"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.

CRISPR makes gene editing faster, cheaper, and easier than ever before. Here's how.

CAR-T Gene Therapy is a new treatment for some forms of Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Can scientists stomach hours of spider sex in order to understand their language?

Whether they make you fat, fart, or freak out, microbes play a central role in your life. Right beneath your nose—on your face, in your gut, and everywhere in between—trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi are so abundant in your body, they outnumber your human cells. But these aren’t just nasty hitch-hikers. Many are crucial to your survival.

Jack Gilbert studies the effects of the microbiome on the human body and mind.

The hunt for pollution in other planets’ atmospheres may determine whether or not we are alone in the universe.

Astrophysicist Jason Kalirai observes stars and searches for habitable planets in the hopes of finding life.

Chimps have their own rich world of communication.

Meet Dr. Talithia Williams, host of NOVA Wonders.

Artificially intelligent machines are taking over. They’re influencing our everyday lives in profound and often invisible ways. They can read handwriting, interpret emotions, play games, and even act as personal assistants. They are in our phones, our cars, our doctors’ offices, our banks, our web searches…the list goes on and is rapidly growing ever longer.

The search for extraterrestrial life is an age-old quest. But recent breakthroughs make today an era unlike any in the history of astronomy. From the exhilarating probing of our own solar system and the Kepler mission’s astounding discovery of thousands of extrasolar planets, to the next-generation telescopes under development, the prospects for finding life beyond Earth have never been stronger.

Tabby’s star flickers erratically and no one knows why—could it be an alien megastructure?

Meet Dr. André Fenton, the co-host of NOVA Wonders.

NOVA Wonders takes viewers on a journey to the frontiers of science, where researchers are tackling some of the biggest questions about life and the cosmos. From the mysteries of astrophysics to the secrets of the body to the challenges of inventing technologies that could rival—and even surpass—the abilities of the human mind. These six hours reveal how far we’ve come in our search for answers.

From singing whales and squeaking bats to thumping spiders and clicking dolphins, the world is filled with the exotic sounds of our fellow creatures. What are they saying? Can we decode their own communications? NOVA Wonders follows researchers around the globe who are deciphering an amazing array of clues that reveal how animals share information critical to their survival.

Meet Erich Jarvis, a scientist and salsa dancer studying vocal-learning in mice and songbirds.

Microbes colonize our skin, guts, and bodies—but we wouldn’t be ourselves without them.