Scientific American Frontiers

1990 15 Seasons 96 Episodes ⭐ 9.0 Documentary

Scientific American Frontiers was an American television program primarily focused on informing the public about new technologies and discoveries in science and medicine. It was a companion program to the Scientific American magazine. The show was produced for PBS in the U.S. by The Chedd-Angier Production Company, Watertown, Massachusetts, and typically aired once every two to four weeks. To this day, the shows can be viewed on-line at their website, and continue to air regularly on the national digital channel World. The show first aired in 1990 with MIT professor Woodie Flowers who served as the original host from 1990 to the spring of 1993. Actor Alan Alda became the permanent host starting in the fall season of 1993 and continued until the show ended in 2005. Alda's tenure has been notable for his humble and often humorous approach: in one memorable segment, he became car sick while driving an experimental, virtual reality vehicle. In 2005, Alda published his first round of memoirs, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: and Other Things I've Learned, published by Random House; in the book, he recalls his intestines becoming strangulated while on location in Chile for the show, an incident that nearly cost him his life since he was in a remote region and it was difficult to get to a doctor. Finally he found one, who turned out to be a M*A*S*H fan. Further, the treatment was familiar to Alda; the historical development of techniques for vascular anastomosis during the Korean war had featured in the show's scripts.

Seasons & Episodes

EP 1

Episode 01

EP 2

Episode 02

EP 3

Episode 03

EP 4

Special from the Soviet Union

EP 5

Episode 05

EP 1

Episode 06

EP 2

Episode 02

Dragon Science

EP 3

Flying High

EP 2

SuperPeople

Discover the science behind people who push themselves to the limits of human performance.

EP 3

Life's Really Big Questions

How did life arise on Earth? What separates humans from apes? Will machines one day invent themselves? Learn more here.

EP 4

Affairs of the Heart

Learn about advances in the repair and replacement of the hard-working heart.

EP 5

Life's Little Questions II

Why can't you tickle yourself? Is laughter uniquely human? These little questions might have some big answers.

EP 6

Wild Places

Alan Alda learns that sometimes saving endangered species requires restoring whole ecosystems.

EP 7

The Bionic Body

Researchers are uniting biology and technology to give hope to the paralyzed.

EP 8

Chimps R Us

Get to know chimpanzees, how they socialize with each other, new dangers they face, and just how similar our species tru

EP 9

Flying Free

Join aviation engineer Paul MacCready and Alan Alda as they test fly a variety of unconventional planes.

EP 10

Fat and Happy?

Alan Alda explores the real science behind fad foods, eating habits and lifestyles.

EP 1

Pet Tech

EP 2

The Gene Hunters

EP 3

Dead Men's Tales

Scientists reconstruct past events from evidence of excavated remains.

EP 4

Alien Invasion

EP 5

Growing Up Different

Medical treatments for children with physical disabilities.

EP 6

On the Ball

Science and technology improves on sports.

EP 7

Beneath the Sea

New technologies and research techniques, some from the work of pioneer oceanographer Robert Ballard, open up the oceans

EP 8

Games Machines Play

Science and engineering students participate in a design contest, an aerial robot contest, a human powered submarine rac

EP 9

Body Building

EP 10

A Different Way to Heal?

EP 1

Unearthing Secret America

EP 2

Make Up Your Mind

EP 3

The Intimate Machine

EP 4

Forever Wild

EP 5

Mysteries of the Deep

EP 6

Deep Crisis

EP 7

The Wonder Pill

EP 8

Calls of the Wild

EP 9

You Can Make it On Your Own

EP 10

Worried Sick

EP 1

Losing It

EP 2

Don't Forget

EP 3

Future Car

EP 4

Hot Times in Alaska

EP 5

The Dark Side of the Universe

EP 6

Coming Into America

EP 1

Surgical Slimmers

EP 2

Cars That Think

EP 3

Going Deep

EP 4

Chimp Minds

EP 5

Hot Planet - Cold Comfort

EP 6

Hydrogen Hopes

EP 7

Hidden Motives

EP 8

The Secret Canyon

EP 9

Cybersenses

EP 10

Robot Pals

Popular Cast

Alan Alda