Nova

Season 38 Episode 12: Surviving the Tsunami

51 Seasons Feb 09, 2011 TV-PG 55m 7

"Making Stuff: Smarter" looks at materials that respond to their environments and even learn, such as an airplane wing that changes shape as it flies. Scientists are turning to nature in developing such "smart" stuff. Sharkskin, for instance, has inspired a substance that, when sprayed in hospitals, could eliminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria. David Pogue visits a scientist who has even created a material that can render objects invisible. "Smarter" concludes w...

Nova background

Season 38 Episodes:

Episode 1 Deadliest Earthquakes

1. Deadliest Earthquakes

Aired: Oct 19, 2010

In 2010, several epic earthquakes delivered one of the worst annual death tol...

Episode 3 Making Stuff: Smaller

3. Making Stuff: Smaller

Aired: Nov 2, 2010

David Pogue hosts this examination of miniaturization. He looks at what it ta...

Episode 4 Making Stuff: Cleaner

4. Making Stuff: Cleaner

Aired: Nov 9, 2010

This program looks at cleaner ways to generate power principally in our cars ...

Episode 6 Making Stuff: Smarter

6. Making Stuff: Smarter

Aired: Nov 23, 2010

Making stuff smarter isn't about artificial intelligence. It's more about eng...

Episode 7 Crash of Flight 447

7. Crash of Flight 447

Aired: Dec 28, 2010

Forensic investigators reconstruct the final moments of the Air France disaster.

Episode 9 Japan's Killer Quake

9. Japan's Killer Quake

Aired: Jan 19, 2011

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Japan resulting in waves...

Episode 10 Power Surge

10. Power Surge

Aired: Jan 26, 2011

How small can we go? Could we one day have robots taking "fantastic voyages" ...

Watch Nova Season 38 Episode 12 Exclusively on Hoopla

Streaming in:

United States flag


Guest Staring

Appearances

Info about Nova

Current Status: Returning Series

Network: PBS

Genres: Documentary