare to venture.

But Veritasium manages to tell the tale in 24 minutes. It's a dense 24 minutes. I crafted 37 questions to accompany the video, because if I were showing this to students, I would not let them look away for a moment. There's a lot of good information in The Most Useful Thing AI Has Ever Done.

Cowboy biochemistry, Turd of the Century, and evoformers will be discussed. Veritasium has answers, and I have questions.

THE MOST USEFUL THING AI HAS EVER DONE at TPT

Dino Birds

Dinosaurs are not as extinct as we might have thought. The big ones didn't make it past the asteroid impact 65 million years ago. But some small flying ones did. Hence birds!

Connecting modern birds to ancient dinosaurs was a scientific detective story, and this episode of NOVA retraces the steps. And some of the best evidence is of recent discovery. 

Birds have been on an evolutionary journey. A journey that included feathers, powered flight, and many extinctions. 

DINO BIRDS at TPT

Fossils reveal how birds survived the killer asteroid and became today’s only living dinosaurs. Contrary to popular belief, dinosaurs never went extinct. They’re still alive among us—in the form of birds! Birds are the only dinosaurs that survived the cataclysmic mass extinction caused by an asteroid the size of Mt. Everest crashing into Earth about 66 million years ago. The big question is: How? How did birds manage to not only live through the apocalypse, but also go on to diversify and populate every corner of our planet? Now, rare fossil discoveries are revealing the secrets of bird evolution going back more than 100 million years, telling the story of how some resilient feathered dinos persevered and transformed into the vast array of colorful bird species that fill our skies today.

Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything

 

Latif Nasser is probably best known as a current host of Radiolab, WNYC's celebrated broadcast/podcast program. 

Before that, he hosted the Netflix documentary series, Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything. I think it's safe now to say that Connected was a limited series, and—like many Netflix properties—season 1 is as far as it will go. But we got six solid episodes to enjoy. Each episode stands on its own. And each delivers unexpected connections. 

They were released in the midst of the lockdowns, so you might have been glued to Tiger King at the time. The title hews close to that of James Burke's classic, Connections. So I was willing to give it a go. 

And now I have questions.

CONNECTIONS: THE HIDDEN SCIENCE OF EVERYTHING at TPT

1. SURVEILLANCE at TPT

Ever feel like you're being watched? Well, you may be right. Latif explores the sometimes cute, often creepy ways surveillance pervades our lives. Segments: Veeries, Piggies, Selfies, Sweeties.

Shot in the Arm

This project began as a documentary regarding resistance to the measles (MMR) vaccine. Then 2020 arrived with the coronavirus outbreak. After the initial panic and lockdowns, the anti-vaccine movement exploded. Shot in the Arm documents whole the ordeal.

There are uncomfortable moments for those of us who remember it all. But there were important lessons, and it's important that they were learned.

I have questions. And they are free.

SHOT IN THE ARM at TPT [Freebie]

Both skeptical and hopeful, SHOT IN THE ARM - from Academy Award-Nominated filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy and Executive Producer Neil deGrasse Tyson - explores vaccine hesitancy historically and in the context of our modern pandemic. Can we replace cynicism with healthy curiosity and bridge the political divides that make us sick? Featuring: Tony Fauci, Paul Offit, and Robert Kennedy, Jr.

More information is available at http://shotinthearmmovie.com.

What Are UFOs?

 

Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) have been an intriguing phenomenon for decades. They've recently benn renamed Unidentified Areal Phenomena and then Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). Public interest has waxed and waned, but never disappeared. I don't expect that will ever change.

I was a bit nervous when I learned NOVA was going to produce an episode to this topic. Why? I was recently disappointed by celebrated columnist Ezra Klein's stunning credulity amidst a recent flare up of interest. I expected better. 

But my anxiety was not warranted. I was heartened to see skeptical analyst, Mick West, was a participant, and he certainly has a moment in this episode. This is NOVA, not The New York Times; I should not have been concerned.

But I do have questions.

WHAT ARE UFOS? at TPT

For decades UFOs have captivated the public, even as many scientists saw them as too taboo to investigate. Now, after highly publicized sightings of unidentified objects by Navy pilots, UFOs are moving out of the shadows and into the light, as NASA pledges to study them scientifically. So what does science have to say? Though some are identified as balloons or drones, weather phenomena, or optical illusions, others remain mysterious. Could they be the result of secret new technology developed by other governments – or our own? And what would it take for alien engineers to traverse vast distances to send probes or visit Earth from other solar systems? Explore the evidence, as astrophysicists and engineers use new technologies to investigate the strangest objects in our skies.

UNKNOWN: Killer Robots

 

Having written a question set for UNKNOWN: Cosmic Time Machine, I poked around and discovered that UNKNOWN was a ... collection of Netflix documentaries. Not a series as such; a collection. Having written question sets for documentaries regarding AI and robots, Killer Robots intrigued me.

This is the most disquieting documentary I pursued. But enlightening, and important. There is a dark side to technological developments. There always have been. The techno-optimists do their best to marginalize those downsides, but that doesn't make them go away.

UNKNOWN: KILLER ROBOTS at TPT

Deep in the heart of the military-industrial complex, a new kind of soldier is being developed. AI-powered robots are changing the face of warfare, and increasingly making their own decisions on the battlefield. This film follows the soldiers and scientists racing to build these technologies, and the activists on a mission to expose their dangerous potential.

UNKNOWN: Cosmic Time Machine

I'm clearly getting antsy for another PBS NOVA episode focussed on the latest discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope. In the meantime, I enjoyed this Netflix documentary on the early days of the JWST. 

And I have questions.

UNKNOWN: COSMIC TIME MACHINE at TPT

The James Webb Telescope stirs imaginations with vivid photos of distant galaxies. This documentary tracks its historic journey from inception to launch, and on to deployment and first images.

Lost Tombs of Notre Dame

 

The world looked on in horror as Notre Dame Cathedral burned in the middle of Paris in April, 2019. Restoring the cathedral has spawned two episodes of NOVA. Rebuilding Notre Dame in 2022, and now Lost Tombs of Notre Dame.

The restoration project has been a massive undertaking. This episode is devoted to some of the things found under the stone flooring, and the forensic work devoted to solving these uncovered mysteries. 

LOST TOMBS OF NOTRE DAME at TPT

After the devastating 2019 fire at Notre Dame, two mysterious sarcophaguses were discovered under the cathedral’s stone floor. Who is buried in them, and what secrets will these coffins reveal? Follow a team of archaeologists and historians as they attempt to solve centuries-old mysteries using the latest scientific investigation techniques. What can forensic analysis of the remains reveal about one of the world’s most famous cathedrals and those who devoted their lives to it?

The New Jersey Drones Mass Delusion, Explained

Dear reader from the future: this cultural episode will have been largely forgotten by the time you read this. But in late 2024, "Mysterious New Jersey Drones" coverage could not be escaped. This is a characteristic of mass delusions. Explosive media penetration for a hot minute, then erased from the collective memory.

It's instructive to not let it fade from consciousness. The good people at the What a Day podcast's occasional series, "How We Got Here" took a deep dive into this flash in the media pan. 

And I have questions.

THE NEW JERSEY DRONES MASS DELUSION, EXPLAINED at TPT

Something mysterious has been going down in New Jersey recently … but it’s NOT drones. It’s that thousands of people are looking at airplanes in the night sky and thinking they see UFOs. What causes mass delusions like this wave of now mostly debunked drone sightings? In this concluding episode of "How We Got Here," Max and Erin share four stories of famous mass hysterias and talk to William Bernstein, an author who writes about the science of mass delusions and why they happen.

Key Sections:

• War of the Worlds
• The Delusion of Crowds
• Havana Syndrome
• Panic (Media Response in the Attention Economy)
• Evil Clowns
• Salem Witch Trials

Building Stuff

Engineering is a big part of the Next Generation Science Standards. Classroom teachers are encouraged to integrate engineering into their curricula. Tabletop and classroom-scale building projects are one way to do that, and the hands-on nature of such projects has great value.

Another way to integrate engineering into the science curriculum is seeing larger scale engineering projects documented. PBS NOVA's Building Stuff miniseries does just that.

BUILDING STUFF at TPT

Engineering is all around us, and we humans have been doing it forever. But how does it actually work? Find out by watching some of the most creative and innovative folks in the game build stuff that helps extend our range, amplify our abilities, and alter our environment for the better. Experience the ups and downs with engineers as they design, build, and iterate their way through challenges, inspiring the inner “maker” in all of us.

1. Boost It! at TPT

SPIN LAUNCH · HAPTIC DANCE · DOUBLE DUTCH · BIONIC VISION

Around the world, engineers are finding ingenious ways to amplify our abilities and senses—allowing us to access and shape the world way beyond our natural gifts. From helping a blind man see without the use of his eyes to building a sling so powerful it can shoot rockets into space, see why engineering just might be the closest thing to a superpower we humans have.

2. Reach It! at TPT

WINDSCRAPERS · SAFE SUBMERSIBLES · FITTED FIRE SUIT · SPACE BASKET BOOM

From the time our species first evolved, we’ve been on the move. Not content to stay in one place, we’ve imagined and invented and built our way from one place to the next. From deep sea subs to wind-resistant skyscrapers to next-gen space habitats, see how today’s engineers are designing and building creative new ways for us to get all around—and even off—our planet.

3. Change It! at TPT

DRONE TAXI · TUNABLE E-NOSE · CORAL SEE · EARTH FILTER

Thousands of years of human innovation have allowed us to shape the environment to improve lives. The consequences of our activities are not always benign—but there are solutions. From electrifying aviation, to building robots to protect threatened coral reefs, a new generation of engineers is finding creative solutions to some of our most critical environmental challenges.

Rebuilding Notre Dame

The world watched in horror as Notre Dame Cathedral burned in the middle of Paris in April, 2019. France immediately embarked on the massive undertaking of restoring the cathedral. And they were intent on restoring the cathedral as it was before the fire. This made things even more challenging.

[It's always nice when I can use a photo from my own archives for the cover art. My polarizer was working hard on that shot.]

REBUILDING NOTRE DAME at TPT

Following the April, 2019 fire that almost destroyed Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, a team of engineers, masons, and timber workers set out on the daunting challenge of restoring France’s historic landmark. The program traces the dramatic human and technical challenges of the project’s first three years, going behind-the-scenes with carpenters shaping lumber for the new roof and spire, stone masons repairing gaping holes in the vault, and artisans who use traditional techniques to restore stained glass windows. A symbol of the nation’s identity and resilience, Notre Dame gradually rises from the ashes, thanks to a restoration project like no other.

You're Probably Wrong About Rainbows

Veritasium's Derek Muller did a deep dive into rainbows, and brought his YouTube content creator skills to bear in articulating an explanation. 

I thought I dove pretty deep in my Understanding Rainbows classroom lesson. Derek dialed it up to 11 in You're Probably Wrong About Rainbows.

Naturally, I had questions.

YOU'RE PROBABLY WRONG ABOUT RAINBOWS at TPT

You probably don’t understand how a rainbow really works. In this video, Veritasium’s Derek Muller dives deep into the optics of rainbows. Caustics and Brewster’s angle deep. The video is divided into chapters; see the product listing for complete details.

Leonardo Da Vinci

 

American documentary film-making legend Ken Burns has expanded his horizons. In his first off-shore foray, he examines the life and times of Leonardo Da Vinci. 

There is much to explore. And I have questions.

LEONARDO DA VINCI at TPT

A 15th century polymath of soaring imagination and profound intellect, Leonardo da Vinci created some of the most revered works of art of all time, but his artistic endeavors often seemed peripheral to his pursuits in science and engineering. Through his paintings and thousands of pages of drawings and writings, Leonardo da Vinci explores one of humankind’s most curious and innovative minds.

1. THE DISCIPLE OF EXPERIENCE at TPT

Leonardo da Vinci grows up in a Tuscan village surrounded by nature, then moves to Florence, where the Renaissance is in full bloom, to apprentice as an artist and craftsman. He shows extraordinary talent but at times struggles to finish commissions. Later, in Milan, he joins Duke Sforza’s court, begins writing treatises, and paints a monumental fresco depicting the Last Supper.

2. PAINTER-GOD at TPT

Leonardo works as a military engineer, designs fanciful flying machines, studies light and shadow, investigates gravity, dissects cadavers, and pens treatises on a vast array of subjects, all while seeking the perfect patron. In Florence, Milan, Rome and finally France, he pours the sum of his scientific and artistic knowledge into a portrait that would become the most famous painting on earth.

Benjamin Franklin

As a frequent visitor to pbs.org, I was seeing promotional material for the (then) upcoming Ken Burns' Leonardo Da Vinci documentary. While poking around, I discovered that he made a two-parter covering Benjamin Franklin. So I crafted a question set for that while waiting for the Da Vinci work to air.

Each episode runs about two hours, so this is a considerable piece of work. Each episode is divided into chapters; see product listings for complete details.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - 1. Join or Die (1706-1774) at TPT

Leaving behind his Boston childhood, Benjamin Franklin reinvents himself in Philadelphia where he builds a printing empire and a new life with his wife, Deborah. Turning to science, Franklin's lightning rod and experiments in electricity earn him worldwide fame. After entering politics, he spends years in London trying to keep Britain and America together as his own family starts to come apart.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - 2. An American (1775-1792) at TPT

Benjamin Franklin leaves London and returns to wartime Philadelphia where he joins Congress and helps Thomas Jefferson craft the Declaration of Independence. In Paris, he wins French support for the American Revolution then negotiates a peace treaty with Britain. He spends his last years in the new United States, working on the Constitution and unsuccessfully promoting the abolition of slavery.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - BUNDLE at TPT

Both episodes, bundled and discounted.

Decoding the Universe

DECODING THE UNIVERSE

See how our understanding of nature and the universe has been transformed since the 1970s.

How big is the universe? What is it made of? Are we alone? Questions like these have inspired amazing discoveries that have transformed our understanding of the universe since the 1970s, shedding light on everything from exoplanets to black holes to the mysterious dark matter and energy that rule the cosmos. And closer to home, quantum physicists have discovered the weird laws that govern the subatomic world, unlocking amazing technologies—from the smart phone in your pocket to powerful new quantum computers taking shape in labs today.

COSMOS at TPT

How big is the universe? If it began with the Big Bang, will it also have an end? Is there life beyond our planet? Questions like these inspired the launch of Voyager I in 1977 and have driven innovative space research and exploration ever since. Trace ground-breaking discoveries that have transformed our picture of the universe, from an age when we knew of no planets beyond our solar system, to today, when we have evidence of thousands and estimate trillions more. And follow the teams trying to solve two of the biggest mysteries in cosmology today: What are dark matter and dark energy?

QUANTUM at TPT

When we look at the world at the tiniest scales in the subatomic realm, things get weird – very weird. Welcome to the quantum universe, where particles can spin in two directions at once, observing something changes it, and something on one side of the galaxy can instantly affect something on the other, as if the space between them didn’t exist. Buckle up for a wild ride through the discoveries that proved all of this to be true and paved the way for the digital technologies we enjoy today – and the powerful quantum sensors and computers of tomorrow.

Will there be more episodes of Decoding the Universe? I don't know. Somehow in 2024, my search engine skills are unequal to the challenge of finding out. Someone deep in PBS NOVA HQ knows. I'm hoping more episodes will be added to this collection. 

Solar System

 

PBS NOVA has once again teamed up with BBC for another space science miniseries. The Planets (2019) was followed by Universe Revealed (2021).

This year, it was deeper dive into the solar system. You might wonder what was left to document so soon (in space documentary years) after The Planets. What Solar System does is to open things up to include moons and dwarf planets. Suddenly to the topic candidates expand from fewer than a dozen to hundreds. We've been sending probes to explore these words for decades, and researchers have been able to identify and sort unexpected mysteries. 

Ice worlds composed of hot, black ice, volcanic worlds heated by tidal forces, dwarf planets that kiss more than they collide, comets, asteroids, and an unseen cloud of countless worlds. Solar System dives deep into some two dozen worlds in our own neighborhood, including Haumea, Ganymede, Miranda, Pan, Io, Enceladus, Iapetus, Phobos, Ceres, Triton, and Charon. Earth is included in the mix, correctly cast among the "Strange Worlds." Honestly, the more you know about Earth, the stranger it seems.

Thanks once again to my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Murphy, for encouraging me to deepen my fascination with the other worlds of the solar system years before the Vikings or the Voyagers.