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Can We Make Life? Preview

Season 45 Episode 105 | 28s

"It's alive!" Since Dr. Frankenstein spoke those famous words, we've been alternately enthralled and terrified by the idea of creating life in the lab. Now, a revolution in genetic engineering and thrilling innovations in synthetic biology are bringing that dream—or nightmare, as the case may be—closer to reality. New tools allow researchers to use cells to create their own DNA.

National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust and PBS viewers.
Extras
The story of the dolphin reveals how intelligence evolved, step by step, over billions of years.
Step into the stunning cave that’s reshaping our understanding of prehistoric art.
Witness how Native North Americans have generated scientific knowledge over thousands of years.
Follow the relentless quest that led to a breakthrough treatment for a deadly disease.
Inside one mother's fight to ensure a healthy life for her child with cystic fibrosis.
Inside the race to bring life-saving genetic therapies to every person living with cystic fibrosis.
Glaciologist Brent Minchew on the “Doomsday Glacier," a bold fix, and his path from the Marines.
Jordan Ellenberg discusses the math behind AI, strange geometry, and living with uncertainty.
Homo sapiens weren't alone. Discover the lost human species that once shared our world.
MIT's Daniela Rus discusses AI without data centers and its potential in robotics.