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This two-hour special, hosted by ABC "Nightline" correspondent Robert Krulwich, chronicles the fiercely competitive race to capture one of the biggest scientific prizes ever: the complete letter-by-letter sequence of genetic information that defines human life-the human genome. NOVA tells the story of the genome triumph and its profound implications for medicine and human health.

Why do we smell different when we're sick? Why does cheese smell like feet? Why don't vultures get sick from eating rotting meat? Science is filled with stories: some of them are beautiful and some of them are gross. Really gross. Gross Science, a YouTube series hosted by Anna Rothschild, tells bizarre stories from the slimy, smelly, creepy world of science. In this collection, you'll find original short-form videos and DIY experiments from Gross Science, which is produced by NOVA and PBS Digital Studios. Learn about amphibians that eat their mother's skin, strange uses for bacon, how poop can be used to cure an infection, and more gross science topics.

Genetic tests are now available to look for specific heritable diseases like Huntington's, assess your risk of developing conditions like heart disease, and more. Learn about four different types of genetic testing and take our poll. Would you take these tests yourself?

In this audio slide show, Dr. Dana Dolinoy of Duke University explains the role that the epigenome, a sort of second genome, plays in regulating the expression of our genes. As Dolinoy notes, we can no longer say with certainty whether genetics or the environment have a greater impact on our health, because the two are inextricably linked through the epigenome.

13 minute video on twins and epigenetics

Odyssey of life animations: human, pig, chicken, and fish embryos

Article on animal grief.

Teacher's Guides for PBS segments

Blood vessel growth-or angiogenesis-is critical for developing fetuses and to heal wounds. But it is also an essential element of how cancerous tumors grow and spread. Here, see a step-by-step explanation of how the process works and how anti-angiogenesis therapies might stop tumors before they become deadly.

In this video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life," Eric Lander of MIT's Whitehead Institute explains the effort to decode the human genome -- from motivation to process to importance -- and explains what a genome map can do for science and what it can't -- yet.

3:09 video RNA may have been the origin of life on Earth. Go on a whirlwind tour of RNA's evolving role through billions of years of evolutionary history. Play the RNA Lab: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/lab...

With moving personal stories from India, Japan, Kenya, and China, "World in the Balance" gives an up-to-date global snapshot of today's human family, now numbering 6.3 billion and likely to increase to nearly 9 billion by 2050. Paradoxically, the world is now careening in two completely different directions

Nature's best kept secret is a wonder molecule called RNA. It is central to the origin of life, evolution, and the cellular machinery that keeps us alive. In this Lab you'll play the role of a molecular engineer by solving RNA folding puzzles. Then take your skills to Eterna, where you can design RNAs that could be at the heart of future life-saving therapies.

In the war against aging, Alzheimer's disease is one of our biggest foes. But while we seem to be losing the battle, we may finally have found some chinks in its armor. The most common form of dementia already affects an estimated 5.2 million Americans and 45 million others worldwide, and these numbers are projected to triple by the year 2050 as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement.

In "Harvest of Fear," FRONTLINE and NOVA explore the intensifying debate over genetically-modified (gm) food crops. Interviewing scientists, farmers, biotech and food industry representatives, government regulators, and critics of biotechnology, this two-hour report presents both sides of the debate, exploring the risks and benefits, the hopes and fears, of this new technology.

This video excerpt from NOVA examines the dilemma some people face when they are deciding whether to undergo genetic testing. Journalist Catherine Elton describes her decision to refuse a test for BRCA1, a mutation that signals an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, despite the history of disease in her family. The video also explains that genetic testing results can help some individuals improve their wellness, prevent the onset of diseases they are at risk for, or lessen the harmfulness of diseases they do contract.

This video excerpt from NOVA examines the promise and realities of developing drugs designed to treat genetic disorders. The video presents the story of one patient, Michael McCarrick, whose lungs were devastated from years of suffering from cystic fibrosis. After researchers identified the gene involved in cystic fibrosis, it took decades to find ways to fortify the faulty protein responsible for the serious illness. While two drugs, including one called Kalydeco, offer a small number of patients hope that they will not have to endure a lung transplant, it may be years and several hundred million more development dollars before effective drugs are available for a wider population.

This video excerpt from NOVA uncovers the genetic mystery that nearly killed Alexis, now 14, and introduces the debate surrounding genetic testing at birth. After diagnosing Alexis and her twin brother Noah with cerebral palsy at a young age, doctors later discovered that the twins shared a rare genetic mutation that led to a condition that mimics cerebral palsy. The twins improved after receiving treatment, but then Alexis took a turn for the worse. Thanks to whole genome sequencing, doctors discovered a second problem linked to the mutation and gave her a different treatment that saved her life.

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW examines the realm of personal DNA testing. It describes the latest tests, which look for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These single-letter differences in DNA sequence make humans unique from one another but may also predispose people to certain diseases. The video also discusses the Personal Genome Project, an extension of the Human Genome Project aimed at determining the root causes of many common diseases. The Personal Genome Project takes into account personal genomics as well as lifestyle information, such as one's living environment, habits, and behaviors.