Craig Sechler

"In the years since Machu Picchu was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, there have been countless theories about this Lost city of the Incas, yet it remains an enigma. NOVA joins a new generation of archaeologists as they probe areas of Machu Picchu that haven't been touched since the time of the Incas and unearth burials of the people who built the sacred site"--Container.

The Age of Exploration and Europe's colonization of far-off lands was launched by a revolution in ship design that made long-distance voyages practical. A newly discovered 500-year-old wreck offers vital clues to this key innovation.

If spacecraft OSIRIS-REx can grab a piece of an asteroid and bring it to Earth, scientists could gain insight into our planet's origins-and even how to defend against rogue asteroids. But NASA only gets three shots at collecting a sample.

Follow along as NASA launches the Mars 2020 Mission, perhaps the most ambitious hunt yet for signs of ancient life on Mars. In February 2021, the spacecraft blazes into the Martian atmosphere at some 12,000 miles per hour and lowers the Perseverance Rover into the rocky Jezero Crater, home to a dried-up river delta scientists think could have harbored life. Perseverance will comb the area for signs of life and collect samples for possible return to...

Over the past few decades, the number of skyscrapers worldwide has climbed dramatically. And as developers look to maximize limited urban space, and nations vie for prestige, these shimmering towers are being built higher and higher. In China alone, dozens of buildings rise to over 1,000 feet, with a few approaching 2,000 feet. But for all their impressive engineering, are these buildings safe?

Who says you need brains to be smart? Extremely primitive life-forms called slime molds can navigate mazes, choose between foods, and create efficient networks-no brain required. New research on these organisms, which are neither plant nor animal, could help reveal the fundamental rules underlying all decision making.