January - December 1990

Poison in the Rockies
NOVA reports on the 100-year-old legacy of pollution from mining that poisons the once-pristine waters of the Rocky Mountain states. Acid Rain and economic development also contribute to stress on the West's scarce water supply.
Original broadcast date: 01/09/90
Topic: environment/ecology

Race for the Top
Using some of the largest machines ever built on earth, American and European physicists race to discover one of the most fundamental and most elusive objects in nature—the top quark.
Original broadcast date: 01/23/90
Topic: physics

Disguises of War
NOVA takes the wraps off the art of deception in war—from simple camouflage to the expensive, radar-evading technology embodied in the Stealth bomber.
Original broadcast date: 02/06/90
Topic: technology/weapons & warfare

The Bomb's Lethal Legacy
NOVA examines an alarming nuclear waste problem at the Hanfrod Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington state, where 45 years of mismanagement in the nuclear weapons industry will cost billions to correct.
Original broadcast date: 02/13/90
Topic: environment/ecology

The Big Spill
Covering last year's Exxon Valdez oil spill from an unexplored angle, NOVA focuses on how technology failed in preventing, containing and cleaning up the Alaskan disaster.
Original broadcast date: 02/27/90
Topic: environment/ecology

Rise of the Dragon: The Genius That Was China
China in the 13th century was the richest, most powerful, most technologically advanced civilization on earth. NOVA looks at how China achieved what it did, and what in Chinese politics, culture and economy kept it from doing more. Part one of a four part series.
Original broadcast date: 03/15/90
Topic: technology/engineering

Empires in Collison: The Genius That Was China
NOVA examines the extraordinary transformation that propelled Europe outward into the world from the 15th to 18th centuries, while China remained the insular middle kingdom. Part two of a four part series.
Original broadcast date: 03/20/90
Topic: technology/engineering

The Threat from Japan: The Genius that Was China
East and West came into direct conflict over trade and power in the 19th century. The West won. NOVA explores how Japan was later able to master Western methods, while China was not. Part three of a four part series.
Original broadcast date: 03/27/90
Topic: technology/engineering

Will the Dragon Rise Again?: The Genius That Was China
NOVA covers China's long road to economic and technological equality with the West, punctuated by frequent setbacks such as the 1989 massacre of pro-democractic demonstrations in Beijing. Part four of a four part series.
Original broadcast date: 04/03/90
Topic: technology/engineering

KGB, The Computer and Me (The)
What happens when a Berkeley hippie turns detective and gets mixed up with the CIA and the KGB? NOVA follows computer sleuth Cliff Stoll as he tracks a data thief through a maze of military and research computers.
Original broadcast date: 10/03/90
Topic: technology/computers

Neptune's Cold Fury
NOVA visits Neptune, the planet that took Voyager 12 years to reach. Mysteries abound in and around this big, blue world at the outer limits of the solar system. Actor Patrick Stewart hosts.
Original broadcast date: 10/09/90
Topic: astronomy/space exploration

To Boldly Go...
NOVA chronicles the Voyager space mission—from Earth to the ends of the solar system. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and dozens of moons star in this epic voyage of exploration. Actor Patrick Stewart hosts.
Original broadcast date: 10/16/90
Topic: astronomy/space exploration

Poisoned Winds of War
Sixty-five years after attempts to ban them, chemical weapons pose more of a threat than ever. NOVA looks at the problem of controlling substances that are easily produced and cruelly effective.
Original broadcast date: 10/23/90
Topic: technology/weapons & warfare

Blimp is Back! (The)
NOVA examines the troubled past and promising future of blimps, zeppelins, cyclocranes and other species of airships. There's life in the old gasbags yet.
Original broadcast date: 10/30/90
Topic: technology/aeronautics & flight

Earthquake!
NOVA looks at the high-stakes quest to predict earthquakes. Despite past disappointments, geologists still hope to divine the clues that precede nature's ultimate upheavals.
Original broadcast date: 11/06/90
Topic: geology/earthquakes & volcanoes

Killing Machines
Robotic weapons that seek out and destroy ships, planes, and other targets are the wave of the future. NOVA questions whether their proliferation may spell an end to superpower invincibility.
Original broadcast date: 11/13/90
Topic: technology/weapons & warfare

Can the Elephant Be Saved?
Is the ivory ban in the elephant's best interest? NOVA looks at the controversial strategies to save the world's largest land animal from extinction.
Original broadcast date: 11/20/90
Topic: animal biology/behavior

We Know Where You Live
Ever wonder how junk mail finds you? NOVA investigates the hidden world of direct marketing, pointing out how advertisers know a lot more about us than we think.
Original broadcast date: 11/27/90
Topic: social sciences/miscellaneous

In the Land of the Llamas
NOVA profiles the llama, alpaca, vicuna and guanaco of South America. At one time nearly extinct, these four members of the camel family are exceptionally well adapted to life in the beautiful high Andes.
Original broadcast date: 12/04/90
Topic: animal biology/behavior

What's Killing the Children?
NOVA tracks a mysterious disease that suddenly and fatally attacks the children of a small Brazilian town. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta are called in to crack the case.
Original broadcast date: 12/18/90
Topic: medicine/disease & research