NOVA | PBS

People around the world spend an estimated 3 billion hours playing computer games every week. That might seem like a colossal waste of time, but scientists are starting to harness some of that effort to solve vexing problems in biology. Take, for example, a game developed by a pair of scientists in Canada. This podcast was produced by Sam Eaton for NOVA and PRI's "The World." For more global environmental stories, visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/ http://www.theworld.org/category/topics/environment/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

On July 4, 2012, scientists at CERN used the word "discovery" to describe the results of experiments designed to prove the existence of the Higgs boson, a particle that gives mass to the universe. Host Marco Werman of PRI's The World gets a down-to-earth layman's analogy for what it means to say that a particle "gives mass," finds out why it's called the "God particle," and hears from a member of one of the teams that found the new particle, Jordan Nash of Imperial College London, on what this means for him personally and for physics. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

After a crime or terrorist attack, authorities looking for the perpetrators may need to review many hours of surveillance video—in just minutes. But how can they speed up the video without speeding up the action? That's where "video synopsis" can help. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

In this interview with The World's Marco Werman, NOVA Producer Miles O'Brien describes how surveillance footage played a key role in cracking the case of the Boston Marathon bombings. But as O'Brien discovered in the course of reporting the NOVA special "Manhunt—Boston Bombers," other cities, especially New York City, have surveillance camera networks that are far more advanced than Boston's hodgepodge system. O'Brien recounts just how powerful those systems are and what that may portend for privacy in the future. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

Thousands of drones could be in commercial use in the U.S. within a few years. These unmanned aerial vehicles may assist everyone from farmers and firefighters to doctors and utility workers. But the government has not yet decided how to regulate this coming fleet of civilian drones. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

The residents of Australia's Northern Territory share their land with one of the deadliest predators on the planet—the saltwater crocodile. Getting humans and these fearsome reptiles to coexist isn't easy. But a government program called "Be Crocwise" is doing its best to keep the peace. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

Australia's koala population has been hit hard by two rapidly spreading diseases: chlamydia (a sexually transmitted infection) and a retrovirus similar to HIV. Scientists are working to develop vaccines, while lay citizens help care for sick koalas. Biologists say the epidemics, combined with other threats like habitat loss, pose a serious threat to the species. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

In Australia's Northern Territory, termites build mounds that are tall, thin, and aligned like compass needles. How and why the insects do this is not entirely clear. One entomologist offers some theories. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

Millions of years ago in what is today Australia's Outback, a herd of dinosaurs left behind footprints in what has been interpreted as a stampede to escape a predator. A young researcher now suggests a very different interpretation. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

Discarded chewing gum is a common eyesore, and removing it from city streets and sidewalks can be costly. A Mexican congressman wants to solve the problem by borrowing a concept widely used in environmental regulation: making the polluters pay. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

The Panama Canal is being expanded to accommodate larger ships carrying bigger loads. The construction has exposed a trove of fossils, revealing a wide array of creatures that lived at the southern end of North America 20 million years ago. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

The last place you'd expect to find a new treasure is where everyone has been looking for centuries. Yet in Europe, home to history's greatest taxonomists, professional scientists and amateurs are scouring the countryside for new species—and finding them at an astonishing rate. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

Mexico City faces a severe water crisis as 21 million residents slowly drain its aquifer. An environmental group is suggesting a plan to install rainwater harvesting systems on individual homes, but city officials are not convinced it will work. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

What makes a dog bold or shy, eager or sullen? The Veterinary University of Vienna's Clever Dog Lab aims to find out with the help of some 600 Austrian dogs that owners volunteer for experiments. The results could improve the training and selection of dogs that serve society, from helping the disabled to assisting the police. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. National corporate funding for NOVA is provided by The Boeing Company. Major funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

Sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. We interact with the world and navigate through it thanks to our senses. But what if we could add to that repertoire? A British scientist and a small group of enthusiasts are exploring ways to do just that. For more global science stories, visit: http://www.world-science.org/ NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.