Alpha male chimp Hondo challenges Alan Alda during a Human Spark interview. Read about the incident and about primate emotions, here….

The Dragon Chronicles follows reptile expert and conservationist Romulus ‘Rom’ Whitaker as he journeys around the world in search of the fabled beasts’ contemporary counterparts–Komodo dragons, rare salamanders, flying lizards. Watch episode online now!

A rise in sea levels isn’t the only impact global warming is having on the world’s oceans. Evidence suggests that climate change is also affecting ocean currents. NOW gets a first hand look at this sea change, and what we can do about it. Watch.

An outbreak of Ebola in the DR Congo has put neighboring countries on alert. At least 12 have died so far in the country’s fourth Ebola outbreak since 1976. View an interactive map of disease hotspots in DR of Congo and elsewhere in Africa. Read more here.

After four decades of fly-by probes, orbiters, landers, and rovers, the quest for life on Mars is as tantalizing as ever. NOVA goes behind the scenes of the latest NASA missions to the Red Planet to reveal new clues about Mars. Watch now.

On December 30, 1924: Astronomer Edwin Hubble announced he believed he had confirmed the existence of other galaxies, through his research examining the Andromeda system. Read more about Hubble from WNET and WGBH:
Hubble’s Law
Hubble’s Work
Hubble’s Bio

Produced for WGBH and the BBC in 1992, this 5-hour history of computers is watchable online. It covers the birth of computing in Babbage’s difference engine, all the way through the growth of artificial intelligence and global networks.

On December 15, 2001, Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened its doors to tourists after a team of experts spent 11 years and $27 million to keep it from tilting so much it might fall over.

Steven Chu currently runs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the U. of California, and is a biofuels specialist. Read more about Chu’s research and experience, and about clean energy technologies…

Should grizzly bears be removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act? Discover the complex issue of grizzly bear management and conservation from ranchers, conservationists, and government officials who share their stories and insights. Watch now.