Are you ready for all new science programming? MPB is giving summer television a boost with brand new documentaries, specials, and series from PBS, all focused on enlightening and educating. Take a look at just some of the programs premiering this summer on MPB TV:
FIRST PEOPLES
See how the mixing of ancient human genes helped us survive and thrive around the globe. Developments in genetics, archaeology and anthropology cast new light on 200,000 years of history, detailing how Homo sapiens came to be the dominant human species. -- Wednesdays, June 24-July 1, 7:00-10:00 p.m. CST and July 8, 8:00-9:00 p.m. CST
OPERATION WILD
Veterinary teams around the world undertake groundbreaking operations to save animals’ lives in some of the most remote places on earth. OPERATION WILD tells the remarkable stories of animals in need and the caregivers who push the bounds of veterinary medicine to help them. -- Wednesdays, July 1-15, 7:00-8:00 p.m. CST
NOVA “Chasing Pluto”
NOVA captures New Horizon’s historic flyby of Pluto, the culmination of the spacecraft’s nine-year, three-billion-mile journey to reveal the first-ever detailed images of this strange, icy world at the very edge of our solar system. -- Wednesday, July 15, 8:00-9:00 p.m. CST
NOVA “Nuclear Meltdown Disaster”
Four years after one of history’s worst nuclear accidents, NOVA reveals the minute-by-minute story of the Fukushima nuclear crisis and its ongoing aftermath, told by the brave workers who stayed behind when an earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant. -- Wednesday, July 29, 8:00-9:00 p.m. CST
HUMANITY FROM SPACE
From the perspective of space, a new science special traces mankind’s journey from hunter-gatherer to dominant global species. With mind-bending data and CGI, the program shows how we have transformed our planet and produced a world of extraordinary complexity. -- Tuesday, July 21, 7:00-9:00 p.m. CST
LIFE ON THE REEF
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on earth — home to a stunning array of animals, from microscopic plankton to 100-ton whales. From the coral cays of the outer reef to the islands of the Torres Strait, the reef’s human residents work to find that critical balance between our needs and those of an ever-diminishing natural world. The three-part miniseries presents a unique and fresh angle on Australia’s greatest natural icon, seen through the eyes of those who live, work and play in this natural wonderland. -- Wednesdays, July 22-August 5, 7:00-8:00 p.m. CST
THE BOMB
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the dawn of the nuclear age, PBS presents THE BOMB. Using newly restored pristine footage, some of which has only recently been declassified, the program tells the story of the most powerful and destructive invention in human history, from the first atomic bomb to today: how it was developed, how it changed everything and how it continues to shape our lives. Hear from scientists, weapons designers, pilots who dropped nuclear bombs, former Secretaries of Defense and State, witnesses to nuclear explosions, historians and ordinary men and women who have lived and worked with the bomb. -- Tuesday, July 28, 7:00-9:00 p.m. CST
URANIUM: TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL
Host and physicist Dr. Derek Muller unlocks the mysteries of uranium, one of the Earth’s most controversial elements. Born from the collapse of a star, uranium has brought hope, progress and destruction, revolutionizing society, medicine and warfare. It has profoundly shaped the past, will change the future and will exist long after humans have left the Earth. Filmed on five continents, this two-hour program delivers a gripping story of an ancient element’s footprint on the world. -- Tuesday, July 28, and Wednesday, July 29, 9:00-10:00 p.m. CST
BIG BLUE LIVE
Some of the world’s most charismatic marine creatures gather in a once-a-year confluence off the coast of California in the magnificent Monterey Bay, once endangered, but now rejuvenated. At this year’s gathering, they are joined by scientists, filmmakers, photographers and other experts in a live TV and multi-media event — a first for PBS — to document the natural history of one the world’s most extraordinary marine protected areas. -- Monday-Wednesday, August 31-September 2, 7:00-8:00 p.m. CST
