A tomb of 49,000 year-old Neanderthal bones discovered in El Sidron, a remote, mountainous region of northern Spain, leads to a compelling investigation to solve a double mystery: How did this group of Neanderthals die? And could the fate of this group help explain Neanderthal extinction?

Described as "the greatest woman rifle shot the world has ever produced," Annie Oakley thrilled audiences of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show with her daring shooting feats. Over time she became an American legend. But that legend had little to do with the real Annie Oakley. This probing AMERICAN EXPERIENCE production examines the dramatic life of a uniquely American icon whose complex character manifested many of the paradoxes of the nation.

The story of Jesse James remains one of America's most cherished and wrong-headed myths. Less heroic than brutal, James was a product of the American Civil War; a Confederate partisan of expansive ambition and cunning, who helped invent his own valiant legend. A member of a vicious band of Missouri guerrillas during the war, James sought redemption afterwards, but, rode further from it, redeeming instead the glorious memory of the Old South.

10 Buildings That Changed America tells the stories of ten influential works of architecture, the people who imagined them, and the way these landmarks ushered in innovative cultural shifts throughout our society.From American architectural stalwarts like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, to modern revolutionaries Frank Gehry and Robert Venturi, this film examines the most prominent buildings designed by the most noteworthy architects of our time.We see the legacy of these architects all around us: in the homes where we live, the offices in which we work, our public buildings, and our houses of worship. These 10 Buildings represent architects who dared to strike out on their own and design radical new types of buildings that permanently altered our environmental and cultural landscape.

Venom scientists are in a race against time. Inside the bodies of many creatures, evolution has produced extreme toxic cocktails, all designed for one reason: to kill. It took millions of years to perfect these ultimate brews of proteins and peptides and we have only just begun to discover their potential. Now, the race is on to collect and study them before the animals that produce them disappear. But how does venom do its deadly work? NOVA reveals how venom causes the body to shut down, arteries to bleed uncontrollably and limbs to go black and die. But nature's most destructive and extreme poisons could contain the building blocks for a new generation of advanced drugs that could treat heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity and cancer. VENOM follows two scientists on their expeditions to track down and capture the planet's most deadly creatures, risking life and limb just to tease out milligrams of venom and get it back to the lab. Find out how nature's deadliest cocktails could be medicine's brightest new hope.

Death on the Railroad is a classic story involving foul play, cover ups, a murder mystery and a voyage of discovery to understand what happened to a group of Irish men who came to America for a better life but found only misery. In 1832, railroad contractor, Philip Duffy, hired 57 Irish immigrants to lay railroad tracks in West Chester, Pennsylvania. But, less than two months after their arrival, all 57 were dead. Did they all die – as was widely believed – due to a cholera pandemic? Or, were some of them murdered? In 2003, twin brothers discovered a secret file among their grandfather’s papers that led them to investigate the deaths of these men and find the location of their final resting place in a valley now known as Duffy’s Cut. Using the latest forensic and scientific investigative techniques, DNA, forensic analysis, facial reconstruction and historical detective work in Ireland and the USA, modern detectives and experts will unravel this extraordinary story.

In 1961, segregation seemed to have an overwhelming grip on American society. Many states violently enforced the policy, while the federal government, under the Kennedy administration, remained indifferent, preoccupied with matters abroad. That is, until an integrated band of college students--many of whom were the first in their families to attend a university--decided, en masse, to risk everything and buy a ticket on a Greyhound bus bound for the Deep South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders, and they managed to bring the president and the entire American public face to face with the challenge of correcting civil rights inequities that plagued the nation.Veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson's inspirational documentary is the first feature-length film about this courageous band of civil rights activists. Gaining impressive access to influential figures on both sides of the issue, Nelson chronicles a chapter of American history that stands as an astonishing testament to the accomplishment of youth and what can result from the incredible combination of personal conviction and the courage to organize against all odds.This documentary is based partly on Raymond Arsenault's acclaimed book Freedom Riders: 1961and the Struggle for Racial Justice.

In October 1962, the world held its breath. On the edge of the Caribbean Sea, just a few miles from the Florida coast, the two great superpowers were at a stand-off. Surrounded by twelve US destroyers, which were depth-charging his submarine to drive it to the surface, Captain Vitali Grigorievitch Savitsky panicked. Unable to contact Moscow and fearing war had begun, he ordered the launch of his submarine's nuclear torpedoes. As the two sides inched perilously close to nuclear war-far closer than we ever knew before--just one man stood between Captain Savitsky's order and mutually assured destruction.Set over four hours on October 27, 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis was at its height, this program tells the powerful but forgotten story of Vasili Arkhipov and Soviet submarine B-59. With most of the action set in a claustrophobic submarine running out of air, THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD combines tense drama with eyewitness accounts and expert testimony about some of the most critical events in the Cold War.

In October 1962, the world held its breath. On the edge of the Caribbean Sea, just a few miles from the Florida coast, the two great superpowers were at a stand-off. Surrounded by twelve US destroyers, which were depth-charging his submarine to drive it to the surface, Captain Vitali Grigorievitch Savitsky panicked. Unable to contact Moscow and fearing war had begun, he ordered the launch of his submarine's nuclear torpedoes. As the two sides inched perilously close to nuclear war-far closer than we ever knew before--just one man stood between Captain Savitsky's order and mutually assured destruction.Set over four hours on October 27, 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis was at its height, this program tells the powerful but forgotten story of Vasili Arkhipov and Soviet submarine B-59. With most of the action set in a claustrophobic submarine running out of air, THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD combines tense drama with eyewitness accounts and expert testimony about some of the most critical events in the Cold War.

America Revealed is a unique look at what makes America tick, what it takes to keeps the biggest food machine in the world going, the delicate balance that keeps our supermarkets stocked with groceries and fast food restaurants supplied with fries. How we keep America moving with its vast and complex transport systems. How we propel ourselves through energy, what maintains the constant supply of fuel and electricity to our homes and businesses and finally how we keep up with the ever changing world, the import and export infrastructure that shapes our manufacturing industry.From the Corn farmer in Central Valley, California to the live wire cable repairers in New Jersey. Viewers will discover a fascinating new perspective on the hidden patterns and rhythms of American life, by looking through the eyes of individuals who all play a part in keeping America fed, moving, powered and making goods.

Of all the continents on Earth, none preserves a more spectacular story of our planet's origins than Australia. NOVA's four-part "Australia's First 4 Billion Years" takes viewers on a rollicking adventure from the birth of the Earth to the emergence of the world we know today. With help from host and scientist Richard Smith, we meet titanic dinosaurs and giant kangaroos, sea monsters and prehistoric crustaceans, disappearing mountains and deadly asteroids. Epic in scope, intimate in nature, this is the untold story of the land "down under," the one island continent that has got it all. Join NOVA on the ultimate Outback road trip, an exploration of the history of the planet as seen through the window of the Australian continent.

Just a century ago, there were less than a million deer in North America. Today, there are nearly 30 million. No wonder it seems they're moving in right down the block. Nowhere are the deer more at home than in the suburbs. Whitetailed deer live in the boundaries, where our backyards meet the backwoods, and the woodlands meet the roads. From our kitchen windows we spot them, nibbling away at our gardens and shrubs.But how well do we know our neighbors from the natural world? Not very well at all, as it turns out.New investigations into their world reveal a more complex society than we imagined. These are smart, adaptable creatures, with impressive skills, senses and family lives, yet they also have unexpected shortcomings. Their famous "deer in the headlights" immobility, for instance, is not caused by fear at all, but rather by bright light overpowering their visual cortex and locking down their brains for a period of up to several minutes. Also among these extraordinary creatures are some exceptional rarities, such as the tiny endangered Key deer that captivate the residents of the Florida Keys, and the spellbinding white ghost deer that roam the northern woods.

In 1832, 57 young men from Ireland boarded a ship to America, leaving behind an impoverished country in hopes of a better life. They arrived healthy and ready to work. Eight weeks later all 57 men were dead. Did they all die due to a cholera pandemic as was widely believed? Or, were some of them murdered?Over 150 years later long after their deaths had been forgotten, twin brothers discovered a secret file among their grandfather's papers, leading them to investigate the story behind their deaths and search out the location of their final resting place. With the help of a team of scientists and researchers, the brothers locate a mass grave site in a valley now known as Duffy's Cut. Using the latest forensic and scientific investigative techniques, as well as historical detective work in Ireland and the U.S., modern detectives and experts will unravel this extraordinary story.Death on the Railroad is a classic whodunit, containing foul play, cover ups, a murder mystery, and both old-fashioned detective work and high tech analysis to help find out what happened to a group of Irish men who came to America for a better life but found only misery.

Just a century ago, there were less than a million deer in North America. Today, there are nearly 30 million. No wonder it seems they're moving in right down the block. Nowhere are the deer more at home than in the suburbs. Whitetailed deer live in the boundaries, where our backyards meet the backwoods, and the woodlands meet the roads. From our kitchen windows we spot them, nibbling away at our gardens and shrubs.But how well do we know our neighbors from the natural world? Not very well at all, as it turns out.New investigations into their world reveal a more complex society than we imagined. These are smart, adaptable creatures, with impressive skills, senses and family lives, yet they also have unexpected shortcomings. Their famous "deer in the headlights" immobility, for instance, is not caused by fear at all, but rather by bright light overpowering their visual cortex and locking down their brains for a period of up to several minutes. Also among these extraordinary creatures are some exceptional rarities, such as the tiny endangered Key deer that captivate the residents of the Florida Keys, and the spellbinding white ghost deer that roam the northern woods.

In 1832, 57 young men from Ireland boarded a ship to America, leaving behind an impoverished country in hopes of a better life. They arrived healthy and ready to work. Eight weeks later all 57 men were dead. Did they all die due to a cholera pandemic as was widely believed? Or, were some of them murdered?Over 150 years later long after their deaths had been forgotten, twin brothers discovered a secret file among their grandfather's papers, leading them to investigate the story behind their deaths and search out the location of their final resting place. With the help of a team of scientists and researchers, the brothers locate a mass grave site in a valley now known as Duffy's Cut. Using the latest forensic and scientific investigative techniques, as well as historical detective work in Ireland and the U.S., modern detectives and experts will unravel this extraordinary story.Death on the Railroad is a classic whodunit, containing foul play, cover ups, a murder mystery, and both old-fashioned detective work and high tech analysis to help find out what happened to a group of Irish men who came to America for a better life but found only misery.